Citroën ë-C3 vs VW e-Up!

The VW e-Up! costs £3,200 more than the Citroën ë-C3. For that premium it adds 28 miles more WLTP range and lower energy use, 144 versus 165 Wh/km. The Citroën ë-C3 is not just cheaper - it also offers 60 litres more boot space and 1 more seat (5 versus 4). On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the VW e-Up! comes out ahead overall.

The Citroën ë-C3 is £3,200 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £160 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 £3,080 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 116 miles for the VW e-Up! - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The VW e-Up! goes roughly 22 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 36 minutes in the Citroën ë-C3 and 49 in the VW e-Up!, so the Citroën ë-C3 loses less time at each stop. So the VW e-Up! stops less often while the Citroën ë-C3 stops for less time - pick on which you would rather do.

The VW e-Up! is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 110 mm narrower than the Citroën ë-C3. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 755 mm of total clearance for the VW e-Up! and about 645 mm of total clearance for the Citroën ë-C3. The VW e-Up! also turns in a 0.8 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-Up!. 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-Up!'s NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.