Citroen C4 hatchback - Reliability & safety

Only time will tell if the latest Citroen C4 can prove reliable, as it's an all-new model for the brand that's so far unproven. However, it does include some tried and tested engines and technology, and Citroen is likely to be disappointed with anything less than a five-star score in Euro NCAP crash testing.

Citroen C4  reliability

While the C4 is an entirely new model for Citroen, it's based on the same underpinnings as the latest Peugeot 208 and 2008, along with the Citroen C3 Aircross. While those models are also fairly fresh, there haven't been any major reliability alarm bells so far. Citroen's 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines have also been very widely used, and have proved reliable in other models, so we wouldn't expect too many issues here.

As a manufacturer, Citroen came 18th out of 30 brands in our 2020 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey. Its models scored highly for running costs but servicing was deemed to be rather expensive. Citroen also lost points for its infotainment systems, so hopefully the C4 performs slightly better in this regard. Just over 17% of owners reported a fault with their Citroen in the first year, which is slightly more than Peugeot's 12% of owners. 

Safety

Citroen is very proud of the fact the C4 is available with 20 driving aids, which equals the number in the larger and more expensive Citroen C5 Aircross SUV. Along with safety features like autonomous emergency braking, they can also include Highway Driver Assist, which combines adaptive cruise control and lane keeping technology to drive the car in its lane, so long as the driver keeps their hands on the wheel ready to take over at any time.

The C4 will also evaluate how the car is being driven to check the driver is alert, and suggest a break if they drive in a certain manner, or spend more than two hours at speeds over 43mph. Cameras and sensors can flag up road signs in the instrument display, monitor the car's blind spots and allow the headlights to switch between main and dipped beam automatically.