IT'S not even on UK roads yet, but Citroen's new electric-powered C3 has already been crowned as Car of the Year by one of the UK's most influential motoring publications.

And that was just the most significant of a hat-trick of awards for the new C3 range with the EV also being crowned as the most affordable electric car and the petrol-powered model named as supermini of the year in the annual Auto Express awards.

The long-established awards are judged by an experienced team of road testers and seek to inform buyers of the best cars on the market across a variety of sectors.

The magazine's editor, Paul Barker, says: "New Citroën ë-C3 breaks new ground in the electric vehicle segment, opening up access to EVs to a whole new set of buyers thanks to its attention-grabbing headline price of under £22,000. But even more impressive is that the price isn't for a bargain-basement spec, even in the lower of the two trim levels there's a great level of standard equipment."

The new ë-C3 is the first model from parent company Stellantis to feature its new ‘BEV-focussed' Smart Car platform, using a 44kWh LFP battery to deliver up to 199 miles of driving range and standard AC fast charging from 20 to 80 per cent in around four hours and 10 minutes using a 7.4kW charger, or two hours and 50 minutes with the optional 11kW on-board charger. Rapid DC charging from 20 to 80per cent takes as little as 26 minutes.

The 113hp electric motor and automatic transmission delivers 0-62mph acceleration in around 10 seconds,

With deliveries expected to start in the next few months, Citroen dealers have already opened the order books with prices for the e-C3 starting at £21,990 and £17,790 for the petrol powered Pure-Tech model.