Citroen C3

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At a glance

Who is this car for?

A couple on a two-week Riviera stay who would rather cruise than carve, the C3 is the gentlest small car for the mixed tarmac above Petrovac and Paštrovići.

• Comfort-first long-stay renters
• Older travellers
• Inland back-road cruisers

This car on Budva roads

Behind the wheel

The C3 is the most comfort-biased supermini you can rent in Montenegro, and on a multi-day Budva hire that bias quietly changes the character of the week. The Mk3 with Advanced Comfort dampers uses progressive hydraulic bump stops, the same mechanical idea that filters into Citroën's larger cars, to absorb the broken edges and patched seams that fidget every other small hatch. The 1.2 PureTech 83 hp three-cylinder is unhurried and works audibly on any climb, and the five-speed manual has noticeably longer throws than the Clio's. In return you get the softest ride in the segment, sofa-like cloth seats, and a cabin that stays unusually quiet at the 50 to 70 km/h speeds the Riviera runs at most of the time.

On Budva roads

Budva is where the C3's ride quality finds its audience. The patched back road between Petrovac and Buljarica, which slaps through a firm-suspension hatch, rolls past quietly here. The narrow spur from the M2 down to Kamenovo Beach has cracked concrete seams that chatter in a 308; they thud distantly in a Citroën. The longer scenic loop through the Paštrovići back lanes, Praskvica Monastery, Reževići, the cliffs above Drobni Pijesak, is the C3's best Budva day-trip, the kind of slow interrupted drive the car was engineered for. It is the wrong car for hurried motorway legs to Podgorica or for overtaking tour coaches climbing the Lovćen serpentine.

Space and load

The 300-litre boot is among the smallest on this Budva line-up and the shape is less square than a Clio's. Two cabin cases plus a soft weekender fit comfortably, with full-size checked cases needing a rear seat folded. Beach kit for two heading to Slovenska or Mogren, towels, snorkels, parasol, a small cool-bag, fits without planning. Hiking gear for a one-day Kosmač Fortress walk or a Lovćen approach works with one rear seat folded. It is not the boot for a four-up Dubrovnik run with full luggage, and a four-person Skadar day with picnic gear asks for the step up to the Megane or 308.

Best journeys for this car

The C3's natural Budva renter is the slow-tempo visitor: the retired couple on a month in a Bečići apartment who drive short distances daily without ever hurrying, the photographer based in Petrovac whose 200 km week is split across fifteen stops, the returning visitor whose priority is being comfortable on the back roads rather than fast on open stretches. It also suits travellers who get motion-sick on winding routes, since the long-travel suspension noticeably reduces the head-toss on the Paštrovići hairpins and the climb to Cetinje. It is the wrong car for hurried itineraries or four-up cross-border drives.

Practical notes

Real-world petrol economy is 5.7 L/100 km in mixed Riviera driving, slightly worse than a Clio because the C3 carries a touch more weight and the 83 hp engine has to lean on itself to hold 100 km/h on the open M2. The 44-litre tank still delivers around 750 km between fills. Parking is easy at 4.0 m: Slovenska perimeter bays, TQ Plaza underground at €3 to 5/h, and the metered streets around Stari Grad all accept it unchanged. Front-wheel drive with all-season tyres is fine year-round on the coast, and chains are legally required for any winter run up to Lovćen or Žabljak, where the 83 hp engine will genuinely struggle to enjoy itself.

The verdict

Pick the C3 when you are renting in Budva for at least a week and ride comfort outranks every other spec. Skip it for any trip that prizes pace, load space, or sustained altitude work; the Stonic and the rational Clio answer those briefs better.

Inside the car

• Advanced Comfort Seats
• Bluetooth Audio
• USB Charging
• Lane Departure Warning