Citroën ë-C3 vs Renault 5

The Renault 5 costs £3,000 more than the Citroën ë-C3. For that premium it adds 58 miles more WLTP range and 50 kW faster peak rapid charging. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Renault 5 comes out ahead overall.

The Citroën ë-C3 is £3,000 cheaper to buy. The Renault 5 is cheaper to charge, roughly £144 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 £2,800 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 160 miles for the Renault 5 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Renault 5 goes roughly 66 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 31-36 minutes.

The Citroën ë-C3 is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 53 mm narrower than the Renault 5. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 645 mm of total clearance for the Citroën ë-C3 and about 592 mm of total clearance for the Renault 5.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 90% battery health for the Citroën ë-C3 and 84% for the Renault 5. 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 Renault 5's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.