Citroen eC3 vs Tata Tiago EV: Battle of the electric hatchbacks

The Citroen eC3 price in India was recently announced. The new EV aims to take on 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, we intend to find out whether the Tiago EV’s price advantage is enough to take the electric hatchback home. Read this Citroen eC3 vs Tata Tiago EV to know.

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 the variant with Vibe pack and dual-tone paint scheme. The Citroen eC3 is offered with 7 years / 1,40,000km warranty on the battery pack and 3 years / 1,35,000km warranty on the entire vehicle. The prices mentioned are introductory and may change in future.

The Tata Tiago EV undercuts the French-based Citroen EV with prices starting from Rs 8.69 lakh (ex-showroom) for its base variant and going up to Rs 11.99 lakh (ex-showroom). range-topping XZ+ Tech Luxe variant. Tata offers standard 3 years / 1,25,000 km warranty on the battery pack and motor and 8 years / 1,60,000 km warranty on 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 city car with a stylish road presence. For the EV model, the Tiago gets some new grilles and bumpers along with an extension in the shape of Tata’s tri-arrow design. There are also light blue colored accents scattered all around the EV. The Tata Tiago EV can be had in five color options – Tropical Mist, Signature Teal Blue, Daytona Gray and Pristine White. The interior features the same design and layout and is finished in premium white upholstery.

Citroën eC3

The Citroen eC3 stands out from other similar sized hatchbacks and sports a fresh, curvy yet sleek design language. The eC3 comes in a variety of customization options for exterior trims, interior trims as well as graphics on the body from Citroen’s in-house accessories division. Also offers a choice of Citroen 13 color options including four mono-tone colors including Polar White, Zesty Orange, Platinum Grey, and Steel Grey. The other nine dual-tone color options are four color combinations. The interiors of the Citroen eC3 look modern but lack any feel-good materials. However, the 10.25-inch screen and joystick-like gear selector give it an air of modern appeal.

Specifications

The Citroen eC3 has an electric motor with a 57hp peak power and 143Nm peak torque. This powertrain on the EC3 is capable of propelling the EC3 from zero to 60 kmph and goes up to a top speed of 107 kmph. With its Ziptron powertrain, the Tata Tiago EV develops 74bhp and 114Nm of torque and propels the electric hatchback to 60 kmph in 5.7 seconds. The top speed of Tiago EV is 120 kmph.

Both vehicles use McPherson struts at the front and rear Twist beam at the rear. Both the EVs also use disc brake at the front and drum setup at the rear. The Citroen eC3 gets 315 liters of boot space and 170mm of ground clearance. The Tiago EV, on the other hand, has 240 liters of boot space and sits 168mm above 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 offers 250 km of MIDC-certified range while the larger battery pack offers approximately 315 km 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 charging via a 15A home socket takes 8.7 hours. Charging with a DC fast charger takes about an hour.

On the other hand, the Citroen eC3 electric hatchback comes with a single battery pack option with a capacity of 29.2kWh. This battery pack gives a range of 320 km on MIDC cycle. The Citroen eC3 can be charged from 10 to 100 percent in 10.5 hours via a 15A home socket. This can be done in just 57 minutes when charged via a DC fast charger.

features

The Citroen eC3 is quite nicely finished and gets a decent equipment list which brings it up to speed in 2023 with most of the customer expectations. The eC3 will get a 10.2-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system and features Connected car tech with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 4 speakers, 35 features via MyCitroen Connect app, dual airbags and ABS with EBD. It also gets LED lighting with Citroen’s signature layout and it also gets a joystick-like electronic gear selector.

The Tata Tiago EV is also a well-equipped car and Tata has appointed the car with thoughtful and functional features that justify the 10+ lakh sticker price of the small hatchback. tiago meets 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, touchscreen infotainment system sourced from Harman with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and 8 speaker system. Safety features like airbags, ABS, EBD, rear parking camera and sensors are on board and are accompanied by Tata’s ZConect connected car technology and a 4-star rated platform.

Citroen eC3 vs Tata Tiago EV

The Citroen eC3 is a competitive electric vehicle in the nascent EV market and has a few key strengths going for it. The EV is attractive to look at and brings in a cool quotient with a range of customization options. However, its high price tag and lack of premium feel factor may not go down well with some buyers.

That said, the Tata Tiago EV checks all the above boxes and then some. Tata’s time-tested Ziptron technology is tasting great success in the country and is being adopted in larger numbers with each passing month. The Tiago EV also offers better interiors and more features than the Citroen, even when it comes to basics like the rear wash wiper system.

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