Citroen eC3 price in India was recently announced. The new EV aims to take the fight to the Tata Tiago EV in the electric hatchback segment. That said, despite the recent price hike, the Tiago EV still undercuts the Citroen hatch by a good margin. However, what we intend to find out is whether the price advantage of the Tiago EV is enough to take the electric hatchback home. Read on this Citroen eC3 vs Tata Tiago EV to find out.
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Citroen eC3 vs Tata Tiago EV: price
The Citroen eC3 starts at Rs 11.50 lakh (ex-showroom) for its base Live variant and goes up to Rs 12.43 lakh (ex-showroom) for the top-spec Feel variant with the Vibe Pack and a dual-tone paint scheme. The Citroen eC3 is offered with a 7-year / 1,40,000km warranty on the battery pack and a 3-year / 1,35,000km warranty on the entire vehicle. The prices mentioned are introductory and could change in the future.
The Tata Tiago EV undercuts the French-based Citroen EV, with starting price of Rs 8.69 lakh (ex-showroom) for its base variant and goes up to Rs 11.99 lakh (ex-showroom) for the range-topping XZ+ Tech LUX variant. Tata offers a standard 3-year / 1,25,000 km warranty and an 8-year / 1,60,000km warranty on the battery pack and the motor.
Citroen eC3 vs Tata Tiago EV
Design
The Tiago EV is based on the Tata Tiago ICE-powered hatchback and looks like a modern-day city runabout with a stylish road presence. For the EV model, the Tiago has gained some new grilles and bumpers with detailing in the shape of Tata’s Tri-Arrow design. There are also light blue accents scattered around the EV. The Tata Tiago EV can be had five colour options – Tropical Mist, Signature Teal Blue, Daytona Grey, and Pristine White. The interiors have similar designs and layouts and are finished in premium white upholstery.
The Citroen eC3 looks distinctly different from other similar-sized hatchbacks and gets a fresh, curvy yet striking design language. The eC3 also comes in a variety of customisation options for exterior trims, interior trims as well as graphics on the body from Citroen’s in-house accessories division. Citroen also offers a choice of 13 colour options wherein four are mono-tone colours that include Polar White, Zesty Orange, Platinum Grey and Steel Grey. The other nine dual-tone colour options get combinations of the four colours. The interiors on the Citroen eC3 look modern however it is devoid of any feel-good materials. However, the 10.25-inch screen and the joystick-like gear selector give it an air of modern appeal.
Specifications
The Citroen eC3 gets an electric motor with a 57hp peak power and 143Nm of peak torque. This powertrain on the eC3 is capable of propelling the eC3 from zero to 60kmph and goes up to a top speed of 107kmph. The Tata Tiago EV with its Ziptron powertrain develops 74bhp and 114Nm of torque and makes the electric hatchback go from a standstill to 60kmph in 5.7 seconds. The Tiago EV has a higher top speed of 120kmph.
Both vehicles use a McPherson Struts at the front and Twist Beam at the rear. Both EVs also use disc brakes up front and a drum setup at the back. The Citroen eC3 gets 315 litres of boot space and a ground clearance of 170mm. The Tiago EV on the other hand gets 240 litres of boot space and sits 168mm off the ground.
Range and charging
Tata offers the Tiago EV in two battery pack options, a 19.2kWh battery pack and a 24kWh battery pack. The smaller battery pack delivers 250km of MIDC-certified range while the larger battery pack delivers about 315km of MIDC-certified range. The Tiago EV also gets two charging options, a 3.3kW and a 7.2kW charger. The smaller battery pack can be charged from 10 to 100 percent in 6.9 hours while it takes 8.7 hours for the same when charging through a 15A home socket. Charging via a DC fast charger takes about an hour.
The Citroen eC3 electric hatchback on the other hand comes with a single battery pack option with a capacity of 29.2kWh. This battery pack returns a 320km range on the MIDC cycle. The Citroen eC3 can be charged from 10 to 100 percent in 10.5 hours via a 15A home socket. The same can be done in just 57 minutes when charging via DC fast charger.
Features
The Citroen eC3 is fairly kitted out and gets a decent equipment list that brings it up to speed with most customer expectations in 2023. The eC3 will come with a 10.2-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system and features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 4 speakers, connected car tech via MyCitroen Connect app with 35 features, dual airbags and ABS with EBD. It also gets LED lighting with Citroen’s signature layout upfront and also gets a joystick-like electronic gear selector.
The Tata Tiago EV too is a well-equipped car and Tata has appointed the car with thoughtful and functional features that justify the small hatchback’s Rs 10+ lakh sticker price. The Tiago gets multi-level regenerative braking, cruise control and sports mode, white leatherette perforated seats, auto climate control, rain-sensing wipers, auto headlamps, power windows, cooled glove box, push button start stop, rear wash wipes and defogger, fog lamps, LED DRLs, projector headlamps, digital instrument cluster, a Harman sourced touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and an 8 speaker system. Safety features like airbags, ABS, EBD, rear parking camera and sensors are present and are accompanied by Tata’s ZConect technology connected car technology and a 4-star rated platform.
Citroen eC3 vs Tata Tiago EV
The Citroen eC3 is a competitive electric vehicle in a nascent EV market and has some key strengths going for it. The EV is attractive to look at and brings along a cool quotient with a range of customizability options. However, its steep price tag and lack of premium feel factor might not go down well with some buyers.
That said, the Tata Tiago EV checks all the above boxes and then some. Tata’s tried and tested Ziptron technology is tasting decent success in the country and is being accepted by a large number every passing month. The Tiago EV also offers better-appointed interiors and more features, even when it comes to something basic like a rear wash wiper system, as compared to the Citroen.
