How reliable is Citroen? An unbiased look at the car manufacturer

  • How reliable is Citroen?
  • Is the Citroen C3 reliable?
  • Why is Citroen reliable?
  • Which Citroen models are the most reliable?

Citroen is one of the most well known car brands in the UK, and a common sight on British roads. The manufacturer established itself as the front-runners of innovation with the Traction Avant,the world’s first mass-produced front wheel drive car. And, since then, have achieved success with a range of vehicles, from city cars to larger family cars.

It is currently part of Stellantis (formerly PSA Groupe), a multinational manufacturer that produces and sells Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel and Vauxhall cars.

One of the things that Citroen have been particularly known for is reliability. But, how reliable is Citroen?

In this article, we look at how reliable Citroen cars are, and how it compares to some of its rivals.

How reliable is Citroen?

The short answer is very simple, it was found to be quite reliable.

In the most recent Telegraph reliability survey, Citroen came 13th for the second year in a row, with 115 problems per 100 vehicles.And, in the 2017 AutoExpress survey of the most reliable cars to buy, the Citroen C4 Picasso, the Citroen C1 and the Citroen C4 Cactus all appeared in the table.

This isn’t the only success the Citroen C1 has seen, as they are 9th in the ReliabilityIndex for Top 100 Reliable Cars, with a reliability index of just 15 (the lower the score, the better). A further seven Citroen models also appear in this list including the C4, C-Crosser, Berlingo and the C3. So it’s safe to say that Citroen models are pretty reliable.

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As a manufacturer, Citroen comes 20th out of 39 on ReliabilityIndex, with a reliability index of 112. This is about average, which is quite surprising considering how reliable some of its models are.

Is the Citroen C3 reliable?

If we look at some of the individual models, we can see that the reliability is varied. The Citroen C3 has a reliability index of 59 and has an average repair cost of £270. The main problem with the C3 seems to be the electrics, accounting for 26.14% of all problems.

How reliable is the Citroen C4?

The Citroen C4 doesn’t do as well, with a reliability index of 85 but that is still well below the industry average. It also has average repair costs of £315.78 which is good for a car of its size. Again, electrics account for most of the problems, but only by a small amount, with engine trouble coming in a close second.

Citroen Picasso reliability

TheCitroen C3 Picasso scores a very impressive 36 on the reliability index, with an average repair cost of just £260.47, which is very affordable. Interestingly, the Axle & Suspension appears to account for most of the C3 Picasso’s problems, with 37.50% of issues.

The Citroen Xsara Picasso also scored very highly, with a reliability index of 46. It also has low average repair costs at £222.58. The main problems appear to be electrical, accounting for 27.68% of issues.

So far, so reliable. However, if we look at the Citroen C4 Picasso, then it achieves a reliability index of just 163. That’s way below (or above) industry average and has received a poor rating. The average cost of repairs is £408.38 which isn’t too bad, it’s lower than some of its rivals. The main problem with the Citroen C4 Picasso appears to be the Axle & Suspension, accounting for 32.88% of all problems.

The Citroen Grand C4 Picasso also doesn’t score that well, coming in with a reliability index of 135. This is more than industry average but only just, so it’s not as unreliable as it could be, or some of its rivals are. Again, the Axle & Suspension accounts for most of the problems at 38.58%.

So the results are mixed for individual Citroen models. But, overall, I think we can say that Citroen are a very reliable brand.

Why is Citroen reliable?

There are several reasons why Citroen may be more reliable than other manufacturers. One of these reasons is that the vehicles don’t have as much advanced technology as other, more premium brands. This is by no means a bad thing, and it also means that there is less that can go wrong. When modern tech, such as infotainment systems, do go wrong they can be expensive to repair and replace. This brings the reliability down. Citroen does not have this issue and therefore they can maintain a high level of dependability.

Another reason Citroen is considered so reliable is the fact that, when something does go wrong with a Citroen model, it doesn’t cost that much to repair. The average cost to repair a Citroen car is pleasantly low. This could be for several reasons, the most likely being that the parts are quite popular and therefore are easy to source and repair. This brings the overall dependability score up.

And, Citroen have been around a long time and have established themselves at the forefront of innovation. This means that they’ve perfected their manufacturing process more than newer manufacturers have.

So, those are a few reasons why Citroen is considered dependable.

How reliable are consumer surveys?

Okay, this is where we justify using consumer surveys to determine how reliable a car is. Consumer Surveys gather their information by asking owners how dependable their car is. Many use surveys, and others, such as AutoExpress, often use self-reports where the owners can describe more specifically how reliable or unreliable their car is.

This is an accurate way of determining the longevity of a vehicle because it asks those who are driving the vehicle on a regular basis. Also, things such as ReliabilityIndex use the likes of WarrantyDirect, who supply tens of thousands of extended warranties to all sorts of makes and models. They record information when someone makes a claim, and then use this data to come to an informed conclusion about the most and least dependable cars.One of the issues with consumer surveys and using ReliabilityIndex is that you don’t always get an accurate view of how reliable a new car is. This is because they are still in warranty and are simply too new to determine the long term reliability. This isn’t anyone’s fault, obviously, it’s just the way things are. But it does mean you don’t always get a completely accurate view of the latest models. That said, many use predicted reliability which is often quite accurate.

Overall, consumer surveys are pretty reliable as a way of knowing how dependable a car is.

Which Citroen models are the most reliable?

The following are the most dependable Citroen models:

  • Citroen C3

  • Citroen C3 Aircross

These both score very well on ReliabilityIndex and on the Which? Consumer Report, and are the most reliable Citroen models available.

Which Citroens are the least reliable?

  • Citroen C4 Picasso
  • Citroen Grand C4 Picasso

Both of these models score pretty poorly on the dependability scale, so it’s best to avoid these ones if you can.

In conclusion, Citroen is a solidly dependable manufacturer. It has been on reliability tables for quite some time now and it doesn’t look like it will be moving any time soon. Some of its models are more reliable than others such as the C1 and the C3 Picasso, so if you want the most reliable Citroens you should look at them. In terms of the company’s competitors, it holds its own, so you won’t have to worry that you could have had a more reliable model elsewhere. Ultimately, Citroen make good, reliable and affordable cars. What more could you want?

Citroen reviews

View the Citroen C4 Cactus

View the Citroen C3

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