Classified as a supermini car, the Citroen C3 first made its appearance in 2002. Designed by Jean-Pierre Ploué and Donato Coco, the first-generation C3 is a five-door hatchback which came standard with five-speed manual transmission. It was only in 2009 when a four-speed automatic transmission version was released. Both petrol and diesel engines are available for the C3 up to this day.

In 2006, some minor redesigns were introduced, coming up with a more imposing front bumper, a re-positioned number plate, and a single air-intake slit below a re-styled radiator grille for the C3. Light clusters at the rear were also redesigned using crystal-coloured midsections, as well as the interiors with a restyled dashboard and a more modern cluster of instruments for easy-to-understand driver information. Further updates on the interiors include light metallic grey embellishments around the central fascia and completely redesigned door trims and panels.

The C3 Pluriel is a new variant of the Citroen C3 introduced in 2003 that came with detachable roof bars and a folding fabric roof which allowed the vehicle to be a partial convertible, a full convertible, and a closed car depending on the configurations that the customer chooses. However, the Pluriel was taken out of the Citroen lineup in early 2010.