Citroen e-C5 Aircross: long-term test review
Third report: Our comfortable electric SUV proves its worth on week-long holiday to the west coast of France
Verdict
Our Citroen e-C5 Aircross has certainly earned its keep over a gruelling couple of months. Long road trips, providing you keep your speed sensible, are this car’s absolute forte; the Citroen’s big boot, soft suspension and refined drivetrain provided the perfect combination for a family holiday to the west of France.
- Mileage: 5,875 miles
- Efficiency: 3.4mi/kWh
Our Citroen e-C5 Aircross has been working hard of late, covering almost 2,500 miles across a variety of roads since the last report in late June. From my base in south London, I’ve taken the car up to County Durham for work, to the south coast for a day on my father-in-law’s boat, and most recently all the way to the Ile de Ré in France for a week-long family holiday.
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but in my case, it’s spending what feels like every waking moment at the wheel of this electric SUV that has really helped me learn to love it. Comfort is first rate, and in top-spec Max trim, it’s got all the kit I need.
As mentioned, the first big challenge for the e-C5 was a trip to Darlington to drive the Vauxhall Mokka GSE. I knew from the outset that the 250-odd miles from my home would be a push, especially with the climate control working overtime. So on the outward journey I decided to stop for a coffee and a cake at Leicester Forest East services halfway up the M1; by that point I needed to use the facilities anyway. No harm done.
Used - available now
2023 Citroen
C5 Aircross
31,439 milesAutomaticPetrol1.6L
Cash £14,556
2023 Citroen
C5 Aircross
32,286 milesAutomaticPetrol1.6L
Cash £15,509
2023 Citroen
C5 Aircross
12,625 milesManualPetrol1.2L
Cash £15,999
2020 Citroen
C5 Aircross
39,677 milesManualPetrol1.2L
Cash £10,485But returning down south the next day, I really wanted to do it in one hit. The odds were stacked in my favour – the weather was warm but not blistering, and I’d be travelling in rush hour, when my average speed would be lower.
I wasn’t sure I’d manage it, but at some point around Northampton it became clear my mission was achievable. I got back with 11 per cent battery charge and 30 miles of range remaining; I’d averaged an impressive 3.8mi/kWh – equivalent to 277 miles on a full charge. For reference, the official range is 322 miles on the WLTP test cycle.
This was a brilliant litmus test for our summer holiday, and filled me with renewed confidence that the Citroen could transport me, my wife and six-year-old daughter to the west of France later that month. I’d heard good things about the French fast-charge network, and we’d be going equipped with an Octopus Electroverse RFID card – our key to unlocking easy top-ups en-route.
I made the most of the e-C5’s under-floor storage, stuffing it full of items we’d not need until we reached our destination: cycling helmets, waterproof coats and a bucket and spade, plus a picnic blanket and some beach games. When I say we took everything but the kitchen sink, I’m really not exaggerating.
With the rear seatbacks set forward slightly, the main boot swallowed a large suitcase, a smaller carry-on and a couple of soft bags, as well as a coolbox plugged into the handy 12-volt socket just below the parcel shelf. This let us take a couple of home-cooked meals, without the worry that they’d be inedible after 36 hours on the road. The spare seat in the rear gave us somewhere to stow my daughter’s bike, plus odds and ends including her backpack and the car’s charge cable.
The plan was to get as far as Le Mans on day one, having booked a hotel with 7kW slow chargers to allow us to replenish the e-C5’s 73kWh battery overnight. Trouble was, with one broken connector and five electric cars wanting to charge, we had to wait until one of the points had been vacated the following morning before being able to plug in. Thankfully, the hotel let us do this for free; we took a dip in the pool and waited for the Citroen to pass 70 per cent charge before continuing on our way.
We rapid-charged twice between London and the Ile de Ré, and while we did have to wait for five or 10 minutes before plugging in at our first stop, the turnover was consistent and we hit the Citroen’s claimed 160kW peak charge rate within seconds. Both times we sat, ate lunch and popped to the loo; with a young person in tow, the 30 minutes it took the e-C5 to go from 10 to 80 per cent felt just right.
It so far sounds like our entire trip revolved around keeping the car’s battery topped up, and while there’s inevitably more to think about than if we’d been in a combustion car, I’d not planned a single stop in advance. The French charge network is excellent – at least if you stick to the autoroutes – and pretty decent value, too; we paid between 59 and 65 cents per kWh (51-56 pence), compared with roughly 80 pence per unit in the UK. It’s also considerably cheaper than petrol or diesel. More on that in a moment.
The e-C5 handled the outward journey with ease. Sitting at around 10km/h (6.2mph) under the speed limit seemed the best blend of performance and efficiency; 75mph still felt like a fair lick, but we arrived having averaged 3.5mi/kWh – slightly up on my 3.4mi/kWh over the 4,000-plus miles I’d done to date.
During our week in France, the ability to precondition the cabin during near 30-degree heat was a godsend. It’s about the only thing on Citroen’s smartphone app that works – but not consistently, I might add – and taking the edge off the scalding seats definitely made for happier passengers.
Low average speeds on the island worked in the EV’s favour, too, and I managed to find a CCS charger in the village that also worked with our Electroverse card. I really cannot praise this charging solution enough; it made every connection a doddle, and the cash came straight off our home energy bill.
Our return journey was done in one (very long) day. As an experiment we did the middle stint at an indicated 130km/h (81mph); despite a relatively modest increase in speed, our efficiency took a battering – reducing the real-world range from around 255 miles to just over 200. Had we not been keen to get home before midnight, I’d have reined it in and taken a more leisurely pace.
In eight days we covered 1,143 miles at 3.3mi/kWh. Overall, we spent £149.46 on public charging, plus another £9.74 to get the car back to 100 per cent using my home charger. Quick sums suggest that a similar petrol model doing 40mpg over the same distance, with fuel at an average of two Euros per litre (although it was often much more), would cost almost 260 Euros (£222.80). That’s a £60 saving, and needn’t be sniffed at.
As it stands, there are plenty of reasons to advocate driving an EV through France. The Citroen was never anything but supremely comfortable, and it swallowed all we needed – plus plenty we didn’t. The cabin had plenty of handy storage spots, and a plethora of places to charge our devices, including USB-Cs front and rear and no fewer than three 12-volt sockets for that cheese-preserving coolbox.
The Citroen – after a thorough valet – is now ferrying my daughter to her summer activity and swimming camps, but will be called back into action later this month as we make our annual pilgrimage to the south coast of Cornwall. Despite being half as far, I already know that journey will be more arduous than our stress-free European excursion…
Citroen e-C5 Aircross Max Comfort Range: second fleetwatch report
The e-C5 Aircross surprised me by proving a bright cabin doesn’t need a glass roof
I believe (almost) every car is better with a panoramic roof, yet my Citroen e-C5 Aircross doesn’t have one, and proves there are exceptions to every rule.
So many cars seem to come covered in dark materials – an attempt to dress up an SUV as something sporty, perhaps? – but the Citroen’s light-coloured headliner means it always feels bright, even without a tilt-and-slide sunroof.
An added benefit in the recent warm weather, is it prevents the Hype Blue Advanced Comfort Seats from getting too hot. Every little helps!
Citroen e-C5 Aircross Max Comfort Range: second report
SUV’s focus on comfort is making some of our passengers feel a little green around the gills
- Mileage: 3,493 miles
- Efficiency: 3.4mi/kWh
My daughter is a pretty good passenger. She’s used to swapping cars and takes at least a passing interest in some of the stuff that magically appears outside the house.
Like her dad, her favourites aren’t always the fastest, the sleekest or the sportiest. She loves bright paint, and an opening panoramic roof is an instant win in her eyes, but at my stage of life, I lean more towards a big boot, and a car with enough space in the rear to stop my darling daughter kicking me in the back. Comfortable seats are another must, while reasonable range or efficiency helps with my sporadic work schedule.
On paper, the e-C5 ticks most of these boxes. The Ruby Red paint just scrapes into the list of my six-year-old’s suitable shades, and while there’s no glass roof, she’s adamant that warm pink cabin lighting suits the car just right.
There’s no arguing with the car’s ability to cosset its occupants on long motorway stints, either. Citroen’s ‘Advanced Comfort’ mantra extends to both the seats and the suspension, with the latter’s progressive hydraulic bump-stops resulting in a feeling akin to “floating over the road”, the firm’s engineers claim.
Sometimes, that’s fine. If I’m heading for our Bedford office from my home in London in the morning, the strong refinement and soft ride make the C5 one of the most relaxing cars I’ve driven. But if I’m returning from a job and take a less direct route, that floaty feeling can make the car feel detached and unwieldy.
It’s this lack of connection with the road that, I think, is causing many of the moans I hear from the back seat. As a driver you can compensate for the additional roll or the slightly lifeless steering, but my passengers – particularly those who like to look down at books or tablet screens on the go – sometimes find it difficult to hold down their dinner.
You might think the solution is to take things a bit easier. But actually, my daughter’s propensity to puke – or the mere suggestion she might – doesn’t seem to be affected by how fast I’m driving. I think it’s just that the e-C5’s floaty feeling creates a disconnect between the brain and stomach, which results in this nausea. Either way, it’s definitely had me seeking out straighter roads.
Otherwise, life with the e-C5 is very pleasant. I’m yet to find anything I can’t fit in the back – including a full-size road bike, which squeezes in alongside a chunky child seat. There’s no frunk, but there is space under the boot floor for the charging cable; I actually end up leaving it there most of the time because my home wallbox is tethered and doesn’t require a wire.
Efficiency has been another plus point. I’m averaging 3.4mi/kWh, which is good for a car of this size, although it’s worth remembering that electric cars perform best in warmer weather. The e-C5’s heat pump should minimise losses in the winter, though. The air-con is ice-cold, and despite the horrendous app, I have managed to pre-cool the cabin on particularly hot days.
I also like the row of physical buttons below the central screen, and the switch for the driver-assistance systems, which allows you to easily deactivate unwanted functions.
With a number of long trips on the horizon, I’ve still got plenty of time to get under the e-C5’s skin. Among those is a 1,200-mile jaunt to western France, which should be a stern test for Europe’s ever-expanding charge network.
Citroen e-C5 Aircross Max Comfort Range: First fleetwatch report
A scorching-hot gear selector proved the e-C5 Aircross’s cabin materials are anything but cheap
During a recent spell of warm weather, I hopped into my Citroen without pre-cooling the cabin, blissfully unaware of the fate lying in wait for me. I immediately hit the starter button before reaching for the gear selector – recoiling as I singed my index finger and thumb on a shifter that was hotter than the sun.
I’m being facetious, but it definitely caught me off guard. I’d wrongly assumed that the lever was made of cheap plastic, but having left the car in direct sunlight for a couple of hours, the metal finish had baked to what felt like 350 degrees.
It’s a good example of how Citroen has refused to cut corners when it comes to cabin quality in the e-C5. There’s a bit too much patterned piano-black trim for my liking, but the fabric on the dash adds character and despite being covered in fake leather, the seats are plush and incredibly comfortable.
Citroen e-C5 Aircross Max Comfort Range: first report
Can your mood be influenced by the type of car you drive? We’re already seeing strong evidence that it can
- Mileage: 2,265 miles
- Efficiency: 3.4mi/kWh
Over time, we develop unconscious habits that define the way we go about our daily lives. Whether it’s instinctively popping the kettle on when you come downstairs in the morning, always sitting in the same spot to watch TV, or eating an identical lunch every day of the working week, these seemingly small things happen without us even realising.
Since taking delivery of my shiny new Citroen e-C5 Aircross, it’s dawned on me how these kinds of subconscious behaviours have evolved over the course of a month.
Coming out of a petrol-powered hot hatchback into a comfort-focused electric SUV has completely transformed my driving style – for the better.
Rewind to last September, when the Volkswagen Golf R landed in my lap. I was excited to spend some time in something with such an unashamed performance focus; I’d long been a fan of VW’s fast-car flagship, and in range-topping Black Edition guise it came dripping with fancy kit and racy add-ons.
But as time ticked by, I developed what my wife might call an undesirable alter-ego – represented here by my angry mask. Each journey felt like a rush, as if I was being hurried along by every BMW and Audi driver in the outside lane of the M25 – all while I bounced about on my 19-inch wheels and low-profile Bridgestone tyres. I managed to ignore most of the rage-baiting boy racers, but eventually it all became quite tiresome – almost entirely without me even realising.
Yet the real revelation came when I swapped out of the VW and into the Citroen. The two cars couldn’t be more different – and I knew that would be the case – but I totally underestimated the effect it would have on my mental state. The calm, cosseting e-C5 has instilled a sense of zen (mask number two) that’s been missing for the past six months; the refined powertrain takes the strain around town, backed up by that typically comfortable Citroen ride quality that’s just perfect on the motorway.
I’ll admit it’s not all sunshine and rainbows, however. The counter-argument to the pillow-soft suspension is that the car does tend to roll about a bit through the bends, which on our usual route over the South Downs to visit my parents can result in a few groans from my daughter in the back. I’ve ended up defaulting to straighter roads and dual-carriageways wherever possible.
I’m also really struggling with the My Citroen smartphone app. Having previously run a Peugeot E-2008, though, I can’t say I’m surprised; the two brands’ software obviously shares a similar back end, but its intermittent refusal to connect means I’m often unable to monitor real-time charging or check how much range I’ve got ahead of a long trip.
I’m aiming to investigate this further and will relay my findings in a future report. In terms of equipment and value for money though, the C5 scores well. If you would prefer hybrid power or don’t want an EV, prices start from just over £30,000. That’s an awful lot of car for the cash, even before you consider the relatively modest £3,555 premium Citroen will charge you for the electric version we’ve got here.
The basic YOU trim comes with at least 18-inch wheels (19s on the EV), automatic LED lights and wipers, plus a 13-inch ‘Waterfall’ touchscreen with nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There’s wireless phone charging, four backlit USB-C ports and keyless start, too. PLUS trim, at the time of writing, costs £2,640 more but brings privacy glass, satin-chrome trim and keyless entry, as well as eight-colour ambient lighting, a reversing camera and Metropolitan Blue seats.
Top-spec MAX models like ours benefit from black 20-inch wheels, matrix-LED lights and an energy-efficient heat pump. On top of that, there’s a head-up display, leather-effect heated front seats and a hands-free tailgate. All this, for less than £40k? It’s not often we recommend the top trim, but with all the bells and whistles the e-C5 MAX feels like a steal.
You don’t feel particularly short-changed on the powertrain, either, even if our car’s 79kWh (73.7kWh usable) battery is averaging only 250 miles to a charge – some way shy of Citroen’s 320-mile combined claim. A bigger-battery model is on its way, although given my newfound calm-and-collected persona, helped by the impending warm weather, I’m confident efficiency will improve over the coming months.
We’ve already subjected the e-C5 to a demanding trip to Center Parcs, filling it to the brim with bags, bikes and enough batch-cooked Bolognese to feed a tribe of seven. The huge 565-litre boot was a boon compared with the load space in my previous all-wheel-drive Golf, although we did have to leave the bulky parcel shelf at home; I’d always favour a retractable roller-type cover, given the choice.
There’s plenty of storage dotted around the cabin, as well. Photographer Pete joked that I’d turned the central cubby into a snack drawer, but I maintain that its contents are mostly there to keep my near-six-year-old daughter happy on the move.
The single cup-holder on the main stack is only really big enough for a can of pop, but there are two more under the console that are big and, in an unexpected turn of events, there’s even a full-size glovebox; gone are the days when Citroen glove compartments were split in two by the car’s fuse box.
So here’s to an enjoyable few months at the wheel of the Citroen e-C5. I’m sure I’ll miss my hot hatch at times, but for now I’m happy to spend some time in something more relaxing.
| Model: | Citroen e-C5 Aircross MAX 210hp Comfort Range |
| On fleet since: | March 2026 |
| Price new: | £39,345 |
| Powertrain: | 79kWh battery, 1x e-motor |
| Power/torque: | 210bhp/343Nm |
| CO2/BiK: | 0g/km/4% |
| Options: | Two-tone Perla Black roof (£400), Puncture repair kit with compressor (£20) |
| Insurance: | Group 29/Quote £1,466 |
| Mileage/efficiency: | 5,875 miles/3.4mi/kWh |
| Any problems? | None so far |
*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.
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