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Used Citroen C4 X and e-C4 X (2023-2026) buyer's guide: rare, comfy and roomy

A full used buyer's guide on the Citroen C4 X and Citroen e-C4 X that were on sale in the UK between 2023 and 2026

Verdict

The market is hardly awash with Citroen C4 Xs and e-C4 Xs, so you might have to search to find the right car. If you’re struggling to do so, consider one of the alternatives already suggested, or a C4 Mk3; it’s the same car forward of the B-pillar, but it’s 245mm shorter at the back and has a smaller 380-litre boot. We ran a C4 X on our long-term fleet back in 2023-24 and while we were initially unsure about its charms, it soon won us over. Accepting its lack of dynamic excitement, we appreciated its comfort, roomy cabin, value and reliability, and the fact that it stands out from the crowd in a way that many modern cars cannot.

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Since Citroen was founded in 1919, the manufacturer has produced more than its fair share of off-beat cars: the revolutionary DS in 1955, the V6-powered SM grand tourer in 1970, the Mehari beach buggy in 1968.

Their spirit lives on in the C4 X, which took the latest C4 – itself an unusual mash-up between an SUV and a hatchback – and added a saloon boot, distinguishing it with that X suffix.

Popular in saloon-dominated markets such as Turkey, it’s a car that recently went off UK sale but has plenty to offer. It’s comfy, roomy – the boot swallows more than the hatchback’s – and generally well equipped, so you get a lot of car for your money if you choose one of these Citroens on a used basis. Has this iconoclast got enough to turn your head?

History

First to go on sale, in December 2022, was the electric e-C4 X, with a 50kWh battery and a 100kW (134bhp) electric motor. Six months later came the ICE options: petrol fans could choose between the PureTech 100 and PureTech 130, both with a turbocharged 1.2-litre engine, or there was the BlueHDi 130 for diesel lovers.

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At the same time, a 54kWh battery and a 115kW (154bhp) electric motor were introduced for the e-C4 X, to sell alongside the 50kWh/100kW set-up.

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A facelifted C4 X and e-C4 X arrived at the end of 2024, with refreshed styling and the added option of a hybrid powertrain. Based around the turbocharged 1.2-litre engine, there were Hybrid 100 and 136 editions.

Which one should I buy?

You're unlikely to find a diesel C4 X, and hybrids are rare on the used market, so in effect your choice is between a petrol-engined edition or the fully electric e-C4 X. Only you can decide which one is right for you; we wouldn’t steer you one way or the other.

At launch the trim levels were Sense, Shine and Shine Plus, but within a year they had switched to YOU!, PLUS and MAX, although the e-C4 X came only in YOU! and MAX forms. Early cars are uncommon, so we’ll focus on the later trims. If you buy a YOU!-spec car it’ll come with LED headlights, a 10-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, rear parking sensors, dual-zone climate control plus automatic headlights and wipers.

Plus trim adds navigation, a reversing camera and electrically folding door mirrors, while MAX features a head-up display, an upgraded hi-fi, Alcantara trim, heated front seats, front parking sensors, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and auto high beam.

Prices

In terms of the cars available used, there’s a pretty even split between electric and combustion engines. If you’d prefer something with an engine, you’ll be doing well to find a diesel C4 X, while hybrids aren’t very common either. 

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You can buy a used Citroen C4 X for under £14,000 through our Buy a Car service. Alternatively, a used Citroen e-C4 X is available for just over the £14,000 price bracket.

Check the price of a used Citroen C4 X with our free car valuation tool...

On the road

These cars are easy to drive, with the emphasis on comfort rather than dynamics. They come with Eco, Normal and Sport modes, two of which are essentially redundant because they add little to the driving experience. Your best bet is to just stay in Normal and enjoy a relaxed drive, relishing the excellent ride quality, which surpasses pretty much anything else in the segment.

Refinement is equally impressive and – in the case of the e-C4 X –  there are decent amounts of low-down torque. The biggest gripe is the stop/start tech on ICE models, which isn’t as slick as it should be.

Alternatives to the Citroen C4 X and e-C4 X

There aren’t many SUV coupés at the same price point as the Citroen, but two that sit reasonably close are the Peugeot 408 and Renault Arkana. Both are much more readily available, but only the Peugeot is available in EV form.

However, there are plenty of mid-sized SUVs with a more regular silhouette, such as the Cupra Formentor, Kia Sportage, SEAT Ateca and VW T-Roc. Also worth considering are the Ford Kuga, Mazda CX-5 and Nissan Qashqai. If you want an EV, put the Hyundai Kona Electric on your shortlist, along with the Kia Niro EV, VW ID.3 and Cupra Born. Or if you want  a more distinctive compact EV, check out the Kia Soul Mk3.

What to look for

Belt up

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The PureTech petrol engine has a ‘wet belt’ cambelt design, which can lead to problems with the belt and engine oil degrading. Regular oil changes with the correct replacement fluids are essential.

feeling blue

If you buy one of the few diesel-engined C4 Xs that were brought to the UK, make sure that only high-quality AdBlue is put into the tank. The injectors can block up if poor-quality AdBlue is used.

Going soft

As with so many cars, software glitches in these Citroens are far from unusual. The touchscreen can freeze up and terrible lag can be an issue, so regular software updates are essential.

Peace of mind

The standard Citroen warranty runs for three years or 60,000 miles, but can be extended up to the car’s 10th birthday, as long as it hasn’t covered more than 100,000 miles.

Interior

The further up the range you go, the better the cabin ambience in terms of material quality and technology. All variations on the theme have a dashboard that looks appealing, but the infotainment isn’t the most intuitive or the most responsive.

Head and legroom is plentiful for adults in the back unless they’re very tall, and while boot space is good at 510 litres, or 1,360 litres with the back seats down, having a boot lid rather than a tailgate restricts access a bit.

Running costs

The C4 X needs to be serviced every 12 months or 12,500 miles; the e-C4 X stretches this to annually or no more than 16,000 miles. Maintenance alternates between minor and major at £195 and £255 for the C4 X, and £105 and £295 for the e-C4 X. The PureTech engine has a cambelt that needs to be replaced every 10 years or 116,000 miles; expect to pay a dealer £499 to do the work.

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All C4 Xs and e-C4 Xs were priced at less than £40,000 when new, so road tax for all of these cars costs £200 per year, with no expensive-car VED supplement to pay. C4 Xs sit in insurance groups 15-25 and e-C4 Xs are in groups 21-23. The PureTech engines are pegged at 44-54mpg, while the Hybrid 136 is officially capable of returning 51-62mpg. The EV versions offers economy of around 4.3 to 4.4 miles per kWh.

Recalls

Citroen has had to recall the e-C4 X just once, in January 2023, because some cars built up to December 2022 had faulty software that could lead to the car losing power altogether.

The C4 X has been recalled eight times so far, the first in July 2023 and most recently in March 2026. The first was because of short circuits in the air-con wiring, while the most recent campaign was down to the possibility of a short circuit in the starter/generator.

In between there were recalls because of software glitches with some driver-assistance systems, emissions problems because of software issues (there have been two campaigns for this reason), brake system glitches, and fuel leaks in the engine bay that could potentially lead to a fire.

Driver Power owner satisfaction

There were no Citroens in this year’s Driver Power survey, but three featured in 2025; the C5 Aircross came eighth, the C3 placed 12th and the C3 Aircross was 33rd out of 50 cars. The C4 Mk3 made its sole appearance in 2023, when it finished first out of 50 models, so it’s odd that it then disappeared.

Owners loved (or at least liked) everything about their cars, with 21 top-10 scores, including first places for overall quality and ride comfort, plus fourth for servicing costs and fuel economy.

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Used Citroen C4 X models for sale

C4 X

2023 Citroen

C4 X

21,055 milesAutomaticPetrol1.2L

Cash £14,160
View C4 X
C4 X

2023 Citroen

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23,757 milesAutomaticPetrol1.2L

Cash £15,400
View C4 X
C4 X

2023 Citroen

C4 X

23,757 milesAutomaticPetrol1.2L

Cash £15,400
View C4 X
C4 X

2024 Citroen

C4 X

19,048 milesAutomaticPetrol1.2L

Cash £14,995
View C4 X
C4 X

2024 Citroen

C4 X

19,048 milesAutomaticPetrol1.2L

Cash £14,995
View C4 X
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