Citroën Presents “Love at First Drive” Test-Drive Campaign

Citroën and agency BETC introduce the “Love at First Drive” campaign focused on the emotional impact of a first test drive. Learn how the concept highlights the moment drivers connect with a car.

Citroën has launched a new global advertising campaign titled “Love at First Drive”, built around one of the most decisive yet often underestimated moments in the car-buying process: the first test drive. The French brand focuses on a simple but emotionally powerful idea — the moment when a short drive behind the wheel transforms curiosity into genuine desire.

The campaign was developed together with the creative agency BETC, which has been working with Citroën on global campaigns for several years. Instead of highlighting technical specifications, the new concept centers on the sensations drivers experience during their first minutes with the car. This includes what the brand describes as its characteristic “road feel” — the combination of smooth steering, comfortable seating, a calm cabin atmosphere and an intuitive interface.

According to Citroën, choosing a car is rarely a purely rational process. Emotions often play an equally important role, and the test drive becomes the moment when those emotions take shape. In the narrative of the campaign, that short drive is portrayed as the point where a potential purchase suddenly becomes something personal and real.

The centerpiece of the campaign is a short film built around a playful narrative twist. It follows a woman who has just completed a test drive in a Citroën and reluctantly returns to her old car. As she sits behind the wheel, she drifts into a romantic flashback, reliving the moments she spent driving the vehicle.

At first, the sequence suggests she might be remembering a brief romance with the dealership salesman. Gradually, however, the story reveals its twist: the object of her affection is not the salesperson but the Citroën she has just driven. The scene turns the test drive into a metaphorical love story, balancing humor with a touch of tenderness.

The film is set to the song “Is This Love” by the American rock band Survivor. Released in 1986 on the album When Seconds Count, the track reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and adds a nostalgic, romantic tone to the campaign’s storyline.

The production was handled by Very Content and directed by Ramez Silyan, a Los Angeles-based Syrian-Armenian filmmaker known for directing the documentary film Everybody’s Everything, which premiered at SXSW.

Through the campaign, Citroën aims to emphasize the brand’s long-standing focus on accessibility, comfort and innovation. Rather than listing features, the company highlights the emotional experience of driving — the moment when a potential customer realizes how the car actually feels on the road.

From a practical perspective, the focus on test drives also reflects the brand’s global presence. With thousands of sales and service locations worldwide, Citroën can invite drivers to experience its vehicles directly rather than simply read about them.

The message of the campaign is deliberately simple: sometimes the most convincing argument for a car is not a brochure or a specification sheet, but a short drive. And in some cases, that first drive can feel very much like love at first sight.