Citroën ë-C3 vs Hyundai IONIQ Electric

The Hyundai IONIQ Electric costs £10,555 more than the Citroën ë-C3. For that premium it adds 60 miles more WLTP range and a 1.9s quicker 0-62mph time. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Hyundai IONIQ Electric comes out ahead overall.

The Citroën ë-C3 is £10,555 cheaper to buy. The Hyundai IONIQ Electric is cheaper to charge, roughly £136 a year versus £184 for the Citroën ë-C3, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Citroën ë-C3 comes out roughly £10,315 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 94 miles for the Citroën ë-C3 and 161 miles for the Hyundai IONIQ Electric - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Hyundai IONIQ Electric goes roughly 67 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 36 minutes in the Citroën ë-C3 and 57 in the Hyundai IONIQ Electric, so the Citroën ë-C3 loses less time at each stop. So the Hyundai IONIQ Electric stops less often while the Citroën ë-C3 stops for less time - pick on which you would rather do.

The Citroën ë-C3 is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 65 mm narrower than the Hyundai IONIQ Electric. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 645 mm of total clearance for the Citroën ë-C3 and about 580 mm of total clearance for the Hyundai IONIQ Electric.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 90% battery health for the Citroën ë-C3 and 84% for the Hyundai IONIQ Electric. That gives the Citroën ë-C3 a modest edge in retained real-world range. The Citroën ë-C3's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the Hyundai IONIQ Electric's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.