WHAT CAR AWARDS - Citroen takes a best buy at this years awards ceremony with the C3 Picasso.

The family-friendly practicality and low running costs of the Citroën C3 Picasso PureTech 110 manual Edition was recognised at the 2016 What Car? Car of the Year Awards earlier this evening, when it was named ‘MPV Best Buy for less than £16,000’.

Speaking on behalf of the What Car? judging panel, Haymarket Automotive’s Editorial Director, Jim Holder, commented; “The C3 Picasso might be small, but it’s an eminently practical car. 

You sit quite high up, the visibility is excellent all-round, the boot is big and square-shaped, and the interior feels airy and spacious; the rear seats are split 60/40 and slide forwards and backwards for added interior versatility.” Jim continued; “[The] doors open wide and have broad apertures, so access is great if you’ve got child seats to reach in for.”

In addition to the C3 Picasso’s design and versatility, the judges were impressed with the choice of engines. They singled out the 1.2 litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol as their top choice. 

Jim Holder concluded; “It does a fine job in the C3 Picasso, delivering nippy responses around town, and coping well on the motorway. It achieved nearly 50mpg in our real-world economy tests, too. Ultimately, the C3 Picasso may be all the MPV smaller families could ever need.”

Chris Cheetham, Citroën’s Marketing Director in the UK, said; “It is always an honour to receive such prestigious recognition for one of our cars, but it is especially gratifying when that award recognises the car for exactly what it was designed to be. 

The C3 Picasso is made with family life and family journeys in mind, so to win this accolade and hear those comments from the expert judges is very pleasing indeed.”

The Citroën C3 Picasso PureTech 110 manual Edition is available from just £15,805 MRRP OTR.