The all-new Citroen C4 will be offered with petrol and diesel engines, as well as in e-C4 electric guise for the first time. As is the case with many models from the PSA Peugeot Citroen group – including the Peugeot 2008 and DS 3 Crossback – you chose your car first and your powertrain second.

Full details for the all-electric Citroen e-C4 have now been revealed, including battery specifications and predicted range. Like its Peugeot and DS siblings, the Citroen will get a 50kWh battery; the e-C4’s sleek shape results in a maximum range of 217 miles.

An exact on-sale date for the e-C4 hasn't been confirmed yet, but orders are due to open in the next few months, with first cars on the road by the end of 2020. On-the-road costs have also yet to be confirmed, although the car is likely to be priced within a few hundred pounds of its Peugeot counterpart.

Like other PSA Group electric cars, such as the Peugeot e-208 and Vauxhall Corsa-e, the e-C4 will sit alongside conventional petrol and diesel-engined variants of the all-new C4, which serves as a replacement for the current C4 Cactus. There will, however, not be a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the car, to compete with the likes of the Kia XCeed PHEV and Hyundai Ioniq Plug-In.

Speaking at an online launch event for the e-C4, the brand's CEO Vincent Cobee said: "We are seeing lots of electric cars in the [supermini] B-segment, but the [family car] C-segment is more poised between electric and plug-in hybrid right now.

"We think we're ahead of the wave, but the wave is coming. A car like this with a range of 350 kilometres [217 miles] answers 90% of customers' needs without us having to offer a plug-in hybrid as well."

Citroen expects in the region of 8-10% of total C4 sales will be of the e-C4 electric version initially, however there's an expectation that could grow to as much as 20% before long.

Electric motor, performance, battery, range and charging

The electric C4 uses a similar powertrain to its stablemates: a 134bhp electric motor drawing power from a 50kWh battery, giving a driving range of 217 miles from a charge. It'll hit 62mph from a standing start in 9.7 seconds and has a top speed of 93mph.

As with most electric cars, there's a regenerative braking system to recoup energy when slowing down, as well as a variety of driving modes to prioritise power, efficiency or a balance between the two. The e-C4 comes with rapid charging capability as standard, and will top up from a 100kW public charger to 80% capacity in 30 minutes. Home charging overnight takes in the region of seven-and-a-half hours.

A full suite of safety systems features; Citroen lists 20 in total, including automatic emergency braking, post-collision braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, active cruise control, a 'coffee break' reminder for the driver, fatigue warning, traffic-sign recognition and automatic headlamps. A 360-degree camera, parking assistance, hill-start assistance and trailer stability control are also available.