Citroën ë-C4 2023 electric car owner review

David drives a Citroën ë-C4 Shine Plus 50kWh 2023.

This is David’s first electric car, he’s owned the Citroën ë-C4 from new and drives 5,000-10,000 miles annually. The current mileage of the car is between 1,000-5,000 miles and he achieves 190 miles from a full charge.

Why did you choose the Citroën ë-C4?

Comfort due to spinal injuries was very good
costs within my range
the range not as good as I wanted but fairly good
good looks, this car is my first ever Citroën and I really love the look
equipment level is really good: leatherette seats allowing easier access, heated seats to ease spine on longer journeys, added to others, it has a high level of useful whistles and bells.

Positives

easy access front and rear
so comfortable
really like the look of it.

Negatives

Some switches hidden behind steering wheel
on warm days the car smells bad, almost like a burning clutch on an ICE manual car
no light in the charging flap
only gives battery percentages when switched off
app is atrociously poor, works only occasionally. It’s useful when it’s on but sadly fails more often though I believe I am getting an update to sort it out next month.

Have you experienced any faults with the car? If so, what have they been?

No faults to date.

What are the standout technological features of the car?

Nothing stands out really, a decent remote control app would be very useful.

Tell us something people wouldn’t readily know about this electric car

Hidden tablet drawer with angled stand.

What electric car(s) are you interested in next and why?

None. This car is fantastic but the availability of rapid chargers in Ireland is (currently) seriously lacking. Some of the best drives are even advised against on route planners unless overnights are added due to a lack of rapid charging. One app even bemoans the lack of availability in certain counties. If ESB, Weev and the rest keep their promises I will stay with EV. Probably another Citroen as I’m so pleased with it, though possibly the longer range MG4 EV.

Home charging unit

Easee – all good with it, really neat install too.

Electricity supplier & tariff

On a Power NI EV7 dual price meter with the 7 (night) hours which is roughly half the price of the day rate. I can also programme the washing machine, dishwasher & the immersion heater to the night rate.

What public charging networks would you recommend to others and why?

Main ones here are ESB, Weev & Easy Go and none of them are spectacularly good. Less than 5% of units here are suitable for disabled use too; similarly for covered units. Well lit, safe locations doesn’t seem a big priority either for the suppliers – dark corners of car parks or forecourts (next to the jet wash – yes really!).

Please itemise where you’re saving money (or not) owning & running a Citroën ë-C4

Running locally I’m probably £50 a month better off. However, public charging on long journeys is presently making EVs more expensive than ICE cars with some charging well over £1/€1 at the highest speeds. DERV is presently £1.25/litre in the South and £1.32/litre in the North.