Where each one leads
Citroen C3
- Against cars of the same age, the Citroen C3 comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 7% less often than average) than the Renault Clio (passes 17% less often than average).
- Fewer Citroen C3 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (2.3% against 2.7%).
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol Citroen C3 uses 6.2 l/100 km on the road, the Renault Clio 6.5.
Renault Clio
- New Renault Clio cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 113 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 122 for the Citroen C3 in 2022.
Too close to call: real-world fuel use in Europe, diesel (l/100 km).
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Citroen C3 | Renault Clio | |
|---|---|---|
| New cars registered in Europe | 2,088,260 (2010–2022) | 3,798,966 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 258,374 | 334,764 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 76,665 | 168,507 |
| In traffic in Finland | 11,894 | 16,127 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Citroen C3 | Renault Clio | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 65% | 57% |
| … against cars of the same age | −7% | −17% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 2.3% | 2.7% |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Citroen C3 | Renault Clio | |
|---|---|---|
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 6.2 l/100 km | 6.5 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 4.9 l/100 km | 4.9 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | — | 5.2 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 122 g/km | 113 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 68 kW (91 hp) | 68 kW (92 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,105 kg | 1,214 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €18,865 | €19,550 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 121,000 km | 120,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).