► Lightly tweaked e-C4 driven in the UK
► Same power units, new face
► Comfortable, refined and distinctive
I bet some of you had forgotten about the Citroen e-C4. It’s the all-electric version of the C4 family hatch, and has long offered a comfortable and slightly quirky take on Stellantis e-CMP platform. Stellantis is hoping a spot of rhinoplasty will remind you of its existence, and that it’s already been upgraded once.
Before you get too excited, however, you should know that the 2025 ë-C4’s updates are light. A few cosmetic changes have been made, and a vehicle-to-load charging system is now offered, but the same electric motors, batteries and trim grades – albeit with new names – are all still present. It’s very much still Citroen’s affordable family electric car, only now with a new face and a few other tweaks to make it more competitive.
Read on for the full Citroen ë-C4 review from CAR, or head over to our how we test cars page to find out how we reached our verdict after driving the car abroad and in the UK. Looking for the combustion version? We’ve reviewed the hybrid-powered Citroen C4 separately.
At a glance
Pros: Very comfortable ride, modern interior design, good value
Cons: Sluggish for an EV, uninterested handling, interior feels cheap
What’s new?
The front end has been updated with new headlight signatures and a revised edition of Citroen’s logo. The famous chevrons are now contained within a gloss black oval shape, and the extending louvres of the old logo having been ditched. The rear of the car has also been simplified to improve aerodynamic efficiency.
Inside the 2025 e-C4, the seats have been redesigned to feature a deep quilt effect and they now also feature 15mm extra foam padding in their construction for greater comfort. A new 7.0-inch digital cluster display has been added to the dashboard, along with Stellantis’ latest-generation infotainment system with 3D navigation. More interestingly for the electric editions of the new C4 and C4 X, a vehicle-to-load system will be available to provide a 230v supply using the car’s battery as a power bank. Handy if you’re camping or have a power cut.
What are the specs?
The e-C4 is available with either a 136hp or a 156hp electric motor, paired with a 50kWh and 54kWh battery respectively. The 136hp cars produce 192lb ft of torque, and they can reach 62mph from zero in 10 seconds although feel peppy enough around town.
The slightly more powerful e-C4s produce the same amount of torque but have a 0-62mph time of 9.2 seconds. Both variants have a top speed of 93mph. Despite the bigger battery pack, both variations of the ë-C4 have the same kerbweight of 1571kg and the same maximum boot space of 380 litres with the rear seats up and 1250 litres with them folded.
What’s it like to drive?
First thing’s first, if you’re looking for thrills even the 156 hp edition will leave you feeling disappointed. Take off and performance lack the impressive surge you get with many electric cars, but power smooth and linear in its delivery. It feels effortless, and it gets up to cruising speed quickly enough. It’s fine, but an MG4 feels far swifter.
But that’s not what the ë-C4 is about. Get in and make yourself comfortable in its squidgy driver’s seat, and setting off like a bat out of hell will be the last thing on your mind. This is all about wafting and kicking back. Motorway refinement is especially impressive, with low levels of wind and road noise, while insulation from surface irregularities, such as potholes and broken tarmac, is also very effective.
In isolation, ride, handling and roadholding are as you’d expect for a marque that plays up its heritage for building smooth-riding cars. The steering is super-light and lacking in feel, but accurate and well-geared, while the brakes are better than most EVs in terms of pedal feel and modulation.
Soft springs allow plenty of lean and dampen agility, yet there’s ample grip and no vices. The front tyres will always relinquish grip first, with the ESC quickly gathering up any over exuberance.
What’s the interior like?
The ë-C4 still feels fresh and modern. It is powered by a simple-looking digital dash and responsive infotainment set-up. That does mean extensive use of the touchscreen for many of the car’s functions. There’s a shelf below for you to rest your hand on while on the move, and below that a row of physical buttons and knobs to operate the climate control.
As a family car, it works well, as there are plenty of nooks and crannies in the centre console, as well as easily-accessible USB sockets and storage bins between the seats, too. Citroen also points out a range of accessories and options that includes a wireless phone charger, head-up display and tablet stands for the front passenger.
As you’d expect, Citroen’s Advanced Comfort seats are successful in meeting their brief. They manage to be both soft and inviting and also supportive on the move – an ideal set-up. Don’t expect them to hold you in place particularly well during hard cornering, though.
Rear seat space is impressive, with plenty of knee and headroom – good considering its sloping roofline – but it feels comparable with a VW Golf rather than a more capacious ID.3. The boot is certainly a good size, with a twin-level boot floor for extra convenience.
Range and charging
You get an official WLTP range of 220 miles for the 50kWh version and 260 for the 54kWh, and expect to knock 40-50 miles off that figure in the real world. They’re left behind by the Hyundai Kona Electric (319 miles), extended range MG4 EV (323 miles) and Volkswagen ID.3 Pro S (347 miles), but competitive with other rivals that aren’t lugging around such large battery packs.
The good news is that the ë-C4 supports up to 100kW rapid charging, allowing 80% of the battery to be charged in 30 minutes at a decent charging station. For home charging you get a Type 2 cable for free, allowing a regular 7.4kW charger to reach a 100% charge in seven hours and 30 minutes. Citroen makes great pains to tell us that its lighter battery pack and quick charging means it can cover long distances just as effectively as rivals boasting a greater range on paper.
Before you buy
There are three ë-C4 models to choose from – YOU!, PLUS and MAX, with the 54kWh and 154bhp motor only available on the latter model. All models get LED headlights, a 10.0-inch touchscreen, Automomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Lane Keeping Assist and Driver Attention Alert. You can get a tablet computer holder for front seat passengers, LED interior lighting, a rear parking camera, and adaptive cruise control further up the range.
The ë-C4’s main rivals include the well-rounded Volkswagen ID.3 and the Hyundai Kona Electric, which go further but cost a lot more. But the MG4 EV is the real eye-opener, offering so much kit, range and performance from a similar starting price. Whether you put the ë-C4 above those is down to how much you value comfort and serenity over range and acceleration.
Verdict
The Citroen ë-C4 is a likeable electric car. The 260-mile (call it 220 in the real world) range of the 54kWh version makes it useable in day to day life – there’s nothing more frustrating than having a car so good on the motorway have a poor range between top-ups.
Which ever ë-C4 you choose, it’s a distinctive-looking model that we love for its single-minded pursuit of maximising comfort, and eschewing the increasingly tiresome roadholding bias prevalent in a generation of unnecessarily Nurburgring-honed family cars. Just make sure you remember to buy one.