Fault File
All models / All cars / City cars / Citroen C1

Citroen C1

All generations and engines together · 137,424 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 39k

Reliability verdict
CBy age
BBy miles

Graded against its peers

Middling for its age among city cars, and better than most per mile driven. Watch brakes and suspension. A fair used buy, provided its MOT history has no repeating brakes advisories.

First-time failure at age 7
18.3%
Across 7,536 tests. The average for city cars is 20.2%.
First-time failure at 50-60k miles
27.4%
Across 17,711 tests. The average for city cars is 30.1%.
Rank in its class
6 of 18
1 = lowest failure rate among the 18 city cars we can rank.
Typical mileage at age 7
39k miles
How far the average car has gone by seven years old. Low-mileage models can look better by age than they are.

Generation

Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.

What owners report

Reported

Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.

Sticky clutch on early cars (2005-2009)

Confirmed pattern

On first-generation C1s built before 2009, the clutch pedal can feel sticky or heavy, most noticeable pulling away from a stop. Honest John's own experts call this a known fault shared with the Peugeot 107 and Toyota Aygo, which use the same platform and running gear, and note that Citroen fitted a stronger clutch from 2009 onwards. A proper fix means dropping the gearbox to replace the clutch, so budget several hundred pounds if a car hasn't already had it done.

Reported from new, worse by 20-30k miles · fix built in from 2009 · sources: Honest John Ask HJ (C1 clutch fault), Honest John Ask HJ (Toyota IQ clutch, same 1.0 engine family)

Worn clutch on the automated 'automatic' gearbox

EmergingAutomatics only

The C1's automatic isn't a conventional torque-converter box, it's a manual gearbox with an automated clutch. When that clutch wears, the car beeps at you, especially pulling away uphill or on a cold start, and can feel like it's slipping. It isn't flagged as a fault code and doesn't appear in the handbook, so owners often drive on it for a while before booking the repair, which is priced much like a manual clutch job. Doesn't affect manual cars.

Sources: Honest John Ask HJ (C1 automatic beeping/worn clutch)

Rear brakes binding after short trips

Partly in the MOT data

The C1 is a round-town car built for short journeys, and short journeys are exactly what lets rear brakes corrode and bind, the shoes or pads never get hot enough to burn off surface rust before the car is parked again. Owners describe a graunching noise or the car pulling to one side on the first drive of the day, easing off once things warm through. The measured MOT data for this model backs the general picture up, brakes are the standout failure category here, though the data can't confirm how much of that is this corrosion pattern versus ordinary pad and disc wear.

Common on cars used mainly for short local trips · sources: Honest John (parking brake corrosion FAQ), measured MOT fault data

Loose, rattly exhaust box

Disputed

Some early C1, 107 and Aygo owners have reported the rear silencer box working loose and rattling, with a few dealers replacing it under goodwill. Honest John's own view is blunter: at three-plus years old, a rattly back box is fair wear and tear, not a manufacturing fault, and a replacement is cheap anyway. Worth checking for on a test drive regardless of which side of the argument you land on.

Reported from around 3 years old · replacement roughly £100-150 · sources: Honest John Ask HJ (C1/107/Aygo exhaust)

Touchscreen and infotainment glitches (2014 on)

Emerging

On the second-generation C1, the touchscreen and connectivity setup is the most consistently criticised part of the car in owner surveys, well ahead of the engine or gearbox. Early cars also shipped with MirrorLink phone-mirroring that wouldn't work with anything newer than an iPhone 4S until Citroen issued a software patch. None of this is a manufacturer-acknowledged fault, more a case of clunky software that owners have learned to work around.

2014-2022 cars · sources: Carbuyer (Driver Power reliability survey), Honest John (MirrorLink compatibility)

What to check on this car

Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.

Saveable checklist

From this model’s MOT record

The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.

Bushes and ball jointsRuns high on this model Drive slowly over broken tarmac with the windows down and listen for clonks from either end. Back at the car, have someone rock the steering wheel while you rest a hand on each front wheel; play you can feel through the tyre is a worn joint.Recorded on 11.9% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.2%
Brake pipes underneathRuns high on this model Follow the metal brake lines with a torch where they run along the sills and over the rear axle. White crust or flaking metal means they are corroding, and the online MOT history usually shows the same advisory creeping up for years before the fail.Recorded on 5.1% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 1.9%
WheelsRuns high on this model Look at each rim for kerb damage and check no wheel nuts are missing. A steering wheel that shimmies between 50 and 60 on the test drive often turns out to be a buckled or badly balanced wheel.Recorded on 3.1% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.6%
Underneath, with a torchRuns high on this model Get down and look at the sills, the subframes and the rear suspension mounting points. Flaking scale and bubbling matter; light surface rust does not. On older cars this is the one check that finds the fault that scraps them.Recorded on 3.0% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.6%
Coil springsRuns high on this model Look through the wheel spokes at the bottom coil of each spring; when springs snap it is usually there, and the break is visible. Step back and check the car sits level too. A dropped corner is often a broken spring.Recorded on 2.5% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 1.3%
ExhaustRuns high on this model Listen along the exhaust at cold idle for blowing or chuffing, and give the tailpipe a push to check nothing hangs loose. Small blows only get louder.Recorded on 2.2% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.3%
A binding brakeRuns high on this model After the test drive, hold the back of your hand near each wheel hub. One wheel running much hotter than the rest is a sticking caliper. A car that slows itself down when you lift off on a flat road is saying the same thing.Recorded on 1.6% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.7%

Worth doing on any used car

These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.

Tyres, all fourRuns high on this model Check the tread across the full width of each tyre, inner edge included, and look for cracking and mismatched brands. A set of decent tyres is £500 or more on most cars, which makes this the easiest money to take off a price. If the pressure warning light is on, budget for sensors too.Recorded on 27.7% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 11.1%
Pads and discs Look through the wheel spokes at the brake disc. A pronounced lip on its outer edge, or a rusty and scored face, means discs and pads are due all round, a few hundred pounds on most cars. A haggling point rather than a reason to walk away.Recorded on 13.8% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 10.1%
Windscreen and wipers Scan the glass in daylight for chips, especially in the driver's line of sight where even a small one can fail the MOT. Run the washers and check the wipers clear without smearing.Recorded on 2.3% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 1.7%

Because of what owners report

Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.

On a pre-2009 manual, push the clutch pedal through its full travel from cold. A sticky, heavy or notchy feel is the known early clutch fault, not just normal wear.
On an automatic (two-pedal, automated-clutch) car, pull away uphill from a cold start. A beeping alarm means the automated clutch is worn and heading for replacement.
Drive off gently on the first go of the day, ideally after the car has sat overnight. Grinding or the car pulling to one side points to corroded rear brakes binding, common on short-trip cars.
Check the MOT history for repeat brake advisories. Recurring brake notes line up with this model's measured weak spot; get the rear brakes inspected properly before buying.
Listen underneath at idle for a rattle from the rear silencer box. A loose exhaust box is cheap to fix but worth knocking off the asking price.
Pair the seller's phone to the infotainment system and try Bluetooth or MirrorLink. Freezing screens or failed pairing point to the software gremlins owners report on 2014-on cars.
On a high-mileage manual, try selecting first gear from a dead stop. Reluctance or refusal to engage first can mean worn transmission internals, not just the clutch.

Open the saveable checklist, tick it off at the car

The MOT data

Measured

Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.

How this model wears

Citroen C1Class average, all tracked models

What testers flag

Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.

Faults with the car itself

The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 45,500 tests in this band.

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Advisory
20.8%class 6.3%
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
Advisory
5.1%class 1.9%
Exhaust system leaking or insecure
Advisory
3.7%class 0.9%
A wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting
Advisory
3.1%class 0.6%
A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded
Advisory
3.0%class 0.6%
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
Advisory
2.5%class 1.3%
Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users
Advisory
1.9%class 2.0%
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
Fail
1.7%class 1.3%
Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake
Advisory
1.6%class 0.7%
Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction
Fail
1.6%class 0.5%

Wear, upkeep and luck

Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.

A tyre seriously damaged
Advisory
27.7%class 11.1%
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Advisory
22.2%class 22.9%
Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured
Advisory
13.8%class 10.1%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Advisory
6.1%class 8.7%
Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn
Advisory
3.5%class 3.4%
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Fail
2.6%class 2.3%
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
Fail
2.3%class 1.7%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Fail
1.8%class 1.6%

Others in its class

Same segment (City cars), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.

Toyota Aygo15.3%Suzuki Celerio15.8%Mitsubishi Mirage16.4%Peugeot 10817.0%Volkswagen up!17.2%Smart Fortwo18.6%See all City carsreliability ranked