Citroën C5 Aircross Adds Emerald Top Trim From £37,290, Electric From £38,845 After Grant

• Emerald becomes the top trim on the Citroën C5 Aircross and ë-C5 Aircross, and it costs £980 more than MAX on all four powertrains.
• Prices start at £37,290 for the hybrid and £39,860 for the plug-in hybrid, with the 210hp electric at £40,345 (£38,845 after the Electric Car Grant) and the 230hp Long Range at £44,965.
• Emerald Blue paint is a £645 option including VAT, and the trim carries a panoramic opening sunroof, a frameless electrochromic mirror and grey leather-effect and cloth seats.

Emerald Costs £980 More Than MAX on Every Powertrain

Citroën has placed a new Emerald trim above MAX on the C5 Aircross, which comes as a hybrid or plug-in hybrid, and on the electric ë-C5 Aircross. Whichever powertrain a buyer picks, the step up from MAX is the same £980. The hybrid goes from £36,310 to £37,290, the plug-in hybrid from £38,880 to £39,860, the 210hp electric from £39,365 to £40,345 and the 230hp electric from £43,985 to £44,965. All are Citroën’s recommended on-the-road prices.

Emerald’s equipment list centres on a roof and an interior. It carries a panoramic opening sunroof with a motorised blind, a sunglasses holder in the ceiling and a frameless electrochromic rear-view mirror. Upholstery changes to grey leather-effect and cloth in the Advanced Comfort design, and the cabin gets Emerald detailing and lighting. Outside, Emerald has a black bi-tone roof and Emerald-coloured clips on the front bumper and doors.

Citroën says Emerald builds on MAX, whose standard equipment already covers the semi-autonomous driving aids of Drive Assist Pack 2.0, a high-definition head-up display, a heated steering wheel and heated front seats. Buyers should compare the two equipment lists at a dealer before paying the extra £980.

The wheels need a note. The new 19-inch MOONDUST diamond-cut silver and black alloys go on the Emerald hybrid, and Citroën has also fitted them to the PLUS and MAX versions of the Hybrid 145hp automatic. On the hybrid, then, the wheels do not set Emerald apart from MAX. Citroën names the sunroof, mirror, seats and colour details as Emerald’s own features.

Four Powertrains, Four Prices and a £645 Paint Option

The Emerald line-up starts with the Hybrid 145hp automatic at £37,290. The Plug-in Hybrid 195hp automatic is £39,860. Both electric versions use the ë-C5 Aircross name: the 210hp Comfort Range at £40,345 with up to 321 miles of WLTP combined range, and the 230hp Long Range at £44,965 with up to 421 miles. Both range figures are Citroën’s own.

Stepping from the 210hp to the 230hp adds £4,620 before any grant (£44,965 minus £40,345) and 100 miles of the maker’s range (421 minus 321), which works out at £46.20 for each extra mile. Emerald also sits well above the entry trims. The Emerald hybrid costs £6,260 more than the YOU hybrid at £31,030 and £3,620 more than the PLUS hybrid at £33,670.

Emerald Blue is the reason the trim exists. The metallic paint is new to the range and carries a £645 price tag including VAT, so a buyer who specifies it adds that to the trim price.

What the Electric Car Grant Does to the Two Electric Prices

Citroën’s price table has a second column showing prices after the Electric Car Grant, and the discount is not the same across the range. On the 210hp Comfort Range the table takes exactly £1,500 off in every trim: YOU falls from £34,085 to £32,585, PLUS from £36,725 to £35,225, MAX from £39,365 to £37,865 and Emerald from £40,345 to £38,845. The rules behind the grant are laid out in how the Electric Car Grant works, which is worth reading before an order.

The 230hp Long Range is different. YOU drops from £36,705 to £32,955 and PLUS from £41,345 to £37,595, a £3,750 reduction each. MAX at £43,985 and Emerald at £44,965 show no after-grant price at all, so £44,965 is the figure to budget with unless a dealer says otherwise. Anyone cross-shopping can check the electric cars that qualify before comparing.

After the grant, the 210hp Emerald at £38,845 undercuts the Emerald plug-in hybrid by £1,015 (£39,860 minus £38,845) and costs £1,555 more than the Emerald hybrid (£38,845 minus £37,290). The gap between the two electric Emeralds widens to £6,120 once the grant is applied to the smaller one, or about £61.20 for each extra mile of the 230hp’s 100-mile range advantage.

Where the £40,000 Tax Line Falls

Emerald prices land close to a tax threshold. GOV.UK sets vehicle tax from the second payment onwards at £200 for a single 12 month payment on petrol, diesel, electric and alternative fuel cars, and the page lists hybrids as alternative fuel. A car with a list price above £40,000 pays an extra £440 a year, taking a single 12 month payment to £640. An electric car pays the extra only above a list price of £50,000. The higher rate runs for five years from the second time the car is taxed, so crossing the line costs £2,200 in extra tax (£440 for each of five years). The frozen £40,000 car tax threshold is the line to watch on any order.

The Emerald hybrid at £37,290 sits £2,710 under the line. The Emerald plug-in hybrid at £39,860 sits £140 under it. Both electric Emeralds sit below the electric line, with the £44,965 car £5,035 short of £50,000. Should the dealer count the £645 paint in the list price, the plug-in hybrid would reach £40,505, which is £505 over £40,000.

Citroën’s prices are on-the-road figures. GOV.UK defines list price as the published price of the vehicle before it is registered for the first time and before any discounts. The government page tells buyers to check the list price with the dealer so they know how much vehicle tax they will pay, which is worth doing for anyone ordering the plug-in with the new paint.

What Citroën UK Says Emerald Is For

Greg Taylor, Managing Director, Citroën UK, said: “We are excited about the addition of the Emerald trim level, both for its vibrant new shade which perfectly complements the lines of C5 Aircross, and for its generous level of equipment, including a panoramic sunroof. This trim level marks a continued development of our product range, bringing a more premium specification at an affordable price point. This is at the heart of what we do at Citroën, offering accessible, and attractively priced electric options for families.”

The price table backs the family pitch in one narrow way. After the grant, an Emerald with 321 miles of the maker’s range costs £38,845, which is £1,555 above the hybrid and £1,015 below the plug-in. Buyers who want the sunroof and the Emerald cabin have a clear question to settle: whether £980 over MAX is worth Emerald’s equipment, and whether the paint is worth another £645 on top.

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Reviewed by Preetam Gadekar