French carmaker Citroen began it India innings 2 years back with the C5 Aircross SUV which was followed by the much smaller and affordable C3 hatch in 2022. Now, the Stellantis Group Company has launched its third and first electric car for India, the eC3 which as the name suggests is based on the C3. The car aims to tap into the affordable passenger EV market which currently is dominated by Tata Motors via its cars Tigor EV and Tiago EV.
Design
The Citroen eC3 doesn’t look drastically different from the C3 although the brand has given it some new colours including a few dual tone options. In all, the car is available with 13 exterior colour combinations and 3 packs with 47 customisation options. According to the company a majority of the sales of the C3 have come from dual tone trims and the trend could continue with this electric car.
The SUV silhouette is very evident with features like cladding on wheel arches and body, high ground clearance as well as roof rails, though the brand still likes to call this one a hatchback. Importantly the charging port is located on the driver side front fender seems like a suitable place.
Interior
The cabin pretty much reminds of the C3 hatch and gets the same 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system that is compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay which is wireless. Because this is an electric, the digital cluster has changed and gives vital information regarding state of charge and range. The manual gearbox seen on the petrol version is replaced by an auto shift which reminds of the C5 Aircross.
Citroën has also given connectivity apps like MY CITROËN Connect and C-BUDDY on the car. It comes with as many as 35 features including driving behaviour analysis, vehicle tracking, emergency services call, auto crash notification, over-the-air software updates, and usage-based insurance parameters and first in segment 7-year subscription. The car is spacious enough on both rows and gets a boot space of 315 litres.
Battery
The eC3 gets a battery pack which is bigger than its rivals – the Tata Tigor EV and Tiago EV. Its 29.2 kWh battery ensures that the car can run for a good 320 kms on a single charge which again is more than both the rivals.
The battery makes 56 bhp along with 143 Nm of peak torque although it is air cooled and not liquid cooled. Citroen says it has been tested in extreme temperatures for its reliability. The car does 0-60 kmph in 6.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of 107 kmph.
There are 2 drive modes – Eco and Standard and regenerative braking is effective too.
The car has come with 100% DC fast charge capability and also has 15 amperehome charging option. The former charges the car from 10-80 % in less than an hour while a home socket will fully charge it in just over 10 hours.
Prices
The eC3 has been launched in 4 variants which start from Rs. 11.50 lakh and go up to Rs. 12.43 lakh, all prices are Introductory and ex-showroom. The brand now has a presence in 25 cities across the country while the car can also be ordered online directly from the factory, and it will be delivered to the buyers’ doorstep. According to the brand, all showrooms will be equipped with a DC fast charging facility.
A warranty of 3 years /1.25 lakhkms is being offered with the car while the battery pack comes with a warranty of 7 years / 1.40 lakh kms. The motor gets a warranty of 5 years / 1 lakh kms. For B2B buyers it’s a standard 3 years /1.25 lakhkms warranty across all parameters.
The company is offering various extended warranty options as well with the car.
The author is a senior editor at carandbike.com.