Welcome to the world of the supermini which is generally regarded as the home of the Ford Fiesta and the Vauxhall Corsa, best sellers in a group where they tend to rule supreme.

Up a notch is the Volkswagen Polo but they are standing in the corner at the moment, faces to the wall, after that nonsense with the emission issue.

However one model you might consider is the Citroen C3 which is a pretty cool character for a customer looking for something a bit different and it has quality running right through it.

The C3 has an engine line-up comprising of three variations of Citroen’s 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol motor, with 67bhp, 81bhp and 109bhp - and a 1.6-litre diesel, BlueHDI which has either 74bhp or 99bhp.

There is a standard five-speed manual, with a six-speed on its way later in the year. And when you are in the cabin you first think you need an extra sixth gear but after a few miles it is not necessary.

The original C3 was launched back in 2002 as a replacement for the old Saxo which was a fun car and performed well.

The current C3 sits on a modified version of the Peugeot-Citroen from almost 20 years ago and the company has just got better and better with its offering.

The C3 range is split into three trim levels – Touch, Feel and Flair. With Touch there is no air-con or alloys but there is a DAB radio, a lane departure warning system, cruise control and Bluetooth hands free connectivity. Only electric front windows at the front.

Feel adds alloys and air-con, electric windows all round and a seven-inch touchscreen. Flair adds leather on the steering wheel and gear knob, an alarm, auto lights and wipers, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

And Citren have brought something on board which will be standard on every car soon. It is a ConnectedCAM, which is a high-resolution camera mounted behind the rear-view mirror and which focuses on the road ahead.

It is constantly taking a film, and will save footage recorded at either side of any accident. But you can also use it to take pictures and share them on social networks via your mobile phone and a bespoke Citroen app.

With the C3, Citroen is returning to world championship rallying so we shall see how it performs around the world, but Citroen are using the rally mantra for extra sales. They are more looking at the comfort guise.

Fuel economy is between 70mpg and 80mpg for the diesels and about 60mpg for the petrol engines. No more than 109g/km on emissions from any of the engines.

Efficiency figures mean that until April, a C3 will cost you nothing for diesels all or £40 on petrol engines with VED. That will be going up to £100 and £120 after April when the prices go up.

The C3 continues with the Citroen fully integrated infotainment system which controls not only music and radio but also main vehicle functions, like heating and air-conditioning.

There is an Apple Carplay system which includes Bluetooth supported, along with MirrorLink.

There is a generous boot of around 300 litres which has a 60/40 split and enough room for four adults on a medium sized journey. With the seats folded right back the C3’s capacity increases to 900 litres. The door bins are a good size and their interiors are painted white which makes it easier to find bits of rubbish you’ve dropped there.

On the safety front there is a lane departure warning system, speed sign recognition and speed warnings, a coffee break alert and three ISOfix mounting points.

There is a three year or 60,00 mile warranty warranty and the servicing intervals on the C3 are every year or 12,000 miles.

There is a regular service plan, which covers the scheduled work over three years and is paid for by monthly direct debits. It can be arranged at any point during the car’s first year.

The second is a maintenance package that also includes wear and tear on items - but this is considerably more expensive and has to be arranged on a dealer-by-dealer basis.

Prices start at £10,265 going through to £14,065.