Citroen Berlingo Review 2025

The Citroen Berlingo in its MPV form has been around since the 1990s, which just goes to prove that the idea of turning a van into something with more windows and seats is neither a new idea nor out of fashion. Sure, anyone wanting lots of space and seats might well be looking at an SUV these days, but if you really need maximum space with minimal outlay then something like this remains the budget-conscious way to go.

This generation of the Citroen Berlingo was introduced in 2019 with a facelift in 2023, with a smarter exterior and some cabin updates, while the bones of the car remained the same. It also has something of a complicated history, as in 2020 Citroen stopped selling the petrol and diesel versions with the arrival of the electric Citroen e-Berlingo. 

These were then reinstated in 2023 due to customer demand, so at present there is the choice of a 1.2-litre petrol with 110PS or a 1.5-litre diesel with 100PS and a manual gearbox or 130PS with an automatic, but not all engines are available in all body styles.

Being part of the Stellantis group means you can buy near identical versions of the Berlingo like the Peugeot Rifter and Vauxhall Combo, but unlike the Citroen these are only available new with an electric motor.

So if you need a petrol or diesel option then you are limited to buying used or looking at alternatives like the Ford Tourneo Connect or Volkswagen Caddy, which is available with a choice of three ICE power units.

The Citroen Berlingo is also available in two sizes - the Citroen Berlingo M is a five-seater while the Citroen Berlingo XL has seven seats and is significantly longer - as well as only being available with diesel engine options.

There are two trim levels with the Citroen Berlingo Plus models offering a more basic approach while Citroen Belringo Max models have alloy wheels and jazzier detailing both inside and out which does a better job of disguising its commercial origins.

The 2023 facelift also goes some way to making the Citroen Berlingo feel more car-like, particularly from the outside. Although the interior is improved there are still a fair amount of cheap-looking plastics. Do be aware that facelifted models are classed as an N1 light commercial vehicle rather than a car which means lower speed limits and more expensive tax too.

Perhaps more importantly the amount of space on offer inside is impressive. The Citroen Berlingo makes good use of its exterior dimensions, with tons of space for passengers and luggage, flexibility with the seats and plenty of storage areas.

The driving experience is easy-going. The steering is light, all the engine options offer enough performance while being reasonably refined and although there is body roll through the corners, it feels sure-footed with more than enough grip.

The Citroen Berlingo is designed with quite a specific audience in mind and anyone looking for luxury or a car-like driving experience might want to consider something else, but when it comes to space-per-pound ratio it is hard to beat.

While the Citroen Berlingo clearly owes a lot to the van version in terms of its suspension and setup, vans are far from the agricultural devices they once were and many modern vans share platforms and hardware with other cars from the same manufacturer. There’s also something to be said for a vehicle that doesn’t pretend to be sporty or designed for attacking a B-road.

And so it proves, with the Berlingo doing a fine job of insulating its occupants from poor road surfaces. The soft suspension absorbs lumps and bumps well without feeling floaty or uncontrolled. And while it does also mean there is some bodyroll through the corners it stops short of being excessive or alarming.

The steering is very light, particularly at low speeds which is ideal for parking, but it has enough weight at speed and is accurate, so keeping it in lane on the motorway is never a chore. There’s more than enough grip too so it feels safe and secure through the bends.

The engine options for the Citroen Berlingo include one petrol option, the 1.2-litre three cylinder PureTech unit with 110PS and 151Nm of torque mated to a six-speed manual gearbox with no automatic option.

The headline figure of 0-62mph in 11.5 seconds is just about brisk enough, but out on the road it feels more capable than this, with the turbocharger giving useful urge through the middle of the rev range. It’s also quite refined and should be economical too when driven with care, so as the cheapest option it makes a lot of sense.

There are also two diesel options, both 1.5-litre four cylinder. The 100PS version has 250Nm of torque and also comes with a six-speed manual gearbox, but is comfortably the slowest of the three with 0-62mph taking a leisurely 12.6 seconds.

The more powerful 130PS version has extra torque too at 300Nm and while it comes with an eight-speed automatic gearbox as standard it is barely less economical but is much nicer to drive, with better performance and a more relaxed nature. The 100PS diesel may be the most economical, but one of the other options makes a better choice.

EuroNCAP tested the pre-facelift version of the Citroen Berlingo in 2018 and awarded it a four star rating out of five. It scored an impressive 91% for adult occupant protection and 81% for child occupant protection, while the scores for pedestrian mitigation and safety assist were less impressive at 58% and 68% respectively, which would account for it falling short of a five star rating.

Towing capacity for the Citroen Berlingo is somewhat disappointing - diesel models offer 750kg unbraked and 1300kg braked, while figures for the petrol version are yet to be confirmed by Citroen but are unlikely to be more than the diesel versions.

If your neighbour is questioning why you’ve bought a van with windows, just open the tailgate and show them. Even though the five-seat M version is the smaller of the two bodystyles there’s still lots of head, leg and elbow room for all five occupants and you get a huge 775 litres of space in the boot for all their stuff. 

It’s an even better story for the seven-seater, although with all seven seats up the boot space is 322 litres. However, in five-seat mode it has a mighty 1050 litres. Both versions can be used in van-mode too and with just the front seats in use there is 3000 or 3500 litres available respectively.

It’s important to note that since 2023 both petrol and diesel Citroen Berlingo models have a mesh bulkhead behind the rear seats which means they are classified as vans - something to bear in mind when considering speed limits as it's 50mph on single carriageways and 60mph on dual carriageways.

If you choose Max trim there’s also an optional Modutop which gets you a panoramic roof and additional roof storage, which is a clever addition and gives you extra places to stash smaller items making it a smart choice for family duties

As far as quality and finish goes the Citroen Berlingo is more van-like, in that it is largely lifted straight across from the commercial version. That means plenty of black plastic, although if you choose Max trim there is a bit more colour to the seat trim which helps lift the gloom.

That said, the plastics do feel very sturdy if not necessarily very soft to touch. Given they are designed to cope with the abuse handed out by your average tradesperson they can probably handle sticky fingers and muddy boots without too much trouble. 

Both Plus and Max trims get the same infotainment system — a 10-inch touchscreen with voice recognition, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB radio and a USB-C connector for both charging and data. It’s not the most advanced system, nor the newest, but it works reasonably well without too much lag. 

It’s also not overloaded with additional functions thanks to physical heating and ventilation controls, although the number of icons can be difficult to get used to at first.

It sits in a good position on top of the dash without impacting your view out and three physical buttons also make it easy to control the volume and get to main menu screens without too much screen prodding.

On Max models if you add the Comfort and Tech Pack you get a year’s trial subscription to Connect Plus services which include real time traffic and speed camera information.

The cheapest Citroen Berlingo costs £23,915 for the five-seat model in Plus trim with the petrol engine, with the cheapest seven-seat XL version starting at £25,415.

The Citroen Berlingo Max trim is only available in five-seat M guise with the more powerful diesel and costs £29,780. That makes the whole range significantly cheaper than the least expensive Volkswagen Caddy Life at £35,627, while the Ford Tourneo Courier starts at £28,320.

As for used prices, pre-facelift versions can be had for as little as £7000 or less for early 2018 examples, while nearly-new versions post-facelift are available so it is worth searching around to see if you can make a saving on the list price.

As well as a low list price running costs should also be usefully low. Fuel consumption for the whole range is between 38.2mpg and 54.8mpg combined, so you can reasonably expect mid 30s for the petrol and 40s for the diesel.

Insurance groupings range from 11 to 15 which should mean low premiums, and servicing costs should be modest too.

Do be aware that tax could be more than you expect though. If you have a post 2023 facelifted model, it is classified as an N1 light commercial vehicle you will pay £345 a year in tax rather than the £195 for a car. 

The Citroen Berlingo Plus trim comes as standard with:

• Safety Pack (includes Lane Keeping Assist, Active Safety Brake, Extended Traffic Sign Recognition)
• Cruise control and speed limiter,
• LED headlights
• Automatic headlights and wipers
• 16-inch steel wheels
• Twin sliding doors
• Grey cloth trim
• Height adjustable driver’s seat
• Air conditioning
• Electric heated door mirrors
• Digital instrument display
• Rear parking sensors
• 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• DAB
• USB-C and Bluetooth.

The Citroen Berlingo Max adds:

• Safety Pack Plus which adds Driver Attention Alert with Driver Monitoring Camera
• 17-inch alloy wheels
• Roof bars
• Advanced Comfort Seats
• Dual zone climate control
• Tinted side windows and tailgate
• Electronic parking brake
• Electric rear windows
• Reversing camera