Citroen C1 (used review)

The Citroën C1 is the perfect first car. It’s the perfect city car for those who value low running costs and an easy-to-park size. The C1 offers a petrol and diesel engine. We’d go with the 1-liter petrol as it offers more flexibility and doesn’t require you to work the gears as hard as the diesel option. It’s nice, though, that you can choose a diesel engine, but we think that is best left for those who plan to do tons of driving with it. Driving the C1 around town is an easy affair. Steering is light and offers communicative feedback where it matters most. Ride comfort is composed until you get to motorway speeds. A tad too much wind and road noise will enter the cabin. Both engines can get quite noisy when revved too hard, and ride comfort suffers due to the firm suspension setup and tiny wheels. Also, since the C1 is narrow and tall, you’ll get blown about easily by the backdrafts from lorries on the motorway. The C1 does have some shortcomings as a city car. The biggest drawback is the boot space. It’s absolutely tiny compared to its keen rivals. You can fold the rear seats down to extend cargo space, but you’ll essentially turn the C1 into a two-seater. Which works best for anyone who won’t need to ferry anyone in the back seat around on the daily. Front seats are comfortable and offer plenty of adjustments except the steering wheel, which only adjusts for height and not reach. The dashboard is simply laid out. The air-con panel glows orange when the headlights are on adds a nice touch. Vibe and Rythm trim levels don’t offer air-con as standard kit. If you can live without it, you’ll be just fine. We’d certainly go for Cool or Airplay trim levels as they are fitted with standard kit we feel should be standard such as air-con and central locking. Power windows and ESP are also fitted standard as well. You’ll find examples that are dirt cheap for the C1, but we’d recommend making sure that everything is sorted. The biggest concern is that the glass boot door doesn’t have any leaks. Mechanically, the diesel has a turbo which is prone to failure with higher mileage examples. Always make sure there’s a full service record or walk away. The C1 isn’t perfect, but for those who seek low running costs in a car that’s easy to live with. The C1 wins on those priorities alone. However, it falls apart outside of city limits, and it’s just not very versatile for four-people. Likes: Low running costs. The optional diesel is quite lovely if you stay in the slow lane. You’ll find examples that are inexpensive. Dislike: The boot is useless. Rear seat space is non-existent. The diesel engine is pointless if you don’t drive on the motorway daily. The petrol engine is noisy and needs to be worked hard to get a good turn of pace.