Citroën ë-C4 X review

Many car makers take a saloon or SUV then develop a sleeker coupé version for those seeking style over practicality, but with the Citroën ë-C4 X the opposite has occurred. 

You see, the ë-C4 X electric car is a slightly stretched and potentially more spacious version of the Citroën ë-C4. Arguably, the new rear end looks even more stylish, but we’ll leave that judgement up to you.

So, how much more practical is it? Well, the ë-C4 X is 240mm longer than the regular ë-C4, in theory giving you more rear leg room (a serious downside of the normal car) while also increasing boot space. In fact, the figures promise a boot that’s bigger than even the MG5 EV electric estate’s.

There's also a non-electric version – find out about that in our Citroën C4 X review.

Read on to find out how the Citroën ë-C4 X stacks up against other electric cars that might be on your shortlist. They include electric SUVs such as the Kia Niro EV and Peugeot e-2008 plus some of the similar-sized electric hatchbacks you can buy – think of the MG4 EV, the Nissan Leaf and the VW ID.3.

There are two power options available in the ë-C4 X, but which one you get depends on the trim level. The good news is that performance with either choice is similar, so you don’t really lose out if your budget can’t stretch to the pricier version. Lower trim levels are powered by a front-wheel drive 134bhp electric motor and a 51kWh (usable) battery. You’ll find the same setup in the Citroën ë-C4 and the 0-62mph sprint time is the same at 10.0 seconds.

A slightly more powerful 154bhp version (with a slightly larger 54kWh usable capacity battery) is found on higher trim levels. It’s also front-wheel drive, but the extra power cuts the 0-62mph time down to 9.3 seconds. No matter which version you choose, though, the performance is so similar that you’ll struggle to tell which one you’re driving – there's more than enough power in both for accelerating up to motorway speeds and overtaking. 

Don’t expect much more than that though, because there isn’t all that much go when you plant your right foot. It certainly doesn’t feel as quick as the MG5 EV Long Range, which will dispatch 0-62mph in 8.3sec, and it’s a far cry from the Kia Niro EV (7.8sec). 

Arguably, what’s more important than straight-line speed is how far the ë-C4 X will take you on a full charge. Officially, the smaller battery has a range of up to 219 miles, which is about the same as an entry-level MG 4. The bigger battery option brings the official range up to 260 miles but that’s still disappointing against other electric cars, coming short of the MG4 Long Range and its official range of 281 miles. Even so, you’re unlikely to reach these official figures in the real world; in our real-world range tests the MG4 Long Range managed 253 miles in the summer and 196 miles in the winter.

Now, a staple of any Citroën is its soft and comfortable ride, and the ë-C4 X is no exception: you’re treated to the sense that you’re wafting along as you make progress. The suspension setup and 18in wheels are the same across the range, so every version is relatively settled over minor imperfections, especially around town, and it’ll cushion you well over bigger ruts and speed bumps. It’s definitely one to consider if comfort is at the top of your priority list.

It’s not perfect though, because it has a tendency to give a slight thud through sharp-edged imperfections. The softness has the downside of more floatiness over undulations than in the stiffer Renault Megane E-Tech and you can feel more vertical bounce. 

The ë-C4 X tends to lean through corners too, due to its softer suspension. That’s not to say it can’t handle a flowing country road (you get a good level of grip and the steering is predictable, if a little light), but it's not exactly exciting to drive. It’s a car that’s best experienced when driven calmly, which you can do most of the time – only the grabby brake pedal response ruins how smooth progress can be, especially in stop-start traffic.

"I’m glad Citroen tuned the ë-C4 X for comfort and not sportiness. It’s a relaxing car to drive while it cushions you against bigger bumps." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

You sit lower in the Citroën ë-C4 X than in most SUVs, but it still offers a higher driving position than in rival electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf and VW ID.3. The seat is broader and more cosseting than in the DS 3 E-Tense and the Peugeot e-2008. Adjustable lumbar support is standard across the range, so it’s great for long motorway trips. Side support in tight bends is a little lacking, though.

The ë-C4 X’s front windscreen pillars don’t encroach on your view out at junctions as much as the ones in the Cupra Born but, as in the Citroën ë-C4 rear visibility isn’t great. In this instance, the high boot line obscures low objects when parking, while the shiny plastic trim over the rear shelf reflects sunlight badly in the rear window.

All trims levels get rear parking sensors as standard to alleviate some of the visibility issues, with a rear-view camera added on all trims except entry-level You! version. Higher spec Max trim and above get front and side parking sensors. For great visibility at night, LED headlights are standard across the range.

Every ë-C4 X comes with a 10.0in touchscreen infotainment system, DAB radio, Bluetooth and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring. You’ll need to go for mid-spec Plus trim or above if you want built-in sat-nav.

The screen reacts quickly enough to your prods and is easy to read at a glance. You don't get many physical controls, but there is a home shortcut button and a vehicle settings button, plus proper air-con switches, so it’s still pretty easy to use while you're driving.

Interior quality is one of the better efforts seen from Citroën. While there is some hard plastic in places, it’s mostly broken up with large sections of soft-touch materials, so it doesn’t feel particularly cheap. You can even get Alcantara if you go for higher-spec Max trim and above. Overall, it feels solid and well built. 

"Citroën has made the effort to make the ë-C4 X’s interior feel quite comforting, and I like the fact the ambient lighting glows from behind the digital instrument cluster." – Stuart Milne, Digital Editor

The big sell of the ë-C4 X is the fact that it’s longer than the Citroën ë-C4 so you’d expect more space inside. That isn’t really the case: there’s a similar amount of head and leg room in the front of both models. Still, it's enough to keep two six-footers from touching the roof lining or rubbing shoulders.

The rear is where things are a little disappointing. You see, one of the standard car’s main negatives is the fact that rear head room is very tight, and that hasn’t changed. Even with the sweeping coupé roof being redesigned, those measuring six feet tall will be very close to the headlining, and those taller than six feet will ruin their hair. Middle seat passengers have an even worse time of it, with the slightly raised seat almost certainly causing their head to touch the ceiling. 

Leg room, meanwhile, remains similar to the standard car, so there’s more space in the back than the cramped Mazda CX-30 but it’s far smaller than the Kia Niro EV and the MG4 EV. 

So, you might be asking where all of that extra space has gone. Look in the boot and the mystery is solved: following a 130-litre increase, it’s now one of the largest for a car of this type. Indeed, with a total of 510 litres it’s much larger than the MG4’s (363 litres), the MG5 EV estate’s (464 litres) and the Niro EV’s (475 litres). 

In more relatable terms, that means the wide and flat-floored boot will very easily swallow your family’s holiday luggage, a large grocery shop or a couple of buggies. Our only demerit is that the saloon-like boot lid will make it hard to load tall items – we'd prefer a wider hatchback boot opening for more practicality. 

Conversely, long and narrow items won’t cause any problems, thanks to the rear seat backs folding down in a 60/40 configuration (annoyingly, folding them does cause a bit of a step up in the floor). If you go for the higher-spec Max trim you also get a handy ski hatch, which allows you to put long items straight through the car and still use the two outer rear seats.

"I managed to fit a buggy into the ë-C4 X’s boot with ease, but there is a much smaller opening than the e-C4’s hatchback-style boot." – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

The ë-C4 X has more boot space, an upgraded infotainment system and more standard equipment than the standard Citroën ë-C4 so it's no surprise that it costs slightly more to buy as a cash purchase. The entry-level model is also more expensive than an MG4 EV Long Range, but it undercuts the Peugeot e-2008 and Kia Niro EV by quite some margin.

The entry-level ë-C4 X You! comes with 18in alloy wheels, keyless entry and start, dual-zone air-con, heated door mirrors, automatic windscreen wipers and lots of other kit, including LED headlights. 

Even so, we’d advise stepping up to mid-spec Max trim because it gives you plenty of extra toys for not much more money. These include a head-up display, built-in sat-nav, electrically folding door mirrors, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beam for the headlights, front and side parking sensors, a rear folding armrest with ski hatch, suede-like Alcantara seating upholstery and an upgraded HiFi audio system. 

Top-spec ë-series is a small leap up in price and adds wireless phone charging, a more advanced adaptive cruise control system and a black painted roof.

Thanks to its 100kW fast charging ability (that’s more than the Niro EV), the ë-C4 X can charge from 10% to 80% in around half an hour, while a typical 7kWh home wall box will take more than seven hours to recharge a fully depleted battery, which is respectable.

The ë-C4 and ë-C4 X didn’t feature in the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey but Citroën as a brand fared relatively well, claiming 7th position out of 31 manufacturers. Toyota and Dacia came higher in 5th and 6th position respectively, but Peugeot was down in 19th. 

Every ë-C4 X comes with a three-year warranty with unlimited mileage for the first two years and a 60,000-mile cap on the final year. That’s fairly average, matching Renault’s offering, but it’s no match for Hyundai’s five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty or Kia’s seven-year, 100,000-mile package. The battery has its own eight-year, 100,000 mile warranty.

The list of safety equipment you get as standard across the e-C4 range includes automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assist and speed-limit information. Higher-spec Max trim adds blind-spot monitoring and a more advanced AEB system that can detect cyclists as part of the Safety Pack Plus. 

Disappointingly, the ë-C4 scored a four-star rating from Euro NCAP in 2021. There were concerns over passenger leg injuries in the frontal crash test, and the potential for the front seat occupants to collide with each other in side impacts because of a lack of central airbag between the two. An alarm and immobiliser come as standard on all versions.

"It’s worth noting a heat pump is a £450 option on the ë-C4 X, which usefully warms up the interior as efficiently as possible to help improve range. It’s standard on all versions of the Peugeot e-2008, though." – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

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