Skip advert
Advertisement

Citroen C4 Cactus review - driver appeal of a different kind - Citroen C4 Cactus MPG and running costs

Not an 'evo' car in the traditional sense, the Cactus is nevertheless quite a likeable car

Evo rating
RRP
from £12,990
  • Interior design, comfort, light weight
  • Overly light steering, quirky styling may put off some

Light weight – Cacti start at just 965kg and none break the 1100kg mark – and small engines make the C4 Cactus very frugal, both on paper and in the real world.

We’ll start with our own experiences first: The 1.2-litre PureTech 110 gets an official combined economy figure of 65.7mpg, and in mixed driving we saw MPG in the high 40s, so mid-40s is a realistic estimate and 50-plus if you have a particularly light right foot.

Advertisement - Article continues below

On paper the turbocharged car is actually a little better than its naturally-aspirated compatriots, but with a figure of 83.1mpg combined the diesel (with the ETG6 gearbox) would be the one to go for if ultimate economy is the goal.

Interestingly, PSA Group – the brand that controls Peugeot, Citroen and DS – recently tested the real-world economy of several of its models. It achieved 46mpg from a Cactus PureTech 110 (matching our estimation) and 55mpg from a manual-equipped Cactus diesel.

Other running costs should be low enough – Citroen has a ‘SimplyDrive’ feature that includes three years’ worth of insurance, routine servicing, tax, warranty and breakdown cover included when buying the car on finance. The Cactus also rolls on fairly sensible tyres and its light weight means you shouldn’t chew through consumables too quickly either.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

The new Toyota GR Yaris Sébastien Ogier edition is a rally car for the road
Toyota GR Yaris Sebastien Ogier 9 World Champion Edition
News

The new Toyota GR Yaris Sébastien Ogier edition is a rally car for the road

Toyota has chosen the season-opening 2026 Monte Carlo rally to reveal a new special edition of the GR Yaris. It’s one with a very long name: the Toyot…
22 Jan 2026
Four pricey performance cars that make more sense to buy used
Depreciated performance cars
Features

Four pricey performance cars that make more sense to buy used

Depreciation: One buyer’s suffering is another man's saving, such as £65k off a nearly-new BMW M8 or £20k off a nearly-new Mercedes-AMG A35
22 Jan 2026
Rallying a V12 Jaguar and being rescued by Prince William: Ed Abbott’s story
Ed Abbott
Features

Rallying a V12 Jaguar and being rescued by Prince William: Ed Abbott’s story

Currently causing a stir by competing in historic rallying in a V12 XJ–S, Abbott worked under Norman Dewis at Jaguar before successfully tackling salo…
23 Jan 2026