Citroen C3 Picasso sneaks below 120g/km

Some versions of the Citroen C3 Picasso fitted with the company's 1.6 litre HDI diesel engine have been tweaked to emit slightly less CO2 – 119g/km instead of 125g/km.

That means the C3 Picasso joins the still comparatively small number of cars that can qualify for the £35 car tax band, providing owners with a useful saving over the £120 charge incurred by the same models before the changes were made.

The new version of the HDI engine is available with the higher VTR+ and Exclusive trim levels and also delivers a modest improvement in fuel consumption according to the official combined cycle test, by 2.7mpg, to 62.8mpg. Most C3 Picassos, including those fitted with the smallest 1.4 litre petrol engine, still don't make it below the 120g/km threshold, though, so as with all other models it's necessary to study brochures and price lists carefully in order to make sure you're getting the right car.