Known APK problem

Citroën C3 II: lights

On the Citroën C3 II the APK inspector finds lights problems 2.2× as often as on cars of the same age: at 7–8 years 24.5%, against about 11.1% nationally.

Window: Oct 2025 – Sep 2026 · Updated: 16 Oct 2026

What is it?

Broken bulbs, misaligned headlights or damaged light units.

Repair indication: smallusually a small repair, often done with the service.

How to check it at the viewing

Walk around with the lights, indicators, brake lights and rear fog light on. Look for moisture in the headlights.

Ask the seller: Have the headlights been aligned, and has there been moisture in the light units?

By age

Share of inspected Citroën C3 IIs with this defect, compared with all cars of the same age.

Age	Type	C3 II	95%-CI	National	Difference	n
7 – 8 years	B	24.5%	20.7 – 28.8%	11.1%	2.2×	428
9 – 10 years	B	23.6%	22.6 – 24.6%	13.1%	1.8×	6,749
11 – 12 years	B	26.0%	25.1 – 26.9%	17.3%	1.5×	9,240
13 – 15 years	B	30.1%	29.2 – 31.1%	23.2%	1.3×	9,085
16+ years	B	33.2%	31.2 – 35.3%	27.7%	1.2×	2,051

A = structure, safety or costly mechanics; B = fail, usually simple; C = advisory. An age is missing when this defect is not among the most common there.

Comparable cars at 7–8 years

Model	Lights	Vs. national
Citroën C3 II	24.5%	2.2×
Kia Rio III	10.6%	0.9×
Suzuki Swift IV	22.3%	2.0×
Peugeot 208 I	24.0%	2.1×
Renault Zoe	16.0%	1.4×

Looking at a Citroën C3 II? Check that car

Enter the plate and see the APK history, open recalls and how this car compares with other Citroën C3 IIs of the same age.

All weak spots of the Citroën C3 II · Lights: which models more often · Checklist for this model

Frequently asked questions

Does the Citroën C3 II often have lights problems?

Yes, more often than average at the APK. At 7–8 years the inspector found a lights defect on 24.5% of inspected Citroën C3 IIs, against about 11.1% of all cars of the same age (2.2×). Source: RDW Open Data, Oct 2025 – Sep 2026.

How do you check the lights on a used Citroën C3 II?

Walk around with the lights, indicators, brake lights and rear fog light on. Look for moisture in the headlights.

Repair indication: small, medium or large. An indication of the usual repair, not a quote: the real cost depends on the car, the cause and the garage.

Source: RDW Open Data (CC0), analysis CarXray.nl. 6,857,004 inspected passenger cars aged 3 years and older, Oct 2025 – Sep 2026. Each car counts once. How we know