I have long thought the next innovation in cars would be to fit an in-built dashcam – well now it’s arrived.

The striking new Citroën C3 comes with an on-board HD windscreen camera and a 128GB memory that can be used to take photos or videos and instantly share them via social media and also operate as a conventional dashcam in the event of an on-road incident.  

Priced from about £11,000, the distinctively styled C3 is as eye-catching on the outside as it is classy on the inside, with elements that make it look and feel like a smaller version of the funky C4 Cactus.

The deliberately high bonnet line and chunky wheel arch extensions give the five-seater hatchback a definite crossover character and the ‘Airbump’ panels on the doors protect against everyday dents and scrapes.

There is a choice of three three-cylinder petrol and two diesel engines. In 500 miles of around town, cross-country and motorway driving, I managed an average of 62.7mpg – according to the car’s inbuilt computer – some way short of the claimed 76.3mpg, but a decent enough result.

Inside, big comfortable seats, one of the most spacious cabins in the supermini sector, more rear legroom than the previous model and a 300-litre boot make for a properly practical car.

There are plenty of storage spaces too and the door pockets are even finished with a light colour, making it easier to find items like keys or a mobile phone in poor light.

There are also numerous personalisation options with three roof colours and nine body colours available.

The little car quickly picked up a clutch of awards following its launch this year to become the best small car in the 2017 Fleet News Awards, supermini of the year in the Contract Hire and Leasing.com Awards and voted ‘Best Urbanite’ title in BBC Top Gear Magazine’s ‘Best Cars in the World’ issue.

The car packs a technological punch too, with a seven-inch colour touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard that operates everything from the audio and air conditioning, to a navigation system that is both touch- and voice-activated. The system not only accesses services such as TomTom Traffic to provide live traffic updates, but it can also highlight known accident blackspots.

Other big-car features range from a reversing camera, hill-start assist and MirrorLink and Apple CarPlay to connect smartphones to safety devices including a lane departure warning system, blind-spot monitoring and a driver attention alert.

With GPS as part of the inbuilt connected camera system, the car will even let you know where it is when it has been parked in an unfamiliar place.

 

Auto facts

Model: Citroën C3 Flair BlueHDi 100

Price: £17,505

Insurance group: 20A (1-50)

Fuel consumption (combined): 76.3mpg

Top speed: 115mph

Length: 399.6cm/157.3in

Width: 174.9cm/68.8in

Luggage capacity: 10.6cu ft

Fuel tank capacity: 9.9 gallons/45 litres

CO2 emissions: 95g/km

Warranty: Three years/60,000 miles