Citroën ë-C3 Aircross vs Hyundai Ioniq 3

The Citroën ë-C3 Aircross costs £2,870 more than the Hyundai Ioniq 3. On the headline specs that premium buys little measurable advantage - the two are closely matched on range, charging and space. The Hyundai Ioniq 3 is not just cheaper - it also offers a 4.1s quicker 0-62mph time. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Hyundai Ioniq 3 comes out ahead overall.

The Hyundai Ioniq 3 is £2,870 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £136 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Hyundai Ioniq 3 comes out roughly £2,990 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 158 miles for the Citroën ë-C3 Aircross and 178 miles for the Hyundai Ioniq 3 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Hyundai Ioniq 3 goes roughly 19 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 26-29 minutes.

The Hyundai Ioniq 3 is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 50 mm narrower than the Citroën ë-C3 Aircross. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 600 mm of total clearance for the Hyundai Ioniq 3 and about 550 mm of total clearance for the Citroën ë-C3 Aircross. The Hyundai Ioniq 3 also turns in a 0.5 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.