Nat Barnes takes delivery of our new Citröen ë-C4 long-termer, just before Storm Eunice takes its toll.

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Citröen ë-C4 Sense Plus:

P11d (BiK): £32,125 (2%) Range: 217 miles Efficiency: 4.03mpkWh Test efficiency: 3.4mpkWh

Report 1

Spring has arrived and so has my new Citröen ë-C4 long-termer. It’s no surprise that Fleet World is adding another EV to the fleet. Research by insurance firm Willis Towers Watson showed that just over a third of UK companies now give their staff the option to drive an electric or hybrid vehicle.

While that may not sound like a high number, it’s actually double the same figure for 2020 and there’s little doubt that business drivers are pushing that EV demand. In fact, the BVRLA estimates that by 2025, the vehicle rental, leasing and fleet industry will be responsible for 80% of sales in the UK.

Never mind the rises though, it’s more the falls I’m worried about. The ë-C4 unfortunately bore the brunt of Storm Eunice as our neighbour’s tree fell on it putting a dent in the rear wing and roof while on our driveway. In fact, it could have been so much worse.

Normally I back up to our house for charging purposes, but a full charge and laziness on my part after a short journey, meant by sheer fluke I’d parked facing forwards instead. If it had been the other way, the tree would have hit the bonnet and gone through the windscreen.

As it was, the rear wing bore the not-inconsiderable weight of the tree and held it up, preventing it from falling any further. It was only when removing the tree and discovering just how heavy it was, that the strength of the Citröen’s bodywork really came to light. Not something I’d recommend you check yourself…

Citröen kindly swapped us into a regular petrol C4 for a few days while KT21SXN went in for repairs which just underlined how much we’d altered our driving habits to suit electric power. Quite aside from the reminder of changing gear with a manual gearbox, the loss of any regenerative braking when going downhill was certainly an eye-opener at first. And, as much as I’m not the biggest fan of technology, even I had to admit that I’d especially missed the ë-C4’s keyless go compared to the C4’s traditional ignition key and lock.

In the meantime though, we’re looking forward to some spring motoring miles back under electric power.