Skip advert
Advertisement

Citroen C1 review - does French hatch offer the thrill of city driving? - MPG and running costs

Good value city car, but unrefined on the road

Evo rating
RRP
from £8,345
  • Efficient, easy to park, well-equipped and good value
  • Poor body control, coarse manners, better rivals

MPG and running costs

This is where the Citroen C1 shines. No version of the car emits more than 99g/km so there's no road tax to pay. For company buyers on the first rung of the new car ladder, this also means low Benefit in Kind tax. Add stop-start to the 1.0-litre engine and emissions drop from 95- to 88g/km, meaning it drops a further one per cent on the BIK scale. For everyone else, low CO2 ratings correlate with low fuel consumption. So the stop-start equipped 1.0-litre versions of the C1 return 74.3mpg on the combined cycle, while the standard 1.0's official figure is 68.9mpg.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The addition of the automatic gearbox reduces the C1's efficiency a tad, with 67.3mpg and 97g/km figures, while the 1.2-litre engine returns 65.7mpg and 99g/km. In reality, there's little to choose between the fuel consumption during real world use of all versions as the smaller engine needs to be driven harder to achieve the same performance as the 1.2.

For buyers keeping a close tab on monthly costs, Citroen offers its 'SimplyDrive' leasing scheme. Terms and conditions apply of course, but the C1 is available from £159 per month, inclusive of insurance, routine servicing and breakdown assistance. 

 

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

My Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce proved you needn't spend £100k for a fun saloon
evo Fast Fleet Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce
Long term tests

My Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce proved you needn't spend £100k for a fun saloon

How desirable can a four-cylinder Giulia really be? ‘Very’ is our long-term verdict
13 Aug 2026
The GMA S1 is today’s McLaren F1 – sorry, T.50 owners
GMA S1
News

The GMA S1 is today’s McLaren F1 – sorry, T.50 owners

Gordon Murray Automotive has revived the McLaren F1 with the road-biased GMA S1, a 12,100rpm V12 special based upon the ultra-exclusive S1 LM
14 Aug 2026
Jaecoo 7 review – impressive in ways, not great in others
Jaecoo 7
Reviews

Jaecoo 7 review – impressive in ways, not great in others

Is what is now one of Britain’s best-selling cars actually any good? We got one in to find out
11 Aug 2026