Why has the price of the Citroën ë-C3 skyrocketed by 30%?

Last July, Citroën gained a great amount of publicity by offering the C3 at the same price for both petrol and electric versions. But that was then.

Let’s quickly skip over the case of the base petrol C3, whose price without any conditions rose from €14,990 to €15,240 for the YOU version with manual transmission. A small, completely painless increase, which still makes it the cheapest model in the Citroën range, except for the quirky AMI, of course.

As for the ë-C3 electric, it’s a whole different story! Citroën then loudly proclaimed that electric was no longer reserved for the elites! The new ë-C3 was supposed to let everyone enjoy the pleasure of electric driving starting at €14,800. Let’s cut to the chase—the price has now exploded to €19,300! A 30% increase in just 7 months, how is that even possible? Well, everything can be explained, but it’s a bit complicated.

First of all, you need to know that the attractive Citroën electric offers are always subject to multiple conditions. A nasty habit of the chevron brand, and of the Stellantis Group in general, which always includes all possible small aids in its offers to lower the price. Nothing forbids it, but most manufacturers do not do this.

Citroën Unmasked

Thus, on July 4, 2024, the new ë-C3 YOU electric 113 hp was indeed priced at €14,800, excluding options, but only after deducting the €4,000 bonus that all private buyers are entitled to, as well as the €3,000 increase only accessible to the most modest households and the €1,500 conversion premium if you get rid of an old car! So, before aid, the price was €23,300! Today, the price of €19,300 depends on eligibility for the maximum €4,000 bonus, but the pre-aid price remains €23,300.

And that’s how Citroën’s pricing strategy backfires on itself. The car’s price hasn’t changed at all, but the subsidies have, and Citroën ultimately does itself quite a bad public relations service by proving that without the aid, its pretty and excellent little electric car is a bit more expensive than one might think, and especially 53% more expensive than the petrol version! That’s how they got caught…

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