Citroen eC3 Long Term Fleet Introduction: Too Plain

After a few days of driving, the initial expressions have left me with a question – is this it?

The Citroen eC3 has recently entered CarDekho’s garage as our latest long-term vehicle, and I’ve spent a few days with it to form my initial expressions. There is not much to talk about as the car in itself is too plain and too simple, and while that’s okay for most cars, for an EV priced at around Rs 13 lakh (ex-showroom), being plain and simple will not cut it.

Looks are subjective and people will have their own opinions. I for once like how it looks, but feel there should have been premium design elements, specifically in the lights. For this price, getting halogen headlamps feels like a rip off, and while this car is noticeable, it could have looked better for its price.

And the same thing goes for the cabin. It's plain, black, and only gets enough contrasting elements to justify the word “contrast”. The cabin does have a good design, there is nothing polarizing, and all controls are easily accessible. But, the quality is only sub par, there are no soft touch paddings, and a rear centre armrest should not have been missed.

Till now the initial expressions may seem negative, but this car does have some positives which I’ve noticed in the past few days. The first and probably its biggest selling point is its comfortable ride quality. I’ve driven it over roads with deep potholes, roads which are still under construction, and roads which are just sand and rocks, and the eC3 managed to keep me comfortable on all of them.

It knows how to keep each and every passenger comfortable, and it does that with a decent performance as well. It is not like most EVs where you get a surge of power, instead, it is calm and relaxed, which most people will prefer. In the past few days, overtakes were not an issue, I had enough power on my hands to cruise around, and till now I’ve been getting a range of around 200 km in a single charge. 

The Citroen eC3 is an easy to drive car and manages to tackle regular city commutes very well. But, for its price, it needs to be more than just a means of getting from point A to point B, and in the next few months, I’ll see how it handles my city and intercity commutes, along with some road trips and family duties.

Positives: Comfortable ride quality, easy city commutes

Negatives: Less features, sub par cabin quality

Date When Received: May 9, 2025

Kilometres When Received: 7271 km

Kilometres Till Now: 7891 km