- A new electric vehicle called the Citroën ë-C3 has just hit the scene in Europe.
- It has a surprisingly low starting price of just €19,990.
- Citroën promises a range of around 124 miles for the base version and 199 miles for the more expensive configuration.
The Nissan Leaf is currently the cheapest EV you can buy in America, coming in at just under $30,000, at $29,255. But in Europe, electric cars are getting even cheaper, as French automaker Citroën has just revealed a new EV called the ë-C3 that will start at less than €20,000, or just above $21,000 at current exchange rates.
The Citroën C3 fits within the European B-segment, which is roughly equivalent to the subcompact class in the U.S. The new ë-C3 is longer, wider, and taller than its predecessor and rides on a new platform that Citroën says was optimized for battery-powered vehicles. The more expensive version arrives first, starting at €23,300 (around $24,650); it has a 44.0-kWh battery pack and promises 199 miles of range on the WLTP cycle, while also offering 100-kW DC fast-charging capability.
To get the more attractively priced €19,990 version, you’ll have to wait until 2025 and give up some capability. Citroën claims that the cheaper version will have a WLTP range of around 124 miles but hasn’t released its battery-pack capacity yet. And the ë-C3 isn’t quick, either, as it has a 113-hp electric motor and a claimed 62 mph acceleration time of 11.0 seconds.
Even still, in the era of rising car prices, we like seeing this emphasis on value extend into the EV segment. U.S. shoppers aren’t likely to see any electric models sold in our market with a starting price quite this low, but there may be some sub-$30,000 EVs on their way in the near future, such as the next-generation Chevy Bolt EV that GM teased earlier this year. Before it was discontinued, the 2023 Bolt EV started at just $27,495, so we’re hoping the new model arrives at a similar price point.
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Senior Editor
Despite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.