The face lifted Citroen C1 goes on sale in the UK on April 2. List prices start at £7,995, but there is a £1,000 Reward incentive on the car, bringing the starting price down to £6,995.

In addition, young drivers (from 21 years of age) are being wooed with the offer of one-year’s free insurance when the car is bought on Elect4 personal finance. At £99 per month, that makes a new C1 VTR cheaper than just the insurance on many other cars for 21-year-olds. The VTR is also reasonably well-equipped with air conditioning and electric front windows as standard. For the full “youth” experience, buyers need to upgrade to the slightly more expensive VTR+ with all-important Bluetooth, USB and tinted windows. The top model also comes with alloy wheels, front fog lights and a leather steering wheel and costs from £8,695 including incentive.

Citroen has always been very strong in the young driver market – back in the days of the Citroen Saxo, it sold more cars to young people than any other manufacturer. Now the C1 could reinforce its position. For those concerned by questions of quality (previous small Citroens not having been a byword for reliability), the C1 is actually made in a Toyota factory, as it is the same car as the Toyota Aygo.

The other bonus of the C1 is that CO2 emissions have now been reduced to 99g/km. That means no road tax and exemption from the London Congestion Charge.