Citroen eC3 1500 km Review: A Long Drive To Mumbai

I thought that the eC3 is more than just a city commuter, but a small trip to Mumbai changed that

3 months in, and the eC3 has been driven purely in the city. It handled my daily office commutes comfortably, and occasional drives with friends in the city were extremely easy due to its compact nature. But one day I thought, “let’s take it to Mumbai”.

An upcoming family function has me travelling to Mumbai every other weekend, and taking a petrol or diesel car does become heavy on my wallet. So I thought let’s try the eC3. It has a displayed range of 200 km, and I need to go around 170 km one way, which shouldn't be a big problem.

Oh boy was I wrong. To set some context, a drive from my house in Pune to my sister’s place in Mumbai takes around 3 hours. With less traffic and a consistent speed of 100 kmph, it can be done in less than 3. So to reach as soon as I can, I usually leave at around 6 am.

I charged the eC3 overnight at the office, picked it up at 100%, and headed to Mumbai. Little did I know that this would be my longest journey to Mumbai. To reach Mumbai by breakfast, I kept a consistent speed of 100 kmph, but by the time I reached the Ghats, the battery had already dropped to 50%. Till that point, I had covered around 60 kms.

To avoid any unnecessary range anxiety, I stopped at Lonavala, found a charger, and topped it up to 90%. This added another hour to my journey. But, now I was ready to leave. In another hour and a half, I reached Mumbai, but since I was running an hour late, the city traffic became denser. It took me another hour to reach my destination, and the total time taken to make this journey was four and a half hours. 

Since the last charge at Lonavala, I had covered another 100 kms. But with the city traffic and constant braking, I was able to get more out of the battery thanks to regenerative braking.

The battery was back at around 40%. I had breakfast, charged the eC3 again since I had a lot of work in Mumbai, and continued with my day. In the city, driving was easy as always, and the eC3 kept me and my family members comfortable.

During my drives I also realised that while it is very basic, the one feature I use the most – touchscreen – worked perfectly. Wireless Android Auto does not lag, the screen works seamlessly, and the AC works so well that it can give you a cold.

As a product, the eC3 does give you all the basic necessities, and for a family of four, the drive is extremely comfortable. But, it is just a city commuter. Yes, you can charge it on the way, but would you want to do that multiple times? Charging it once or twice in a round trip is still okay, but if I have to charge it multiple times, that too mid way to my destination, then it does not make much sense.

The eC3 is going back soon and there are many things I learnt in this duration. The long term wrapup of the eC3 is due soon which will give you a better understanding of this small EV. Till then, drive safe and stay tuned for more updates.

Positives: Comfortable ride quality, easy city commutes, usable city range

Negatives: Less features, sub par cabin quality, not suitable for inter city commutes

Date When Received: May 9, 2025

Kilometres When Received: 7,271 km

Kilometres Till Now: 8,833 km