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Citroën C4 hatchback (2011-2018) - Reliability & safety

No reported major faults and a five-star safety score, but Citroen’s reputation isn’t the greatest

Carbuyer Rating

3.2 out of 5

Owners Rating
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Reliability & safety Rating

3.0 out of 5

Citroen has been widely criticised for its build quality in the Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, but its reputation for building safe cars continues.

Citroen C4 reliability

Fit and finish continues to be an area that disappoints Citroen owners, and this played a part in dragging the brand down to an unimpressive 25th place out of 26 brands featured in our 2018 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey. Outright reliability wasn't rated quite so poorly, but 15.6% of owners reported at least one fault within the first year.

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The C4 hatchback itself didn't feature in our 2018 survey, but its performance in 2016 was rather disappointing – it finished in 139th out of 150 models assessed. Verdicts included a worrying 141st-place for build quality and 124th spot for reliability. Owners scored it most positively for running costs, where it finished 80th.

Safety

The Citroen C4 was awarded the full five stars when it was crash-tested by Euro NCAP, however it’s worth noting this was back in 2010. The car scored particularly well for adult occupant protection and the provision of safety systems, but the tests have since been made stricter.

All C4s get electronic stability control, traction control, hill-start assistance and six airbags, while there are ISOFIX child-seat mountings on the rear seats. Unlike some recently-launched rivals, advanced driving assistance features like autonomous emergency braking and lane-departure warning aren’t available.

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Which Is Best?

Cheapest

  • Name
    1.2 PureTech You 5dr
  • Gearbox type
    Manual
  • RRP
    £19,720

Most Economical

  • Name
    1.2 PureTech You 5dr
  • Gearbox type
    Manual
  • RRP
    £19,720

Fastest

  • Name
    1.2 PureTech You 5dr
  • Gearbox type
    Manual
  • RRP
    £19,720

Richard is a former editor of Carbuyer, as well as sister site DrivingElectric.com, and he's now Deputy Editor at Auto Express. Having spent a decade working in the automotive industry, he understands exactly what makes new car buyers tick.

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