Citroen e-C4 X Review & Prices

Following on from the e-C4, the Citroen e-C4 X comes with a sleeker design. It’s a bit like wearing a baseball cap backwards; the basic design is the same but it just looks a bit cooler than doing it the regular way.

The e-C4 X is going up against the likes of the Renault Megane e-Tech, Kia Niro EV and our carwow Car of the Year, the MG4, all of which are great family EV options. However, finding a direct alternative is difficult because of the Citroen’s unique silhouette.

Going from the regular e-C4 to the X, luggage capacity leaps from from 380 litres to 510 litres, although rather than a hatchback opening, it’s more like a saloon, which is less convenient for loading large items. But you can still fold the split rear seats down to create an even more cavernous space.

With Citroen’s signature angular daytime running lights on the face, it’s a smart-looking thing from the front. The side profile shows the sweeping roofline leading into the more saloon-like boot, while there’s lots of black cladding to give it something of a rugged SUV aesthetic. The proportions at the rear are a little odd with the long overhangs, but it still has that smart yet quirky Citroen appeal.

Despite the obvious changes to the outside, the e-C4 X offers some familiarity with the existing C4 on the inside. The cabin has a simple layout, with climate dials separate from the infotainment system for ease of use, and two large displays, including the 10.0-inch central touchscreen. Citroen has also focused a lot of attention on comfort, so you get well-cushioned and supportive seats.

Despite that sloping roof, headroom is good for rear passengers and there’s loads of kneeroom, so even tall passengers can sit behind tall drivers comfortably. The seats in the back are comfy too, though it might be a squeeze to fit three adults side-by-side.

The e-C4 X is being launched with just one battery and motor combination. You get a 50kWh battery pack teamed with a front axle-mounted electric motor that makes 136hp and 260Nm of torque. That means 0-62mph in 10.0 seconds and a top speed of 93mph.

With that battery, you can go up to 222 miles on a charge according to the official figures, and it can charge at a speed of up to 100kW on DC. With that, it can go from 0-80% charge in 30 minutes.

You get to choose from three trims: Sense, Shine and Shine Plus. All three come with a good amount of safety kit, while both Shine trims get adaptive cruise control and some extra assistance tech. All are fitted with the Advanced Comfort Suspension, which offers a pillowy soft ride.

The e-C4 X soaks up bumps in the road so well you’d think sleeping policemen are made from marshmallows. It’s quiet, too, whether pootling around town or cruising at motorway speeds.

The trade off is that it's less fun on a winding road, where the light steering means you’re never really sure if the front-end has grip when pushing on. The brakes are very light too, so coming to a smooth stop can take a bit of guesswork. But overall this is a quiet and serene car that encourages you to take it easy and enjoy the journey.

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Citroen e-C4X prices start around the low £30,000 mark and top models start in the mid-30s, so there’s not a huge leap in price between specifications. Some of this is down to the fact that there’s just the one motor and battery option, but also because there’s not much difference between the equipment offered.

Higher trims generally get some more safety and driver assistance kit, an improved infotainment system and some fancier upholstery. For a few extra thousand pounds, the Shine and Shine Plus trims feel like good value over the entry-level Sense trim.

That also makes it competitively priced against similar electric alternatives. It’s comfortably more expensive than the excellent MG4, but then just about everything is. What makes it more enticing is the fact that the Megane E-Tech and Niro EV both have starting prices above £36,000 and venture above £40,000 on high specification models, while Volkswagen ID3 models start around this figure.

It’s also the same price as the regular e-C4, despite offering a bit more practicality. Arguably, then, the only reason to go for that model is because you don’t like the quirky looks of the X, or its saloon-style boot opening.

What do you get for your cash? Sense models are pretty well-equipped as-is, with not too much difference in exterior style and interior quality. You don’t get the full suite of infotainment tech, such as sat nav, but with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard that’s not the end of the world.

Shine and Shine Plus are similarly equipped with better safety tech, extra assistance kit (including parking cameras) and some styling tweaks. The top-spec model’s key differences include Highway Driver Assist, which can control the steering to keep you in lane while in cruise control, as well as Alcantara upholstery and a rear armrest with a load-through ski hatch.

The Citroen e-C4 X is incredibly quiet and comfortable, but it’s not particularly thrilling on a twisty road

In town

The Citroen e-C4 X feels quite large but at no point is it intimidating to drive around town. The light steering is welcome here and it means that navigating narrow streets is easy enough.

You have a choice of three drive modes: Sport, Normal and Eco. Even in normal the motors can be quite slow to pick up the pace, which takes some getting used to when darting into a gap in traffic. Eco is lethargic and should only be used when you really need to eke out some extra range. Sport does sharpen up responsiveness, but feels antithetical to the car’s character.

Rear visibility is okay, but the chunky pillars do limit the view over your shoulder somewhat. It’s an improvement over the regular e-C4, though, and the raised driving position gives you a good view of the road ahead, even if you do sit lower than in most traditional SUVs.

We found the brakes a bit too light, though. Slightly firmer resistance would make it easier to come to a smooth halt. And if you’re a bit too eager with the pedal the soft suspension makes the car lurch forward slightly as you stop.

Entry-level models get a standard safety pack with active braking, lane-keep assist and forward collision, but Shine and Shine Plus get some more advanced active braking tech and extended traffic sign recognition.

On the motorway

Once again, that Advanced Comfort Suspension comes into its own. At higher speeds you find the car just rolls with the road and is rarely upset by broken Tarmac. If we’re being overly critical, that floating sensation can make it feel like the car is never really settled, but it’s easy to forgive for a generally relaxing drive.

The lazy electric motors can mean that accelerating out to overtake middle lane hoggers can take a bit more throttle pedal than you might expect from an electric car. If you like your EVs punchy the e-C4 X might disappoint, but this is in-keeping with its ‘relaxing spa day’ driving experience. Perhaps consider the (bigger, more expensive) Tesla Model Y if you want your EV to pack a bit more punch.

You get regular cruise control on Sense models, adaptive cruise control on Shine and Highway Driver Assist on Shine Plus.

On a twisty road

With all that talk of prioritising comfort it’s perhaps no surprise to learn that the e-C4 X doesn’t feel particularly at home when driving enthusiastically down a winding country road. The light steering that makes town driving easy is its undoing here, because there’s so little feedback it’s hard to judge your inputs nor have confidence in the front end’s grip.

There’s also a bit of lean mid corner, but actually not as much as you’re expecting considering the suspension can be tempted to wallow about at lower speeds from time to time. Regardless, this is a car that’s happier being the tortoise than the hare.

Boot space is impressive but the saloon-like opening could make it tricky to load larger items

The first thing you’ll probably notice when jumping into the e-C4 X is the comfortable seats, particularly with the Alcantara upholstery found in top-spec models. They’re perhaps closer to squishy armchairs than your average car seat.

The driving position takes some getting used to – we would have liked the wheel to adjust higher, for example – but otherwise it feels pretty spacious.

Between the passengers is an arm rest with a spacious cubby hole beneath, ahead of which sit a pair of cup holders with a slidable cover, another storage area, and a shelf for your phone. This is flanked by USB charging ports but also acts as the wireless charging pad, the latter of which is a £150 option exclusively for Shine Plus models, unfortunately.

Space in the back seats

Space in the back is generally good. There’s loads of legroom, with a six-foot passenger able to sit behind a six-foot driver without their legs touching the seat in front. Headroom is okay; not massive but enough for most to avoid rubbing their head on the roof. Your thighs should be pretty well supported by the seat, too.

Citroen reckons you should be able to fit three in the back but we’d suggest you’d have to be on very good terms as it would be a tight squeeze. One best left to short journeys, probably. The centre seat is a little raised and there’s a lip in the floor, so headroom is less impressive and you’ll be fighting for foot space with those either side.

Boot space

One of the e-C4 X’s key selling points is its capacious boot. At 510 litres it’s not only comfortably bigger than the 380 litres found in the regular e-C4, there’s also more space than any alternatives you might consider.

Its closest competitor is the Kia Niro EV, which has 475 litres, while the Renault Megane E-Tech gets 440 litres. The ID3 has 385 litres, while the MG4 props up the table at 363 litres, so if space is key you might have to walk away from the budget-friendly option.

With all that being said, the saloon-like entry to the boot is its biggest let down. It’s not the widest aperture, so if you have a large item you might need to get creative to squeeze it in and really maximise the space. There’s also a bit of a lip, so you’ll have to reach in and lift heavier items.

On the plus side, there’s handy cable storage so you won’t lose any of that space in order to take charging cables around with you.

Entry-level models miss out on the full package of infotainment systems, but all trims feel suitably upmarket

Citroen is straddling the line between mainstream and posh with the e-C4. There are plenty of squishy materials that give a hint of premium, particularly with the Alcantara upholstery on Shine Plus models.

It’s let down in a few areas, such as the digital instrument display behind the wheel. It’s fine at displaying all your basic information, but doesn’t use the full real estate on offer and ends up looking a bit cheap and basic. Especially with the chunky plastic that surrounds it.

The same can’t be said for the central infotainment display. All models get a 10.0-inch screen, but only Shine and Shine Plus get the full MyCitroen Drive Plus experience, which includes built-in sat nav, voice recognition, gesture controls and customisation with eight different profiles to get personalised layouts between drivers.

Sense versions still get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for music streaming and navigation, so it’s not the end of the world that they don’t get the full fat software, even if it does feel a bit tight from Citroen.

Using the menus outside of the obvious radio and navigation systems isn’t always intuitive. Finding your way into deeper menus and settings can be pretty frustrating. That said, the high-resolution screen is easy to read with bright colours and is quick to respond to inputs, even if there’s occasionally a small lag as the graphics play catch up.

The steering wheel-mounted buttons are just that: actual buttons. It’s funny how refreshing it is to have some back-to-basics buttons that just work, instead of the unintuitive, touch-sensitive swipe/slide/prod shenanigans that are commonplace now.

With just the one motor and battery choice, unfortunately there’s no option for those who want to go big on range. The e-C4X’s 50kWh battery offers an official 222 miles between charges, which is lower than any of the alternatives we’ve been discussing here.

For context, the MG4 is closest, with a maximum range of 281 miles from its pricier big battery version, while official figures suggest 340 miles is possible from long-range ID3 models. Even the Volkswagen’s entry-level 58kWh battery will take you 260 miles, though the e-C4X costs less and has similar range to the smaller of the two batteries fitted to the MG4.

Citroen has decided to stick with smaller batteries that use less materials, are cheaper to make and result in lighter cars – and how often does the average person travel over 200 miles in one hit? There’s sound logic, but you couldn’t be blamed for looking at options that will go further for around the same cash.

All models get a Type 2 Mode 3 charging cable included – you can upgrade to an 11kW cable for £300 – and a full charge at a 7kW home wallbox should take about seven and a half hours. With a maximum charge rate of 100kW at public chargers, 0-80% should take about half an hour, though like the range, this maximum charge rate is lower than you’ll see in other models.

Driver assistance systems come in a ‘standard safety pack’ on the Sense trim, but it’s fairly comprehensive, including active safety braking, which can help slow the car to avoid or mitigate the results of a crash, as well as lane keep assist, lane departure detection, forward collision warning and driver attention alert.

Step up to the Shine and Shine Plus models and you get some more advanced kit. The active braking system only uses video detection in the standard setup, but here it’s assisted by radar and includes night-time and cyclist detection. You also get an extended version of the traffic sign recognition system found on base cars.

Adding the advanced system to Sense models costs £1,300 as an optional extra, while you can also upgrade Shine models’ adaptive cruise control to full Highway Driver Assist system for £400.

Although it’s too soon to tell whether the e-C4 X is going to be trouble free for owners, the regular e-C4 and combustion-engined C4 that it is based on have both proved reliable, with no major alarm bells ringing.

Reassurance comes in the form of a three-year warranty that’s unlimited mileage for the first two years and up to 60,000 in the third. The battery has a separate warranty for eight years or 100,000 miles, guaranteeing it retains at least 70% of its original capacity. You also get 24-hour roadside assistance for free in the first year of buying the car.