Hyundai i20 vs Citroen C1: How do they compare?

Date Posted 22nd February 2019
Read Time 6 min read

Urban drivers looking to lease a compact car will be tempted by the Hyundai i20 and the Citroen C1 and will want to compare these cars in order to make up their minds. Hippo Leasing takes a look at how these two cars are different, and what makes each a great deal for those looking at each.

While both cars are in different classes – the C1 is a city car and the i20 is a compact car (the i10 being the like-for-like alternative to the C1),they cater to similar driver needs. The Hyundai i20, noticeably 57cm longer than the Citroen C1, both vehicles tend to go to new drivers or those downsizing not least because of their insurance class but also because they both represent fantastic value. Let’s look at each car based on their respective merits:

Size

On the size front, the Hyundai i20 is a proper five-door, five-seater hatchback, so this is the car to choose if space and capacity are a priority. The Citroen C1 is also a five-door hatch (a three-door version is available as well) but four people will be your maximum capacity in this city car. Advantage Hyundai i20 if you want to fit a few six-footers in the rear seats!

As expected, boot space follows the same trend and even though the boot in the Hyundai i20 is by no means huge (just over 300-litres with rear seats up and 1,000-litres with seats down) it is still at a significant advantage compared to the C1 with just less than 200-litres of boot capacity seats up and 780-litres with seats down.

Of course, increased size isn’t always everything, especially when you do lots of urban driving and here the Citroen C1 wins when you need to park in ludicrously small supermarket parking places. Interestingly, the turning circle on each car is pretty much the same.

Engines

You can choose from two petrol engines in the case of the Hyundai i20, a 1.2-litre petrol engine with 75 or 84 PS depending on the model and a 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine which comes with 100 or 120 PS which is plenty power for this compact hatch. You pay a lot more for the turbo version, however (about £5k more). The 120PS turbo will go from 0-62 mph in just over 10 seconds with about 56 mpg expelling 118g/km of CO2 emissions while the cheaper 1.2-litre takes 13.6 seconds with CO2 emissions of 130g/km and it does around 50 mpg.

The Citroen C1 also allows you to pick from a 1.0-litre petrol engine with 73PS that does 0-62 mph in 12.6 seconds with combined economy of 69 mpg or a three-cylinder, 1.2-litre petrol engine, engine with 83 PS that has on 99g/km of CO2 emissions and gets 54 mpg.

When it comes to engines both have small engines with turbos and both have normally aspirated engines which are much slower but also a lot cheaper than their turbo brothers. The pick of the bunch is probably the Hyundai i20 1.0-litre turbo which has a great combination of efficiency and power, though it’s also the most expensive of all the options, and if you are simply after efficiency then the least expensive C1 does the job best.

Interior

There’s a lot more distinction when it comes to the style of both cabins. If you like breezy fun, bright colours and cheeky urban chic then the Citroen is right up your street while the Hyundai i20 goes for a bit more straight-laced, practical and understated style.

The i20 has four trims ranging from the entry-level S Connect through the SE, Premium Nav and Premium SE Nav and its more about the features in the Hyundai i20 rather than the flair with the top of the range coming with 16-inch alloys, a fair amount of leather, climate control, a panoramic sunroof, front and rear parking sensors, a seven-inch touchscreen a decent sound system and smartphone connectivity.

The C1 also has four trims with the Feel, the Flair the Urban Ride and the top of the range Elle. The top of the range Elle makes a good fist of it but it’s not quite in the same league as the i20 when it comes to kit, even so, it also has a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system, 15” alloys, air conditioning and smartphone interface.

When it comes to kit, particularly at the top of each range, the Hyundai i20 gets the nod.

Safety

The Hyundai i20 is loaded with safety fit from lane keep assist through to a tyre pressure monitoring system, hill start assist and static cornering lights which provides a wider light spread, but that’s not all as the i20 also has an electronic stability programme (ESP) which optimises breaking to each wheel and vehicle stability management (VSM) which is an anti-skid system plus the i20 has 6 airbags for added peace of mind.

The Citroen C1 is also relatively impressive in the safety stakes with 6 airbags and an ESP system of its own. Optional Active City Brake also helps to avoid low-speed incidents while lane departure warning is a useful addition.

When it comes to safety features, both vehicles perform well although the i20 has a few more safety gadgets available.

Warranty

One key area to mention is the respective warranties. Hyundai is well known for its 5 year, unlimited warranty while the Citroen gets a 3 year, 60,000 mile warranty so the South Korean is the clear winner here.

Overall

So, when you compare the two, it comes down to small, zippy and fun with more than acceptable kit versus a more refined and square ride plus features on the i20, essentially the Citroen C1 has more personality but the Hyundai i20 is bigger, has more features, a sharper engine is  available together with a cracking warranty.

Hippo Leasing leases many of these cars and we have new and used deals plus we often have nearly new lease deals on both. At the time of going to press you could get a new Hyundai i20 Mpi S 5 door for less than £200 per month and a used lease on a selection of 3-year-old cars with between 30k and 45k on the clock for £131 per month. It’s similar for the Citroen C1 with new 1.0 litre Vti “Feel” for £164 per month or a selection of used 65-plate three doors with only 10k to 25k on the clock for not much over £100 per month.

Call us on 01254 956 666 or email us at info@hippoleasing.co.uk for personal service and a great deal on new or used Citroen C1’s or the Hyundai i20.


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