2020 Citroën C1 Owner’s Manual

Whoever said small cars were inferior was woefully wrong, as demonstrated by this very capable offering from French giant Citroen --- the 2020 Citroen C1. Though it’s not available in the US, the 2020 C1 is a great-looking and affordable compact car with bags of personality.

The distinctive exterior features several different color options, but it’s most noticeable when you upgrade to the special JCC trim (based on the Flair trim), with two-tone choices that offer a black roof that blends seamlessly with the tinted rear window with privacy glass.

Additional styling options for this top-level trim include matte-black wheels, privacy glass, blue alloy-wheel center caps with the Citroen logo, stunning square 3D-effect taillight design, charming rear spoiler and much more.

The 2020 model unfortunately only offers 4.2 cubic feet of cargo space, but you can give it a boost by lowering the rear seats. It’s not the most competitive within the segment, but it’s adequate for everyday driving and errand needs.

It is built in the same factory as the Toyota Aygo, a near-identical model sold through the Japanese automaker.

The rear doors on the 2020 Citroen C1 are a bit small and don’t open so widely, but it’s great for a car of this size to still have rear doors in the first place. Many OEMs don’t offer them at all.

On the inside, the decorative choices on some trim levels like the 2020 JCC model may be garish for some tastes, such as the bright red strip across the dashboard, but the C1’s interior is quite packed with technology, and perhaps more than you’d expect for a small car.

The central infotainment touchscreen offers iOS and Android mirroring, plus there’s voice commands, automatic lights, a reversing camera (highest trim levels only), a start/stop function for traffic driving and more.

There’s only 1 engine option, which is the 1.0L VTI unit outputting 71-hp. That doesn’t sound much, but the car’s curb weight is only 1,850-lbs, so it’s more than enough.