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Adult occupant protection 
Frontal impact driver | 
Frontal impact passenger | 
Side impact driver |  |
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Child restraints | 18 month old Child | Kiddy Reboard, rearward facing |
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| 3 year old Child | Kiddy Reboard, forward facing |
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Pedestrian protection No image car front available |
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Safety equipment | Front seatbelt pretensioners |  |
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| Front seatbelt load limiters | |
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| Driver frontal airbag | |
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| Front passenger frontal airbag | |
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| Side body airbags | |
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| Side head airbags |  |
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| Driver knee airbag | |
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| ISOfix front | |
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| ISOfix rear | |
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Car details | Hand of drive | LHD |
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| Tested model | Citroën C3 SX 1.4 Essence |
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| Body type | 5-door hatchback |
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| Year of publication | 2002 |
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| Kerb weight | 1020 |
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| VIN from which rating applies | VF7FCHFXB26527647 |
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Comments The C3 turned in a sound all-round performance in Euro NCAP tests. Its body structure survived well and the cabin suffered only minor deformation after the frontal crash. What’s more, the seat belts and airbags worked particularly well together to safeguard front occupants from chest injuries. The C3 also protected them acceptably in the side impact, but the optional head-protecting airbag would have further reduced the risks of injury. However, the child restraints protected only patchily. Protection for pedestrians was better than that given by most other cars in this group.
Front impact
The body and airbag restraint systems combined well to provide good levels of protection. The low impact forces recorded for the driver and front passenger’s chests were particularly welcome. But, as with any small car, it has been difficult in the C3 to provide sufficient knee room to safeguard the driver. In the C3, the steering column remains a hazard, but the knee area has otherwise been cleared of danger. The rear centre safety belt was three-point, which gives far better protection than that of a lap-only belt.
Side impact
The C3 gave acceptable protection. However, the back of the driver’s head hit the door pillar. His chest came into contact with the wing of the seat and the airbag, while his abdomen struck the door panel below the armrest.
Child-protection
The C3 has an on/off switch for the passenger frontal airbag for when a rear-facing restraint is placed opposite it. A pictogram and text label on the passenger’s end of the fascia explained how to use it, but did too little to warn parents against placing a child rear-facing opposite an active airbag. For the tests, The 3-year-old was placed in a forward-facing restraint while the 18-month-old was in the same type of restraint, rear-facing. Unfortunately, the 3-year-old’s head was not well protected in any of the tests, but the 18-month-old was protected in both.
Pedestrian protection
Citroën has made attempts with the C3 to protect pedestrians. The cushioning given by its windscreen helped towards its two stars.
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