Citroën ë-C3 vs VW e-Golf

The VW e-Golf costs £10,850 more than the Citroën ë-C3. For that premium it adds a 1.2s quicker 0-62mph time and lower energy use, 150 versus 165 Wh/km. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the VW e-Golf comes out ahead overall.

The Citroën ë-C3 is £10,850 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £168 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Citroën ë-C3 comes out roughly £10,770 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 71 miles for the VW e-Golf - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Citroën ë-C3 goes roughly 23 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 36 minutes in the Citroën ë-C3 and 22 in the VW e-Golf, so the VW e-Golf loses less time at each stop. So the Citroën ë-C3 stops less often while the VW e-Golf 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 44 mm narrower than the VW e-Golf. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 645 mm of total clearance for the Citroën ë-C3 and about 601 mm of total clearance for the VW e-Golf. The Citroën ë-C3 also turns in a 0.3 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

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