X-terminated! Citroen kills UK sales of the C5 X

It’s a car touted as a cross between a saloon, an estate and an SUV but despite fishing in three customer pools, Citroen’s C5 X just hasn’t caught sufficient buyers. So the spacious, comfortable and imaginative French car is dropping off UK price lists after only three years on sale, with right-hand-drive production ceasing at the end of May 2025. 

Citroen’s 4.8-metre hatchback sits between the Touring (estate) versions of the BMW 3 Series and 5 Series in length, competing in the market’s so-called ‘D segment’ for executive cars. But priced from £31,355, the French flagship is more than £12,000 cheaper than the smaller BMW while offering much more space. Nonetheless, this sales proposition made zero impact in a Britain addicted to premium German executive cars. 

Nor in Europe: in 2024, Citroen retailed just 4,296 C5 Xs in 28 European countries, including the UK. That’s down from 11,881 the previous year, calculates JATO Dynamics, whereas BMW sold 90,000 3 Series saloons and wagons last year. The C5 X is a much stronger seller in China, however, making Citroen the Stellantis Group’s top-selling foreign brand there.

While the C5 X will soldier on in other markets, Citroen CEO Thierry Koskas gave a replacement model the kiss of death when talking to Auto Express in Paris this week. 

“I don't think Citroen has much [market presence] with the C5 X. It's such a tiny segment, because as soon as you go on the D segment, you [compete] with premium brands, and mainstream brands’ [sales are modest]. So I'm not sure that in the future we’ll do anything in that [segment],” he said.

Instead, Citroen will channel its efforts into the C5 Aircross, its newly unveiled flagship SUV that runs electric, plug-in hybrid and mild-hybrid petrol engines. Despite being relatively young, the X is now the only Citroen car without a pure electric variant, another reason for its demise.

It’s a shame (though no surprise) that this crossover alternative to SUVs, boasting superior fuel economy and aerodynamics, has been another French flop in the UK. Citroen UK says it will fulfil any existing orders and continue to retail showroom cars while stocks last. 

On the 2022 launch, I drove the entry-level PureTech 130 and Plug-In Hybrid 225 through downtown Barcelona and up into the mountains, falling in love with the C5 X’s civility, combining a plush, comfortable ride with lovely refinement thanks to double glazing and other noise-cancelling measures. 

Iconoclastic car lovers tempted by its quirky charms will find more than 50 used examples by using Auto Express’ Find A Car service. Prices currently start just above £14,000 for 1.2-litre PureTech examples with about 50,000 miles on the clock; plug-in hybrids kick off at around £20,000. 

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