VAN DU JOUR (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Citroen's thinks its e-C3 Van is what a really small urban LCV should now be. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 43

Citroen brings us a practical van version of its e-C3 electric supermini, returning almost properly to the city van segment it used to dominate with its little Nemo LCV. If you've not much to deliver and you're purely urban-based, it's worth a look.

Backgroundword count: 152

Citroen has quite a history in really small LCV's. The 2CV van was the last century's most definitive one. But the brand hasn't sold such a thing in recent years; well, not less you count the My Ami Cargo electric quadricycle, which most people don't. The last proper city-sized Citroen van was the Nemo, sold between 2007 and 2017, but that wasn't really a proper Citroen, instead a design shared with Peugeot and Fiat. Now though, we have a contender from this brand that is both a proper city van and a proper Citroen; the e-C3 Van. That's quite a build up for what is effectively merely an e-C3 supermini with the rear seat removed. But simple solutions can sometimes be the best ones. Dacia has done the same thing by launching a Cargo version of its Spring supermini EV and it's that model that will represent this e-C3 Van's closest competition.

Driving Experienceword count: 171

Citroen quotes a 200 mile range for this e-C3 Van, which is considerable improvement over the 140 mile range figure quoted for Dacia's rival Spring Cargo van. That's because this Citroen's 44kWh battery is much bigger than the 26.8kWh pack in that Dacia. In the e-C3 Van, you also get a much beefier 111hp electric motor on the front axle (it's just 65hp in the Dacia), propelling this Citroen to 62mph in around 11s en route to 84mph. Like all C3s, this one sits on an electrified version of the simpler 'Smart Car' platform the brand developed for emerging nations in India and Latin America. Ride comfort is a traditional Citroen attribute, so the Advanced Comfort shock absorber hydraulic bump stops from larger models are welcome here. The remainder of the damping set-up is conventional, with MacPherson strut front suspension and a torsion beam rear end. Those still unconvinced by (or unprepared to pay the price for) EV technology, will be disappointed that there's no combustion version of this little LCV.

To see the full road test text contact us on 0330 0020 227