Category: City Cars 
Price Range: £8,445 to £9,895
Pert looks, willing petrol engine, surprising legroom (even in back), decent safety spec, excellent value.
Dull and expensive diesel option, boot good for weekly shops, but not monthly ones; beaten for practicality by Panda, Picanto; with Citroen's special offers, more versatile C2 can work out cheaper to buy.
Arguably a better-value proposition than the 107 and Aygo, though all three are class-leaders
All three of the sister models are built at a Toyota-designed factory, so the C1 is put through the same quality benchmarking that has earned the Japanese company an excellent reputation for reliability. Both engines are proven units, too. Panel gaps are even and tight, and there are other indications of good perceived quality - such as doors which shut with an agreeable thunk. Soft-touch plastics in the cabin aren't in evidence, but at least Citroen has eschewed using sombre black materials; the light grey dashboard brightens up the cabin somewhat, and the seat fabrics are perfectly serviceable. The only problems reported so far have been water leaks through the rear hatch, something which should now have been sorted out with new seals.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Citroen C1
wrote on 07 04 2008
wrote on 31 03 2007
wrote on 15 10 2006