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: | 7,938 miles/3.4mi/kWh |
| Any problems? | Broken window switch, frozen trip computer |
*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.
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