Citroen e-C4 X Review 2024

You may struggle to make sense of what kind of car the Citroen e-C4 X is, so let’s try to make it as simple as possible. This is the saloon version of the crossover-style Citroen C4 hatchback, and is powered by electricity. Now let’s go into a bit more detail…

The C4 is Citroen’s contender in the midsize hatchback class – a rival to cars such as the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus. It’s quite an unconventional one, though, with the rugged styling and lofty ride height of a crossover, combined with a coupe-style sloping roofline.

The Citroen C4 X is the longer saloon version of the C4 hatchback. ‘Hatchaloons’, as they’re sometimes jokingly called, used to be quite common in the UK but there are now just three available – including this one. However, they remain very popular elsewhere in the world, so it was worth Citroen’s while to spin off a saloon from the C4. Time will tell whether or not there’s much interest in the UK.

Petrol and diesel engines are available for the C4 X in certain markets. In Britain, though, it’s only available with electric power – hence the e-C4 X name. Now that’s cleared up (phew!), what is the Citroen e-C4 X actually like?

Well, it comes with a 50kWh battery that powers a 136PS electric motor. That provides a range of around 220 miles, which is at the lower end of the spectrum compared to other midsize electric cars. According to Citroen, the relatively small size of the battery keeps cost and weight down, and the range will cover most people’s needs.

Performance is merely adequate versus similar electric cars as well. Still, it’s no slower than an equivalent diesel car, and the Citroen e-C4 X encourages you to take a more relaxed approach to driving.

It’s just so comfortable. You sink into squidgy yet supportive seats, and the suspension makes completely broken-up roads feel nice and smooth. It’s a lovely car to travel in, with a quiet interior, user-friendly dashboard and decent quality.

The emphasis on comfort means the Citroen e-C4 X doesn’t feel especially nimble or involving to drive. But that’s fine with us, because not everyone in the market for a midsize car wants one that feels firm and sporty (as so many of them do).

There’s more than enough interior space for most families. Indeed, four six-foot adults can fit in the Citroen e-C4 X reasonably comfortably. Rear-seat headroom could be better, thanks to the sloping roofline, but that’s the only real complaint.

The boot is massive, at 510 litres, so the Citroen e-C4 X looks more practical than the average midsize hatchback on paper. However, saloons aren’t quite as useful, because their boot opening is relatively small, which limits the size of objects you can load inside. You do get some clever interior storage, at least, including a drawer that extends from the passenger-side dashboard. Every car should have one.

There are three trim levels to choose from: Sense, Shine and Shine Plus. Prices range from £32,000 to £35,500, which is right in the middle of the spectrum for midsize electric cars. All three versions come well-equipped, so we reckon the e-C4 X represents rather good value for money – especially if you get one of the discounts that are available on pre-registered cars.

It may be a difficult car to explain, but the Citroen e-C4 X has a lot going for it, particularly in terms of space, value and comfort. Its relatively short range does demand some compromises, but it’s rarely likely to be an issue if you can charge at home.

If nothing else, the Citroen e-C4 X is a car that’s different from the norm and really stands out from the crowd, and we like it for that.

The saloon-shaped Citroen e-C4 X is 2400mm longer than hatchback C4 models, and nearly all of that extra length is the boot. This is truly vast, with a capacity of 510 litres – 130 litres more than you get in a C4 hatchback. The space is a square and practical shape, plus there’s a bit of extra room at the sides and under the boot floor (where you can store the charging cables).

However, the usefulness of the Citroen e-C4 X boot is ultimately limited by its relatively small opening and fixed height; it’s much easier to get big and bulky objects into a hatchback. It’s also quite long, which can make it tricky for shorter people to retrieve anything that’s up against the back seat. Speaking of which, those seats fold down if you need to carry anything really long, such as a flat-packed bookcase.

As for people, there is plenty of space for them inside the Citroen e-C4 X, too. Up front, you’ll find sufficient room for pretty much anyone to get comfortable. In the back, there is tons of legroom, while headroom is a bit limited by the steeply sloping roofline. However, the latter will only really affect anyone over six-feet tall. As a family car, then, the Citroen e-C4 X works commendably well.

It’s also worth noting that the car’s high-ish ride height makes it easier to get into and out of than lower-riding hatchbacks (and perhaps taller SUVs, too).    

Brilliantly soft yet supportive seats aside, the Citroen e-C4 X doesn’t exactly put you in the lap of luxury. Yet its interior is a pleasant enough place to spend time. Everything you use most often feels quite tactile, although there are some slightly cheap and nasty plastics used lower down in the interior. Top-of-the-range models feel a bit plusher, thanks to seats upholstered in Alcantara and leatherette.

The layout of the dashboard is easy to get to grips with and everything feels like it’s built to stand up to the rigours of family life. It’s just a shame the interior isn’t as quirky and interesting as some other Citroen cars.     

Every model of Citroen e-C4 X has an infotainment system controlled via a 10-inch touchscreen display. In the entry-level car, the system only has DAB radio and Bluetooth built in, but you can connect your phone via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto to use navigation and entertainment apps.

Citroen’s system isn’t the slickest. The graphics look a bit old fashioned and the screen takes a beat or two to respond when pressed. Connecting your phone gets around the former problem and the latter is alleviated in higher-spec models, where you can use voice commands and even hand gestures to operate some of the infotainment system’s functions.

Those high-spec models also come with built-in satellite navigation and a head-up display that complements the standard 5.5-inch digital driver’s display, located behind the steering wheel.

Prices for the Citroen e-C4 X start at the same £31,995 that the entry-level Citroen e-C4 hatchback costs, then top out at £35,495. We reckon the Citroen e-C4 X Shine is the one to go for; it comes with loads of desirable features and costs £34,495.

Those are the list prices at the time of writing, anyway. You can get a small discount on a pre-registered Citroen e-C4 X, but Citroen is moving away from its traditional model of offering hefty discounts on new cars in an effort to move perceptions of the brand upmarket.

Overall, the Citroen e-C4 X looks very good value, being priced right in the middle of the range for midsize electric cars.

The Citroen e-C4 X, like most of Citroen’s electric cars, is fitted with a relatively small 50kWh battery pack. This saves cost and weight, but does result in quite a short range of 221-222 miles, depending on which model you choose. That’s significantly less than provided by many other comparable electric cars, such as the Kia Niro EV, but it’s enough to cover all the journeys most people will do in a week.

As ever with an electric car, bear in mind that the official range numbers aren’t guaranteed. Driving in the real world, you may get more or you may get less. It entirely depends on what kind of journeys you do, how you drive and what time of year it is. In our unscientific test, we found a real-world range figure of around 200 miles to be perfectly achievable (on a hot summer's day, anyway).

Recharging the battery from 0-80 percent of its capacity takes half an hour using a 100kW public charging station. At home, a full recharge takes around seven hours 30 minutes with a 7.4kW wallbox.

There’s no vehicle excise duty to pay if you buy a Citroen e-C4 X privately. If you have one as a company car, benefit-in-kind tax rates are very low. Service intervals of two years or 16,000 miles should keep running costs down as well.

The car comes with a warranty lasting three years or 60,000 miles, while the main traction battery is covered by a separate warranty for eight years or 100,000 miles.

As with the rest of the Citroen C4 range, the emphasis is very much on comfort in the Citroen e-C4 X driving experience. Even on a completely ruined road, it glides over holes, bumps and ridges almost as if they aren't there. The interior is very quiet and the seats are superbly comfortable. All in all, the e-C4 X is a wonderfully calm and relaxing car to spend a journey in.

From the driver’s seat, the Citroen e-C4 X feels light and responsive, although it’s not as nimble and poised as a more conventional midsize hatchback such as a Ford Focus. There’s quite a lot of body-roll in corners, but it’s well controlled – the car doesn’t feel like it’s flopping about.

It’ll play ball if you need to get a move on, but the Citroen e-C4 X would rather travel at a more relaxed pace, and that’s fine. You don’t always want a car that feels focused and sporty, after all.

One minus point to note is that rearward visibility isn’t great. The hind quarters of the Citroen e-C4 X are pretty chunky, the back window is quite small and its rearmost extremity is a long way from the driver’s seat, all of which can make parking tricky. Fortunately, all models have rear parking sensors and two of the three trim levels have a reversing camera to help you out.    

The Citroen e-C4 X has exactly the same powertrain as the e-C4 hatchback: a 50kWh battery pack and 136PS electric motor. With 300Nm of torque available the instant you press the throttle, it’s pretty nippy around town. However, a 0-62mph time of 10 seconds is rather leisurely by electric car standards, even though it’s in the same ballpark as diesel-powered C4 models. Top speed is 93mph.

The Citroen e-C4 X is fully automatic, like all electric cars, so it doesn’t have a gearbox as such. What the gear selector actually does is switch the electric motor between spinning forwards and backwards.  

The Citroen e-C4 X hasn’t itself been given a safety rating by the experts at Euro NCAP. However, the organisation has confirmed that the four-star rating given to the Citroen C4 hatchback applies here. Four stars is sub-par for this type of car, but it doesn’t reflect any fundamental strength issues. On the contrary, the Citroen e-C4 X actually protects people inside the car very well.

However, Euro NCAP did highlight concerns over the effectiveness of some of the ‘active’ safety features under certain circumstances. For instance, the automatic emergency braking system struggled to detect a cyclist approaching from the side.

There are three models of Citroen e-C4 X to choose from: Sense, Shine and Shine Plus. You get plenty of standard features whichever one you go for, but let’s dive deeper into the details.

The entry-level Sense model comes with a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system that includes DAB radio and Bluetooth. You can also connect your smartphone via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto to use navigation and entertainment apps. There’s a 5.5-inch digital display for the driver and loads of device charging sockets as well.

Elsewhere, you’ll find 18-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, dual-zone air conditioning and rear parking sensors. The front seats are height-adjustable and the driver’s seat has lumbar support.

Safety features include automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist and a driver attention monitor.

Step up to the mid-range Shine and the infotainment gains built-in satnav, while the system can be controlled by voice or gesture commands. The driver’s display is augmented by a head-up display on the windscreen, too. A heated steering wheel improves comfort, while a package of silver and black exterior styling details, including rear privacy glass, create a more upmarket look.

There are more features to help the driver out as well, including adaptive cruise control, rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, traffic sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring and a more advanced automatic emergency braking system that uses both radar and camera sensors.

Topping all of that, the fully loaded Shine Plus adds Alcantara and leatherette seat upholstery, heated front seats and a rear seat armrest with a through-loading hatch.