Why The Skoda Citigo Was a Brilliant Car, But A Business Mistake

[@elliottharley1386]

As a car nut and also a road bike fan I applaud James' comments on how to overatake a cyclist. Yes there are bad cyclists (and bad drivers) but we're all out there to enjoy our respective passions.

[@zzhughesd]

Wow. Couldn’t be said any better. Correct. The propelled road user enthusiasm; or enthusiastic road user, or just enthusiast isn’t there to wind up other road users but enjoy their steed on the Queens finest. Be it upon a carbon fibre layup road bike or vehicle . I’m a car trader and avid cyclist. I can tell you 10/10th on either. They do not mix !!!!!! Shame. They just ain’t on the same eco system. I get both. Now. DES. Driving essential skills. How to learn to teach driving tuition driving instruction teaches us to slow down moderate our speed accept all other road users.

[@JanHejn]

As a Czech I truly appreciate the British like/love for Škoda. Makes me proud. Plus you have a completely different views not even Czech person would make. Citigo was mostly mocked in Czech Republic. Up and Mii were basically nonexistent here. People wanted Fabia which wasn't much more expensive. Also the electric eCitigo is supposedly quite fun

[@Donax695]

As a Czech I like them way more than Fabias, well just say their existence makes more sense to me than Scala or Karoq, Jayemm is good at actually understanding the actual needs of general public, yes I have seen people here complaining about them lacking the need to exist, local delivery services drive the living shit out of them and I feel sorta envy for them being payed to trash them :D as a someone who already has a nice weekend car and older daily car I would be totally ok with ownership of CitiGo. I like simplistic stuff.

[@simonleach6632]

as a Brit who is on my second Skoda, I have to say that they are very very good cars, my dad bought our first Octavia in 2004, it was a middle of the line 1.9litre diesel estate and it was bullet proof, he ran that car for 12 years, then I bought it from him when I got my apprenticeship and ran it for another 5 years, until a drunk driver crashed into it while it was parked in the street, I was absolutely devastated because I loved that car, it was basic, yes, it was pretty slow too, but it never let me down in the whole 17years I knew it we never had an issue with it, it never needed an expensive fix for an MOT I could get basically anything in the back, when I moved into my flat it had a washing machine and a load of my stuff in the back and a tumble drier in the trailer behind it! it put my dad's Honda CRV to shame on that front, plus it was really good on fuel, so naturally when it got written off I replaced it with another Octavia, a 2016 vRS this time though!

[@cubax599]

I had the top engine Fabia and changed to the Citigo ! It's weird because the Fab is totally a better car in every way. But for me, I just loved the Citigo, the feel of it the looks, the no nonsense interior, the cute torque curve of the triple... Yeah ;)

[@justynawisniewska1213]

Citigo is quite common here in Poland as a food delivery car. I get your thinking though, I'd pick Fabia too, the newer Fabias look really nice. Citigo is more like a cheap Toyota Yaris, very bland.

[@gingernutpreacher]

I have a fabi and find the 75 hp na engine painful slow

[@MilitaryHistory2011]

These are the kind of cars we need more of on the road! Small, reliable, fuel efficient and easy to service/work on yourself. Not those monstrous crossovers everybody is obsessed with

[@Donax695]

This is what I struggle to wrap my head around, general public is being pushed to buy more efficient, ecological cars and then boom "everyone is buying SUV's instead of cars like this. I throw up a little anytime I see an ad of new "Small city suv" what is the point? sounds like an oxymoron to me.

[@khalidacosta7133]

Yep, 100% this. Not to forget that 75% of the particulate matter from cars is not from the exhaust...but tyres and brakes! So heavier vehicles (like my 1.65 tonne barge) pollute the environment far more than a citigo.

[@AnarchistMetalhead]

@@Donax695 european emmissions regulations allow for a certain amount per car weight, as a result small, light cars are effectively banned from being produced in a cost covering manner. american average fleet milage laws get ever stricter, along with tying emissions to a value relative to exhaust volume that bans efficient, lean burn engines entirely, making cars theoretically go that direction, but with "trucks", including SUVs and crossovers, being a separate category not having to follow the same milage standard the only thing that does is effectively ban any cars except the smallest, so anyone wanting a pleasant experience is forced to go bigger. a few already existing car models remain in legally unsustainable categories, but no case can be made for developing replacements. just look at how old the current Charger and Up! are

[@Donax695]

@@AnarchistMetalhead that is seriously fucked up

[@bigvinny333]

I would question the reliability statement. The clutches and gearboxes were very weak. 20000 miles and it will getting difficult to get into reverse and first wth a juddery noisy clutch. Corrosion of the fuel filler nozzle from the inside is well known due to the lack of real wheel arch liners. The radio reception was poor but could be improved by fitting the longer polo aerial. I know from experience !

[@marcsiaza5373]

I have a 2013 Seat Mii, 60hp, manual gearbox, lowest trim level possible. The best I can describe it is that it's just a car. A rationnal, usable and reliable car. Low fuel consumption, low services cost, it's good at doing it's car job, it can go everywhere, it's small and light, the gearbox is awesome, the brakes are ok, the engine revs happily and makes a pretty cool noise (inside the cabin). And one of the thing I like the most is that I feel really connected with the car, really easy to use, easy to understand, the car communicates very well, It feels fast even at low speeds, which is great because I can actually have fun without risking my driver's licence ! This is a really good "normal" car. I love it !

[@craiggoodman4922]

Appricate you sharing your views on cyclists James, and the care you always give over taken them. I'd noticed it in previous videos as a subscriber that also regularly cycles roads from one of your test routes!

[@chrisdunderdale]

Yes, I agree - spot on James!

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Thanks gents

[@MrOvershoot]

@@JayEmmOnCars I'm both a Petrol head and a cyclist and most cyclists are petrol heads. Though I tend to get my cycling thrills off road these days on the occasions I have to use the roads to link up trails I appreciate competent drivers like yourself who know how to overtake without causing danger. Only last week I had a BMW nan series honking at me while driving my Porsche as I waited till it was safe to overtake a family on bikes!!

[@goldenretriever6261]

In Canada most people in their pickup trucks will yell at you " get the f*** off the road" as they pass you.

[@gambiting]

We have the electric version of this - the e-Up - and it's honestly one of my favourite cars ever(and I had a GLA45 AMG before this!). The instant EV torque is seriously addictive, but it's not so fast that you go silly speeds out of every corner - you can push it hard and it's still satisfying. And it's faster off the lights than 90% of cars out there(because again, instant EV torque). And it costs almost nothing to drive around - full charge costs me £1.60 on my current tariff(yes, less than what a litre of petrol costs - to cover ~150 miles). Seriously recommend trying it if you ever can.

[@greybeard3405]

I have the electric version - Citigo E SEL iV, which came with heated seats, climate, DAB and rear sensors. It is a fantastic little car, with a range of 160+ miles in summer, less in cold weather, but for getting around town and shopping etc it is brilliant. Agree the EV surge is great and contributes to the sense of nippy fun. It makes a lot of sense for shorter journeys - the other (ICE) car is gets the long trips.

[@LouRaX]

@@greybeard3405 i have the citigo e iv too... called style trim in germany... was arount 15.000 euro after goverment grant

[@mikehipperson]

Unfortunately Skoda ceased production once 400 were sold in the UK. No reason was given but I have suspicions that parent company, VW, were a bit peeved that the Citigo-e was outselling their own, more expensive, e-Up and told Skoda to stop production. Similarly the SEAT Mii-e went the same way a couple of years later. Company economics over rule customer requirements!

[@sib4897]

We managed to pick up a pre-registered SEAT Mii electric with just 8 miles on the clock in September 2021 for £16,952 which included 2 services too. The Mii indicates 2 year service intervals so that’s service costs covered until year 6! It’s a great car and feels much more solid than the 3 Renault Zoes we previously owned. It’s definitely a keeper.🙂

[@micheals1992]

The newer E-up with the bigger battery is quite appealing. I'm can't wait until longer range EVs mature into the used car market. Most of the ones on sale ATM have degraded batteries to the point 100 mile EVs now have 40-60 miles range left, in theory bigger batteries should degrade slower plus newer EV battery tech should have a higher cycle life.

[@Highland_Scania]

I absolutely love mine, its a 2014 sport model as a manual, so it's some sporty stripes with a little spoiler, rear valance and front splitter with a leather wrapped round steering wheel and a different covered seats. Unfortunately they only came as a 60bhp but it's a riot on a good back road. I may not be Jay but compared to the other cars I've owned its been the best for reliability, comfort, noise and speed. I'd happily have another one any day

[@Danificationization]

It's been best for refinement and noise? Bloody hell what have you owned previously a bloody model t Ford 😂😂😂😂

[@fdc2367]

Up GTI is my recommendation for you then

[@Danificationization]

@@fdc2367 great car but not even remotely refined or comfortable

[@fdc2367]

@@Danificationization if he likes it tho but what’s a bit of power than that’s the one

[@Highland_Scania]

@@Danificationization A Fiat 500 🤣

[@thecraigmachine69]

James your sentiments towards cyclists is greatly appreciated and my respect for you (for what it matters) has increased. I enjoy both driving and cycling and it's all about looking after one another no matter how you wish to use the road.

[@shanewaller2864]

I have a 2018 skoda citigo 5dr sel 75 ps model and I absolutely love it I have been driving to Dorset from London over the last 10 months on a regular basis and the car will average 64 mpg with no problems, my pervious daily driver was a bmw m3 and as good as a performance car that was ,I don't need performance on my daily commute. The only time the bmw would stretch its legs was in Germany. So as a daily the little skoda is brilliant. I can regularly get 460 miles from a tank on a decent run and 380 miles in town . My mates laughed when I got the citgo go but when we had the fuel shortage I certainly had the last laugh . Skoda simply cleaver

[@mw5076]

I was desperate and bought a used Citigo SE L in haste after my last car died just a few days before the first lockdown in March 2020. I have to say it’s been brilliant for London and getting out into the countryside. [I have the 74Bhp model which helps with that]. MPG is amazing. 45 in London and 65 in the countryside. It has a few drawbacks and areas where Skoda has skimped - has no rear wheel arches for example, no engine sound baffle under the bonnet, and various other small things that add up but overall it’s been great. Cheap insurance and zero tax too

[@stevenbryant2993]

Had one of these for over 5 years, absolutely brilliant fun and totally reliable. Surprisingly capable on the motorway as well, except for the lack of power. Still miss it

[@westcoastrover-m6f]

I have a red one just like the video, but 60 horsepower and manual, the Colour Collection version with tinted rear windows, looks cool with the black windows and wheels. I bought it with a couple of thousand miles on the clock in 2017 from a main dealer and now have 64k miles. Just over £7000. One new set of tyres, one set of replacement brake pads, couple of sets of wipers, but nothing else has gone wrong or broken. Totally reliable. I get it serviced every 10k miles and that is not expensive. £20 road tax per year. Insurance is just over £200 per year. Fuel consumption average in my ownership is around 62mpg and on a steady run it will do 70mpg, never had less than 58mpg and thats thrashing it on the motorway. It keeps up with traffic and happily sits at 80mph if you want on dual carriageway or motorway. if you do want to overtake you need to plan a bit, or just adjust your driving style, be safe and get there a minute after the chariot racers and save your stress levels! Comfy seats, doddle to park, tight turning circle. It does not have lots of gizmos, has a good heater (northern Scottish winters go on for a long time), air con for defrosting, decent radio, mechanically simple and no fancy stuff to go wrong or break. Goes really well in the snow. I love it and would recommend one for a young driver, or for a second car. Buy one, well yes, why wouldn't you?

[@resnonverba137]

We have an Up! as our runaround/city car. It is a great little car. The use of space is exceptional and we're regularly surprised at just what we can fit inside. It's also a lot of fun to drive and the manual gearbox is nice to use. They may cost a little more than the Citygo but they are better looking in my opinion. Regardless, the Up!/Citygo/Mii would be a good choice.

[@grahamdavidson639]

I have a 2016 Skoda Citigo Colour Edition, it's easily the favourite of the cars I've owned. It does everything I need it too, looks pretty cool (mines all black with black alloys) and is surprisingly roomy. The mpg is great and as its a manual it's fun to chuck around the country lanes. I'd be happy to lend it to you Jay.

[@michaelkember8102]

Glad you enjoyed our car James. The gearbox becomes easier to get to grips with once you done a few miles in it. 🚗

[@johnhyoutube]

Quite agree, my VW Up GTI was cheap to buy and makes an economical yet amusing daily driver, and justifies the extravagance of my 30 year old Mercedes SL when I feel like something different.

[@maybaby13x]

I’ve had my little Citigo for 7 years. I got him 2nd hand for £4,995 and he’d done just over 3500 miles at the time (petrol & manual) and I absolutely love him. He was my first car and I’m so sad I can’t replace him with another Citigo when the time comes 😢😢😢😢 He’s absolutely perfect for London, really easy to parallel park (no need for sensors) and pops along comfortably at 70 on motorways. I’m planning on passing him over to my cousin when she learns to drive and I’ll have to find a hybrid alternative 😭

[@2WheelSam]

Well done for your views on cyclists. Some absolute plonkers out there but most will respect other road users and appreciate the effort to overtake safely.

[@DB-br6ym]

What a shame you drove the automatic. James May has it right - driving a slow car fast is so much more fun than a fast car slow. Loved my Seat Mii.

[@seanoreilly1832]

This guy has early top gear vibes and I love it

[@Birmingham_racing]

James may

[@greathey1234]

Totally agree with James, when you have a nice car or cars also have something cheap and cheerful for everyday use. I do have a TT roadster and a V8 Vantage roadster as well as a Nissan pickup and a Proton gen2. It makes you appreciate the good cars even more

[@hunchanchoc8418]

Kudos to you for having a Proton Gen2 !

[@anthonyclarke7081]

We have a 2009 aygo as a 2nd car with a child and handles 95% of journeys perfectly well. 70bhp ish is enough for cyclists if you use 1st or 2nd gear and ring it out. 55+mpg and free to tax. A middle finger to motoring snobbishness. Love it

[@resnonverba137]

If you enjoy driving, your appreciate an Up!/Citygo/Mii far more. The Aygo handles horribly and doesn't drive much better. Sorry to be so negative.

[@TheJustaviewman]

My Mum has a 2016 one as well. In Auto the car is horrendous, you put your foot down and you have to wait, what seems ages, to change gear. And the car doesn't rev more, it just stays the same. When joining my local motorway I was doing 50mph. I put my foot down, thinking that lorry was way back, indicated, and nothing for 5 seconds; thus I waited for the lorry. Thank you James for suggesting using the semi-automatic shift, you're a life saver; literally !

[@L0RDLUK]

As a Czech guy, I appreciate the Š.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Thanks for the kind comments!

[@ewan_clegg06]

I love the CitiGo and Skoda’s in general, and just no-one gets it. Like how can you go wrong with VW quality just with a smaller price tag. I really want a CitiGo as my first car.

[@mehranscholte8973]

I work at a restaurant and we have One CitiGo and 2 Twingo's. Compared to a Twingo the Skoda is so much better. Like you mentioned, the steering is nicely weighted and that tiny turbo is quite fun also.

[@olik136]

I have only driven one Twingo and several VW up!s and Seat Miis.. and while I think the VW and its clones is a better and more practical car.. the driving was way more fun in the Twingo for me

[@md_7442]

We bought a base spec Up! a few years ago and decided to add a second one (although it was fully loaded with options) to the family fleet recently. Absolutely fantastic cars!

[@Jemwelsh789]

The depreciation point is spot on. I needed a run around car in 2017 and bought a picanto city for £4800. It didn’t cost me a penny in tax, passed all its MOTs first time and just had a yearly service at a small backstreet garage, usually around £70. I sold it it 2023 for £2500. Absolutely the best value car I’ll ever own

[@John_S_NL]

At the end of the video you were talking about me. I've got the Citigo e iV (the electric one) as a daily driver. And for the weekend fun drive, i have a Boxster S (986 manual). The Citigo is perfect for getting me to work, doing the shopping etc. And when i want to enjoy driving, i get the Boxster out.

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Great combo!

[@bas2205]

Kudos for teaching road safety and making only safe passes on cyclists! I am both, a car guy and a cyclist, and I really like not being in a roadside ditch!

[@MissionNomadic]

Had a seat Mii as a runaround for 2 years. Excellent little car, loves to be thrashed. Mine was manual however.

[@GD51GEE]

We have one of these for the kids to learn in and use as their first car. Absolutely love it. We have the SEL manual and it’s such an entertaining wee car with so much character. I’m proud to say as it’s a puddle jumper that we call ours Skippy Skoda. Drums are prone to sticking but otherwise it’s brilliant. 😀

[@koko_5662]

Any “car video” / channel that gives proper overtakes to bikes or other vulnerable road users shows that they are proper about it. I’d argue most petrol heads/ car/ bike enthusiasts are gonna do a solid one vs the larger public.

[@ReeceT20]

I had a 2017 Toyota aygo, basically the same thing, it was a wicked 2nd car and cheap enough to keep through uni until I could upgrade

[@isabellevasko362]

I currently have a 2017 skoda Citigo, and I love love it! It's super nippy in the lower gears, really easy to park, super spacious inside and just generally fun to drive around. I travel all around the country, and this car hasn't blinked at small track roads or long haul motorway driving. I can't reccomend enough for someone who wants a smaller car with great economic value.

[@iainmclaughlan1557]

I am a driving instructor and I purchased a brand new Skoda Citigo SE 59bhp in May 2015 with dual controls for £9,400. I thought I would have to replace it at 2-3 years. I have had it for 7 years and 7 months and it has been amazing. It has done 100k miles. It still feels brand new. I just cannot believe how brilliant it is. It is easy to drive and simple. My favourite looking car is the Austin Metro Mk.1 and it is the same dimensions as that. The light clusters are different from the VW and the Seat. Mine is insurance group 1 as a manual which is £400 a year to teach others to drive. My wife is Czech and so she was pleased it was a Skoda.

[@user-eo2wv7kx6t]

I had a Monte Carlo for a couple of years. Slightly lower and stiffer than the standard model, some go faster decals and, er, the base 60 bhp engine. But what a blast it was! Put 50k on it in the 2 years I had it, made for a surprisingly good motorway car considering its size. My favourite though was when I started getting the train to work, a 15 mile drive at 5:30am round twisty lanes to get to the station. An absolute hoot

[@fortheloveofnoise]

Still prefer the Chevrolet Monte Carlo

[@rhysevs]

In 2015 I ordered and took delivery of one brand new from factory as my first car and had it for a few years. Cheap, reliable and safe motoring for a new driver. 0% finance and 3 years free servicing in the deal. Couldn’t go wrong.

[@888johnmac]

when my son was learning to drive he ' inherited ' my MK1 fabia ( i'd had it for 5 faultless years ) , he passed his test & used the fabia for another year , then traded it for a citigo .. and yeah , for nipping around town it is brilliant , on B roads it's a hoot .. if it lasts as long as my Fabia it will be a very good car

[@kieranblenkinsop7610]

I was given one of these as a courtesy car when I had my Fabia Monte Carlo in for a service, I absolutely loved it and didn’t want to give it back! One of the most characterful and fun cars I’ve ever driven. My sister has an Up! with the 74hp unit, yes you have to rev it to get it going but that’s part of the charm for me.

[@geoffwebber8272]

We are on our second Citigo, the first one was a 62 plate, which we sold to our daughter when we purchased the next one in 2015. Ours is a manual SEL. I have got 70mpg on a 30m run between to towns on standard A roads. We are 68 and 65 I pay less than £100 per year on insurance (this year it was LV). The policy was £136, but I bought through ‘Top Cashback’ which refunded me £40. We also have a Karoq, which we use for longer journeys over 100 mile. My daughter goes all over the place in hers… Fantastic little cars, similar in may ways to the original mini’s. Great fun to drive and costs almost nothing to run.

[@Sir-Prizse]

I drive a 2012 VW take up!, VW internally called the "Nacktfrosch" (naked frog). Fitted with 14'' steel rims, no ESP, no air conditioning, no electric windows or mirrors, no glove box (just a shelf) or even a rev counter, let alone an board computer. Even the horn is quieter in my take up! than in the better-equipped move or high up! The car belonged to a care service fleet and has hail damage, was therefore very cheap to buy... and that's why I chose it as a novice driver. I'm a total technophobe, I don't want anything to go wrong or fail and see the up! more like a utility vehicle... just to get the job done.

[@chickbells]

I have a GR Yaris for fun, a Galaxy for bigger family trips, and a Citigo for 95% of our daily car needs. It really is the perfect “about town” car. You can park it on a postage stamp, a full tank of fuel lasts a month, and the other running costs, including that £20 tax, are almost negligible. It is honestly perfect.

[@nazimelon6653]

I have a Seat Mii. Bought it for cheap in september 2020 after my D30 Eclipse blew a crank-bearing and i was devasteted, just needed a cheap and reliable replacement for a small while, planned to sell it soon. Have now had it for 1.5 years and nearing 50000kms. Its genuinly good.

[@benwatki]

have a facelift vw up! 75hp and it’s an absolute joy to drive. Love the carbon effect interior + gti sports steering whrrl, the growl of the tiny 3 pot and the stunning bbs effects wheels. not the fastest thing, not by a long shot, but it’s an absolute riot on a good road :) Best little citicar i’ve ever experienced!

[@galactic_4240]

I have a 2013 Citigo S, it's the most basic little car but it's my first and i paid for it with my own money, i love it to bits and its a fantastic little car

[@justinsheldon5015]

We have a Monte Carlo version on a 65 plate. We bought it at 9 months old and 3.5k miles on the clock from Skoda as an ex Skoda pre-registered car. It has the alloys, sporty bucket seats, spoilers and a leather wheel. Genuinely the dealer wanted rid of loads of them and we had a huge choice. Its new price was £11,300 and we bought it for £8k and currently still worth nearly the same !. My son was 15 and learning to drive with Young Drivers and was using the same base model. Plan was the wife used it and at a point he could afford it, he would be given the car. We also pay £20 a year tax and the running costs are peanuts. I even replaced the front Continentals it came with for less than £65 a corner at 22k miles. Its not fast, it was never going to be and what it is, is what we needed it to be and its not trying to be something it isn't. Its 'peppy' and handles pretty well. We have a manual as the auto is known to be pretty woeful and wasnt on the want list anyway. Servicing is 3.5 litres of oil and a filter and every few years a set of plugs and filters. All cheap. Cambelt is a sticky one and some say 5 years and Autodoc advise on 120k miles as a 'life' belt. We have just had ours checked at 6 years and still looks as fresh as new. We now have 26k miles on it. Rear brakes may need adjustments over time and thats it. One thing to also look at is young drivers and insurance. This was unbelievably cheap as it wasnt a Fiesta, Corsa or Fiat 500. They are regularly ditched so statistics show and become expensive to insure. Having my 17 yr old son as a learner made our £150 a year policy for the wife and myself increase by only £75 for him 'as a learner' . On the second year ( lockdown stopped all tests to be able to pass his driving) it went back to £160. Who would have thought it ?. Having passed his test we are at about £800 a year and due soon so hope we drop a lot more. Conclusion is that ( and we have had lots of cars of all kinds, from Lotus, BMW etc) its the best car we ever bought. Its been amazing. One thing to avoid is scandalous dealer charges for servicing. Find a decent independent ( or neighbour who works at a VAT registered garage, like us) and reap the rewards of a fun, cheap, cheeky car with nothing to worry about.

[@steveGee5787]

Had I not test-driven a Fiat 500S Twin-Air* I would very likely have bought one of these. I drove the identical VW Up and I found it an impressive little car! I do think for most people it's all the car you could possibly need - cheap to run, decent space yet easy to park and a decent steer... *It just made the right noises, literally

[@davidhaygarth648]

Just ran into a friend I havent seen for ages tonight. He's just bought one !

[@dameladyhavoc802]

I have a 2012 citigo with an automatic gear box and two things to remember when driving it are you are not going to win any races so don't thrash the engine as you pull away (there's no point) and then the gear box changes quite smoothly. Also I buy the premium unleaded which the engine appreciates and makes for a smoother ride. I bought my citigo as an 'in-between cars' run about when I traded my 2017 S-class in last June '21. My citigo has the same sunroof as the S-class (its such a shame that most citigo's don't have sunroofs) and the citigo also has cruise control which when used at 30mph the fuel gauge suggests that I am getting over 100 miles to the gallon! The back seats pop down and the load space is fantastic. I put my bicycle in the back albeit with its front wheel hanging out the back. I find my car really comfortable and this is mainly down to the car not having low profile sporty wheels and letting a large pneumatic surface area do its job. The 1970's sports cars all had chunky rubber tyres on them and how comfortable (and cool) they must have been compared to the car industries obsession with low profile tyres and then selling you upgraded suspension to do the work a higher profile would have done with just air and rubber! it's not like the tarmac is anywhere close to being smooth! My S-class was a disaster on 20' rims until I replaced them with 19'. Anyway back to the citigo. It is fun to drive and you can park it almost anywhere easily and having one of these as your main run around vehicle leaves a budget for a rather nice weekend car! £20 road tax and my insurance was under £200 (that's my age) and I just had a service at Skoda for £195 (though I did go to an independent garage to get the cam belt replaced as Skoda wanted £600 and I got it done for half that). I also have the light interior and the fabric if it gets dirty is so easy and clean just with water and a cloth. I do put a bit of Soflora into to sanitise and leave the car smelling of springtime. Oh yes and I should mention that the sat nav thing is obviously totally rubbish and you will attach your phone to the windscreen and that will sort you out. The only thing I miss is not having the Bluetooth to play my tunes. I tried a couple of those plug in options but they were rubbish. Happy and cheap motoring otherwise

[@chrisharris2390]

Must say I agree, I run a 2012 VW UP which I paid 3k as a daily. Then a v6 Audi TT for enjoyment. I usually take the UP anyway 😂

[@oscartaylor8834]

Have a VW Up in the family. It’s a 2014 High Up manual with 75hp and many of the features that the Citigo has in the video like heated seats, leather steering wheel and gearknob, trip computer etc. despite it being a city car, it was perfectly competent for me and my sister to drive from Essex to the Lake District a couple weeks back. Cruise control at 70mph, sometimes slightly above, averaged 57mpg. I’ve gotten 70mpg on some trips, plus when I was 18 my insurance was £700, now its £250, so really affordable. It’s a great car that outperforms its size and is worth getting if you’re in the market for a small car!

[@JonnyPsyclo]

Another great video. Thanks for pointing out and highlighting the good behaviour towards cyclists and other road users. Most cyclists I know are car enthusiasts in some form themselves. Also interesting that in a previous video you railed against people who call Porsches Por-sher and yet you call Skoda's Schkoda like a Sean Connery impression! 😉 Keep up the good work.

[@Gazshadows]

Skoda is pronounced like that in the Czech Republic 😂

[@magicman1332]

Got 2018 citigo sport as my first car. Its absolutely brilliant. Love the back windows, bcuz i transport my dog very often. He cant get out, but still can breath. Love the 5 doors on such a small car, bcuz you don't need to move the front seat. Fuel consumption is insanely small. Clean zone compatible. Insurance i pay 40 pounds a month. Cutting corners like a race car very stable and smoothly. If i have to overtake a cyclist... go down 2 gears rev it up to 6000 and it shoots like a race car. Downside is the wind. You can feel it being pushed by wind since its very light. I dont have an internal computer but instead i download the app and its a same thing. And everyone loves the triangular stock phone holder on the dash. Its like they made this car for a phone... it even says remember to take your phone when leaving. Saved my day many times :-)

[@ragingbalrog]

I run a 107 1.0 for work, shopping etc, ragging it is actually fun, 107, C1 & Aygo have there own race series, look at bad obsession motorsport, run an mx5 for weekends & well.. even more fun, enjoying the content, don't need mainstream tv thank you very much, jobs a good un.

[@persimonsen8792]

Got the same car, same spec. Just 3dr, and white. And the steering wheel in the right side. Love it, and if you are gentle on the throttle, it's ok smooth

[@benlau4026]

I brought one from new as I stepped away from company cars. I loved that thing.. 1.0 75bhp. So so good. Took me to Belgium. And back, super comfortable and roomy and push the seat back and have a nap. Still miss that thing. Shame I could hold onto it and now retro e convert

[@bcfairlie1]

I own one of these. It's red. It's auto as well. Here in New Zealand we got only 24 Citigo ever. A Volkswagen franchise bought in 3 Ups to trial them and never ordered anymore. Skoda then ordered 26 Citigo. But only 24 arrived. 5 were manual and the rest were auto. So they are exceptionally rare in NZ. Overall I think it is a brilliant little car. It feels solid and well screwed together. It's economy is legendary. I have got 60mpg on a long distance open road and never worse than 55mpg on a combined cycle. But you are correct about the gearbox. I hate it. Yes it is reliable. Streets ahead of a Fiat duologic or a Smart car. But it is still easily confused and gear changes around urban settings most just piss me off. The one reason for this is that the gearbox only operates briefly in the gear that you select. Leave it too long and it will go back to auto and guarantee that it will decide to change up at exactly the wrong moment. Like on a hill or round tight corners.. argh!

[@awsinger1]

My first car when I was 17 was a manual VW up! I never wanted to get rid of that car, I loved it, but I became poorly with bone tumours in my left arm when I was 19 so I traded in my beloved up for another up with the auto ASG box. I drove that thing for 4 years and 70,000 miles and honestly hated the thing. That box really started to grate on me after a while. Last year I switched to Mazda ☺️

[@benny_simmo]

my 2017 Monte Carlo Citigo is ace, extra red trim in cabin and different bumpers make it the perfect, cool first car that was £300 cheaper to insure than the next closest city car

[@douglasb.5601]

We've just bought my son a Citigo Monte Carlo...great little car. It's the 5 speed manual and is nice to thread down the back lanes. It's a little wallowy compared to my wifes S1 and it doesn't like speed bumps as much either. Not much poke but high miles (& smiles) per gallon. 👍🏻😎

[@marymoffatt2060]

Bought an Up in October as a stopgap whilst waiting for my new Golf and was amazed and what a cracking car it is. The fuel consumption is negligible and the passenger space is Tardis like.I will sell it with regret when the new one arrives (if ever).

[@JustProps]

The 60 bhp Citigo is superb and I’ve owned two and it eats up motorway miles no problem, in addition to city driving. The drive is very pleasurable and cheap. It’s even a better drive for me than my Golf!

[@standurham2525]

Enjoyed watching the test drive as I’m considering a Citigo after 15 years of new Altos. The 75hp 5-dr is proving hard to find but there’ll be one out there somewhere. Cracking little car.

[@kevinjohns3872]

I've got an up! It is really all you need for 95% of everything you need to do on four wheels. Looks good, holds its value, drives like something a bit bigger and seats four. £20 to tax whilst it sips the go juice. My up! is 8 years old now and I won't be selling it anytime soon. My enquiries lead me to believe VW want the toothed timing belt changed more often than Skoda recommends which is odd?

[@micheals1992]

That reminds me of me in my Aygo when I'm following a cyclist, you really have to make the engine scream to get past them in a safe swift manner, especially up a hill and I always worry they think it's because I'm angry or impatient but the truth is you really don't have much choice in a small naturally aspirated engine. The main reason I love the car is that it almost always gets over 70mpg on a full tank, that plus the fact it's lightweight and agile.

[@phatbass9548]

I never bought the same car twice but I’m on my third Citigo! I need cheap and fun, it’s perfect. New car time in November and I’m gutted they’ve stopped making it.

[@arielatom68a56]

Also note that cyclists are more likely to be car enthusiasts. Perhaps I might be one of those people and I happen to know droves of others who love both as well.

[@ekim000]

I had the pleasure of a month of free rental of it's VW Up cousin as a benefit on my car insurance after a write-off. I was unexpectedly really impressed and would buy one of these in a heartbeat for around towning.

[@CanaryWorfRuns]

I've just changed jobs and now have a short low speed commute of less than five miles. It will quickly kill the DPF on my TDI Golf so I'm shopping for options & a citigo has come up locally. I think I'm going to nab it! Thanks for your consideration on the road too.

[@donaljamescaddye3805]

Skoda have come a long way since the days of the Estelle ! I got to drive one of them Citigos recently and I was surprised! Great wee car!

[@Nooziterp1]

I have had a Citigo (2014 SE 60PS 3 door) for 2 1/2 years and I'm happy with it. 55mpg at least, easy to drive and I have had no trouble with it at all. I haven't even had to change a bulb. As to automatic, I wanted one but was put off by all the reports of problems people have had with them changing gear at odd moments and unreliability. It is (or was) cheaper than the Up because Skoda is VW group's budget brand. Okay the Up is nicer inside but enough to justify the higher price? I think the death knell for the Citigo (and the Up and Mii) was making it electric only for a horrendous price nobody wanted to pay. If they had stuck with petrol (as they can for another 8 years) I think they would still be in production. Nothing special but it's reliable, cheap to run and suits me.

[@nickgreen2497]

Fun car - up to a point. We’ve had two and found them good to thrash (cool 3-cyl thrum) but ultimately painfully slow and best in town. Also, it’s the only car that’s made me feel car sick driving it! Can’t argue for the money though. Nice review, James 👍

[@JayEmmOnCars]

Thanks Nick

[@darrenjosephgregory]

Another good video and absolutely top marks for overtaking the cyclist with care and attention.

[@WHxYouTube]

I love my 2017 Skoda Citigo Monte Carlo 😎 Honestly, people think small cars are targeted for younger drivers or eldery drivers who want to save a buck. As 30 year old average chap, it's perfect for Me and my Wife. Cheap Insurance, 1.0 petrol and very dependable. Gives people like us, time to focus on developing our first home and saving on other important stuff. Cars are a luxury and too many younger people fall for the PCP trap. The Monte Carlo, Beats Up and UP GTI all look very stylish as well, great handling and most times younger people only carry max around 4 people in a car anyways. I just don't understand why average people go for a speedy 5 seater solid branded cars when most times you are going to drive 30-40mph anyways 🙄

[@-DC-]

We had a top spec UP! White. Everyone liked it but a thimble for a fuel tank, a gutless engine, and a rattling gearbox which is VERY common meant it had to go, OK in town hopeless at longer journeys.

[@ashliehiggins]

I've had a 74BHP Mii for just over 4 years, and it can be a hoot to drive, and brushed off 2000 miles within a week, but it does get loud at motorway speeds, and really needs a 6th gear as you're doing 4k at 70mph.

[@terence2678]

That's really interesting as my Toyota Aygo does 3k revs at 70mph and it's 69bhp. I'll keep the Aygo then.😎

[@global_nomad.]

thanks for the added comment on sharing the road with cyclists - as a cyclist......always enjoyed driving the Up/Citigo/Mi when hiring one on holiday...a solid option.

[@0T13]

My missus has gone with a manual and we love it. Great little car all-round

[@TheMrFishnDucks]

Such a great compact car. Nice video. Keep up the good work.

[@EudesRJ]

I have this car (on the VW variant) with this transmission, it works just fine for me, but mine had the firmware/software updated because it present some fails after a battery replacement, the shop who replaced it didn’t “calibrated” the transmission after swapping the battery, after a few months it stuck not passing second gear. I toke it to a shop specialized on automatic transmission and after a update on the software and a recalibrating it’s like new. If you want to overtake quickly I recommend do like on the old videogame and just do 2 quick pumps (hold on the second one) on the gas pedal and the car will launch like a rocket 🚀

[@Dumptheclutchevo]

My cuz's car again! Nice one Mike! What a great little car for pootling around in...

[@johang7498]

The different VW-brands have grown more towards each other in recent years, to the point that their identity has suffered somewhat. Especially the smaller crossover-vehicles (T-roc/kamiq/karoq/taigo/ateca/Q2/...) look & feel like they could be from any of those brands. It's a bit like the GM-situation in the US in the 1980s, many different cars that look a lot like one another. That being said, I quite liked the up/citigo/mii-triplet, basic transport has a certain charm.

[@aaaaplay]

As someone who comes from a high specification market like Australia I find it odd that it has heated seats, but no nav, climate control or steering wheel buttons. You can always tell a BMW imported to Australia from the UK because it is the only time it will have manual a/c controls and cloth seats lol. VW discontinued the Up! in Australia because it didn't sell well. The Skoda & Seat never made it here either. The lack of an auto probably killed it.

[@Cyberdyne-kg8ku]

Wish I still had my SEAT Mii FR. You would enjoy it. Slightly lower on the springs and a hoot to rev and drive quickly. Great little cars.

[@ihaveacoolhat1]

All the car most people will really need. I love these. I even think they look good.

[@joshbrailsford]

I do like the Citigo, but I'm still not convinced it's a better buy than the Citroën C1/Peugeot 107 & 108/Toyota Aygo.

[@X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X]

I test-drove one to experience the 1.0l MPI engine before buying a Fabia - it's a great car! Trying to buy used for cheap does not, however: every dealer tries to scam you, and running costs are too high, while reliability may be too low.

[@tvandbeermakehomergo]

I have a citigo-e base model from the only batch sent over to the uk in mid 2020. It’s 0-30 speed is ludicrous (around 2 and a half seconds) which makes it an excellent sleeper 😂!

[@hammyh1165]

I had a Citigo as a courtesy car while my Yeti was being sorted , it was quite impressive. I'd actually think about one for commuting as my fun cars are 30 odd year old classics.

[@PetrolBeast]

Always a joy to watch James's review. Even something as ordinary as the Citigo 😀

[@aidenmacfarlane4691]

Just bought a second hand LPG Citigo, brilliant car and incredibly cheap to run. Fully loaded as well, cruise control, bluetooth, heated seats, electric windows, a/c, etc. What's not to like!

[@southofthemersey7351]

I nearly bought one a few years ago but went for a Fabia instead due to being a bit bigger and more practical for me. Underneath its the same engine and gearbox as the Citigo I looked at. Not fast but adequate for my short commute. I've had a quick look on auto trader and these Up/Mii/Citigo cars seem to be bulletproof regularly recording 160k+ miles on 1.0 3cyl.Not sure I'd use one as a motorway cruiser doing big miles each year but obviously some people are. For the manual trans I think the biggest think missing for motorway cruising is a 6th gear. High revs get annoying after a while.

[@woody555kl]

I got my mum a 65 plate citigo black edition for 2700 quid and tbh i quite like driving it makes a nice little 3 cylinder noise not fast like but done long distance on motorway at a steady 90 no problems

[@jonathancollard3710]

Now on our second Citigo. Both “Black versions” which pepps up the style with tools like… nice alloys and electric windows 😁. Both bought for my sons to learn to drive. Dead easy to place on road as it’s a box. Dirt cheap to run and insure. Engine is plenty for size and will do 85mph and 55mgp. Easy to park and unlike it’s VW cousin has a metal boot lid which is ideal for the magnetic “L” plates… I was once asked what my favourite car was… now given I have McLaren 570, Ferrari Cali T, LR Disco 5, Clio Cup and M240i in the family…..I have to admit I cited the Citigo… it’s just a really fun car. 👍🏻 (Note; Manual is better)

[@leedsman54]

We’ve got one and it is excellent. Nice for around town and goes well on the motorway.

[@megapangolin1093]

Jay, I think you spend a few too many hours in very fast cars where overtaking a bike is a breeze. If this is your daily car it is possible to really work out how to get the best out of the engine and then getting past a 15mph cycle is not at all difficult. Try it in a Morris mini/ Ford Mk1 Escort/Ka first and then you will be grateful for the power in a Citigo. I love small, low powered cars, one really learns how to drive efficiently by application of technique and timing driving is seldom boring. My 250+bhp Porsche is just boring on UK roads, most of the time in queues, the rest obeying speed limits, the joy of overtaking something perhaps once a day is just not worth it. Love your videos of "real" cars that normal people actually own. We need to generate enthusiasm for the actual, not the possible, or even impossible cars. Also, top of the range models are boring and not often bought, get the second one off the bottom, that is what people buy. Small, light also saves the planet, we are not much bigger than people in the 70s who drove Minis, so why drive a gas-guzzling tank? Thank you.

[@gavinferguson]

brilliant car love mine and its been chipped up to 80bhp which makes it even more fun to drive

[@adamanthony7465]

Great clarity of explanation.

[@ijoseluis]

These energetically strange days, it makes sense absolutely. Personally, even if the industry keeps doing a push to electrical, I think that this kind of car will be perfectly actual for many years to go. I own two diesels (a CX-5 and a BMW 218d cabrio) and I stopped thinking of the Giulia. For the (large) time being... Thanks for your interesting review. Down to earth...

[@fortheloveofnoise]

this is the type of car they want gone first to force EVs down our throat faster