Citroën pulled the rug out from under its competitors by becoming the first general manufacturer to present an electric car for less than €25,000 excluding bonuses; a category previously occupied only by the small Dacia Spring with more modest pretensions. The ë-C3 electric city car also comes at the right time since the Spring, produced in China, risks losing its ecological bonus in 2024, while the ë-C3 should be eligible thanks to its production based on European soil, in Slovakia.
Citroën opened pre-orders for its new electric city car on October 17 and announces that it has already reached the milestone of 10,000 reservations. In reality, these are more expressions of interest, since no deposit is required from future customers, who still have the possibility of withdrawing.
The entry level, the most popular finish
Citroën has chosen to offer a very simple range for its electric city car. Thus, the ë-C3 is only available in two finishing levels. The first, called You, is billed at €23,300 excluding bonuses, or available via a long-term rental offer at €99/month. The ë-C3 is then equipped with the bare minimum, although this level of finish currently concerns 56% of pre-orders. This is all the more surprising since entry-level finishes are generally used to display the lowest possible starting price, and are not very popular with customers.
This anomaly can surely be explained by the absence of a core model. Citroën preferred to offer just one other finish called Max, much better equipped than the entry level, but also significantly more expensive. The price of the electric city car thus increases to €27,800, or €179/month, and only 44% of customers have reserved this version.