Used Citroen C1 cars for sale

Looking to buy a used Citroen C1? Get a full car history check

How buying a used car through Carwow works

Find a car

Use Carwow to browse and compare used vehicles, advertised by a network of trusted dealers. You can search by make and model, or apply filters to find the perfect car for you.

Contact the dealer

Once you’ve found a car you’d like to buy, you can contact the dealer to arrange the next steps, whether that’s asking a question or taking it for a test drive.

Buy the car

When you’re happy to buy, you can do so at a fixed price, safe in the knowledge all models sold through carwow are mechanically checked and come with a warranty.

Sell your car for what it's really worth

The free, easy way to get 5,500+ dealers all over the UK bidding on your car

Learn how to sell your car with carwow

Used Citroen C1 pros and cons

Characterful engine
Not very refined
Very cheap to run
Some rivals are better to drive
Fairly cheap to buy
Pricey insurance

Is a used Citroen C1 a good car?

The Citroen C1 came with a huge range of colours and ways to personalise it, and you could even spec it with a sliding full-length canvas sunroof. There were lots of colourful options for the interior too, and a whole slew of special edition versions if you fancy something a bit more… er… fancy.

Almost all C1 models — except for the very cheapest versions — came with a handy touchscreen which does all the mobile phone connectivity stuff. The cabin looks smart, but it’s hard to hide the fact that it’s all quite cheap inside.

The penalty for the space up front is that space in the back is really quite tight. The boot is tiny too — just 196 litres of space for bags or shopping, which isn’t great.

The C1 was designed as a compact car for city life, and that’s where it’s best kept. It’s small and light, so even though the little 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine has just 71hp, it’s more than nippy and zippy enough for most needs. The turning circle is tight, and the small size of the C1 means that it’s a doddle to park.

Shop around carefully for a C1 as the cheapest versions didn’t come with air-con, a touchscreen, nor DAB radio.

What to look for when buying a used Citroen C1

The C1 was a car designed alongside the Toyota Aygo, and the two shared a lot of components, so it’s little surprise that it’s one of the more reliable small car options out there. Watch out for a recall that dealt with incorrect components used in the steering columns, but other than that the most commonly-reported problem is a leaky boot letting rain water in.

Annoyingly, though, while Toyota offered a five-year warranty for the Aygo (meaning many will still be under the original manufacturer’s warranty) Citroen only gave the C1 a three-year warranty.

The C1 didn’t feature in the most recent Driver Power ownership survey’s Top 50 Cars To Own list, but Citroen as a brand finished an impressive 7th out of 32 car makers in the overall customer satisfaction list, with only 15% of owners reporting a problem with their car.

Citroen C1 FAQs

Is the used Citroen C1 reliable?

It certainly seems to be. Being closely related to the Toyota Aygo doesn’t hurt, and Citroen finished strongly in the Driver Power customer satisfaction survey.

What is the most common problem with the Citroen C1?

The most commonly reported problem for the C1 is a leaky boot that lets in rain water — the boot lid is actually just one big glass panel, which is cheaper to make, but that makes it more tricky to seal and keep the rain out..

What type of car is the Citroen C1?

The Citroen C1 is a small city car, or an A-Segment car if you want to get technical. It’s an alternative to the likes of the Hyundai i10 and Volkswagen Up.

How long does a Citroen C1 last?

Quite a long time. It’s mechanically simple, and if kept serviced that little 1.0-litre will run and run. The cheap cabin might not be so robust, but in terms of big things such as the engine and gearbox, the C1 should keep going for a long time yet.

Is the Citroen C1 a good car to buy?

Yes it is, once you accept that it’s not as roomy as rivals from Hyundai and Volkswagen, and not as good as them at long motorway journeys. But it’s compact, easy to park, easy to drive, reliable, and very economical.