Citroen C3 Euro NCAP crash test

4 stars. Overall good performance in crash protection and all round; additional crash avoidance technology may be present

The passenger compartment of the C3 remained stable in the frontal offset test.  Dummy readings indicated good protection of the knees and femurs for the driver and passenger.  Citroën showed that a similar level of protection would be provided to occupants of different sizes and to those sat in different seating positions.  In the full-width rigid barrier test, protection of the chest and neck was adequate for the driver and rear passenger, and that of other critical body areas was good.  The C3 scored maximum points for its performance in the side barrier test, with good protection of all critical parts of the body.  Even in the more severe side pole impact, protection of the chest was adequate and that of other body regions was good.  Tests on the front seats and head restraints demonstrated good protection against whiplash injury in the event of a rear-end collision, and a geometric assessment of the rear seats showed good protection there, too.  The C3 does not have an autonomous emergency braking system.

In the frontal offset test, readings of neck tension in the 10 year dummy, and of chest deceleration in the 6 year dummy indicated a marginal level of protection.  Otherwise, protection was adequate or good.  In the side barrier test, protection was good for all critical parts of the body.  The front passenger airbag can be disabled to allow a rearward-facing child restraint to be used in that seating position.  Clear information is provided to the driver and the system was rewarded.  All of the restraint types for which the C3 is designed could be properly installed and accommodated in the car.

The protection offered by the bonnet to the head of a struck pedestrian was predominantly adequate.  Poor results were recorded around the base of the windscreen and on the stiff windscreen pillars.  The protection offered to the pelvis and to the legs were good, with maximum points scored in these areas of assessment.

A seatbelt reminder system for the front and rear seats is standard on the C3.  The speed assistance system uses a camera to detect what the limit is and informs the driver, who can then manually set the appropriate speed for the limiter.  A lane assistance system is also standard equipment and warns the driver is the car is drifting out of lane.