Citroën e-C3

Small hatchback is reinvented with electric power and an affordable price On sale Early 2024 Price from £22,000 (est)

- George Hill

DO YOU THINK most electric vehicles (EVS) are too big and too expensive? Well, the new Citroën e-C3 could be the car to change your mind, because it will be one of the smallest and cheapest new EVs you can buy when it goes on sale early next year.

With prices expected to start at around £22,000, the e-C3 will undercut other relatively affordable EVs such as the BYD Dolphin (from £26,140 when smaller-battery versions arrive next year) and MG 4 (from £26,995) by a substantial margin. Only the Dacia Spring, which arrives in the UK next summer, is likely to be cheaper, costing from around £20,000.

The e-C3 is powered by a 111bhp electric motor and a battery with a 44kWh total capacity, the latter delivering an official range of 199 miles. That's less than the Dolphin (211 miles in its cheapest guise) and MG 4 SE (218 miles), but more than the Spring (149 miles).