Peugeot E-308 Review 2025

Thanks to the ever-growing popularity of SUVs, family-sized hatchbacks such as the Peugeot 308 have become much less common sights on the UK’s roads. Could the addition of a fully electric version be the stimulus it needs to catch car buyers’ collective attention? Find out with our full Peugeot E-308 review.

There’s something of a contradiction to the Peugeot E-308 because the French brand’s chosen to make this EV version of its otherwise combustion-engined five-door hatchback range feel as unchanged as possible. 

That’s ironic because Peugeot has long-specialised in doing things differently, some of which is apparent across all 308s of this generation — its front fang-like day-running lights, the tiny steering wheel and unusual 3D instrument display make alternative cars such as the Vauxhall Astra and the Volkswagen Golf seem very ordinary. 

But the E-308 feels normal because the electric version is essentially another engine choice among a Peugeot 308 line-up that includes diesels plus mild and plug-in hybrid petrol options. That’s a blessing in that it keeps things simple but it also means that you are limited to just the one electric drive system. 

Propelling the Peugeot E-308 is a 156PS electric motor driving the front wheels, fed by a 50.8kWh useable capacity battery pack, good for a claimed best driving range of 258 miles. It’s fine, but it’s no more than that, particularly when rival electric hatchbacks offer a broader choice including with more power, longer driving ranges and that often cost less. That said, the range of the facelifted E-308 that arrives imminently has seen a range increase to a claimed 281 miles.

Its £33,460 starting price, inclusive of the government’s Electric Car Grant, isn’t eye-watering, but it does look high compared with, say, the £27,245 you can pick up a new MG 4 EV for. You can save over £1000 on that and get into a Citroen e-C4 — a car that’s bigger than the Peugeot E-308 and made using a lot of the same parts. 

Nonetheless, taken on its own merit, the E-308 has a lot going for it. For a start, the cabin quality feels outstanding — a league above the Volkswagen ID.3’s, for instance. There’s a real sense of solidity and refinement to everything, including the way the E-308 goes over the road. 

Peugeot has also refined its i-Cockpit dashboard setup. It looks lovely in the E-308, mixing a pair of large and high-definition screens, a touch-sensitive row of digital i-Toggle shortcuts and surfaces that feel truly upmarket. But, what could be a deal-breaker for some, the tiny, low-set steering wheel thing is still a thing. It makes you peer over it to see the instrumentation screen but obscures the bottom of it if you position it too high. It’s especially frustrating for people near the upper height percentile. 

Its infotainment system isn’t flawless either — yes, the i-Toggles help but not as much as physical buttons would. Plus the software itself can be sluggishly frustrating. 

Despite all that though, the Peugeot E-308 is a charming family hatchback, not least because it has that most elusive of qualities — character. It’s interesting and for a family of four with smaller kids and who don’t need all the boot space of an electric SUV, it’s a good choice. Not only is the Peugeot E-308 the best version of the 308 overall, because it’s the quietest and smoothest to drive, it’s also one of the most refined family hatchbacks on sale. 

Peugeot E-308: Range and charging times

For the facelifted Peugeot E-308 a WLTP Combined cycle driving range of 281 miles is referenced, but today’s pre-makeover models go less far. Best is the 258 miles of the Allure model while the GT is 254 miles.

In the real-world you’ll get closer to 220 miles — and that’s if it’s warm and you’re not abusing Sport mode. For the highest range possible, keep the E-308 at its most efficient in Eco mode, all 109PS of it. It’s disappointing that a heat pump, which improves efficiency by getting the battery up to operating temperature quickly, isn’t standard but can be had as an extra-cost option. 

Based on our experiences a full recharge at home using a 7.4kW wallbox will take about 7 hours 30 minutes. Peugeot quotes a 20-80% top up using the same AC connection at 4 hours 25 minutes. DC rapid charging is pegged at 100kW which is far from cutting edge but it’s sufficient to perform the same 20-80% state of charge increase in 30 minutes. 

The Peugeot E-308’s ride quality is one of its standout features, traversing most road surfaces with the comfort and compliance of a bigger, more expensive car. It’s certainly best at higher speeds, although undulating rural roads can unsettle it, while cobbled surfaces at urban pace aren’t expertly absorbed either. 

Like most EVs, the E-308 is heavy, owing to the battery running under the floor — for reference its 323kg heftier than the lightest, non-hybrid-assisted diesel 308. Rather than fight against it by stiffening the suspension to make the car firm and sporty, Peugeot has given the E-308 a softer, more compliant setup, with a bit of body roll built in.

In this regard it doesn’t feel that far removed from its Peugeot E-3008 SUV cousin, rather than having the sharpness of the Cupra Born. It’s rarely jarring when it hits a shallow pothole or a motorway expansion joint, although a smidge more height in the tyre sidewall might help on this front — all E-308s ride on identical 18-inch alloy wheels shod with 45% profile rubber.

The flipside of that is that it’s far from the last word in sharp handling. The steering is reasonably quick to respond to small inputs at the wheel, exaggerated by its tiny size, but its lardy kerb weight and soft suspension contrive to make the E-308 feel cumbersome at times. The suspension damping is fixed, so although the E-308 has different driving modes, they don’t make it any firmer or softer. 

Unlike many of its rivals, the Peugeot E-308 has just one electric motor, so at least choosing between different options isn’t going to slow you down.

It’s a single motor mounted under the bonnet, sending drive to the front wheels via a single-speed transmission which is used the same as you would an automatic. 

Producing 156PS and 270Nm of torque this setup accomplishes the benchmark 0-62mph acceleration test in 9.8 seconds, making it far from the quickest electric car on the market. In order to reduce the chances of the battery reserves being wasted through high-speed driving the Peugeot’s maximum is electronically governed to 106mph.

The overall effect makes the E-308 feel sluggish, especially in the context of the 3.8-second 0-62mph time of the MG4 EV XPower which costs less than £37,000, so not an enormous amount more than the Peugeot. Again it’s as though Peugeot doesn’t want the E-308 to feel particularly different to drive alongside other 308s — while EVs don’t need breakneck acceleration, part of their appeal is how quickly they’re able to gather pace. That lack of zip also shows its face when using the adaptive cruise control — press Resume and you’re immediately aware the gap to the car in front increases for a while as the E-308 gently picks up its pace.

The lack of pace is exacerbated by driving modes that actually slow the car down. Yep, three modes — Eco, Normal and Sport. In Ecopower is limited 109PS to extend the range, while the maximum in the default Normal tune is 136PS. In other words, it’s Sport mode is where you get the full 156PS and if you want that, you need to press a button each time you start it to confirm it. 

It likely goes without saying that in anything other than Sport mode, the E-308 is about as vivacious as a teenager that’s just been asked to tidy their room.

The Peugeot E-308 didn’t smash the Euro NCAP test, figuratively speaking, in the way you might hope, achieving a four-star rating in 2022. 

Thankfully, its highest score is for child occupants, at 87%, but its adult score (76%) and vulnerable road user result (67%) are both mildly disappointing. It’s very easy to find rivals with five-star scores, including the Renault Megane E-Tech. 

That said, the E-308’s results are not something to really worry about. Standard safety kit includes six airbags, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, blind-spot monitoring, rear parking sensors and post-collision automatic braking. It also an Intelligent Safety Brake feature that uses cameras and radar for pedestrian and cyclist detection. 

Whether the facelifted Peugeot E-308 is subjected to a Euro NCAP retest remains to be seen.

If you hoped to tow using a Peugeot E-308 then prepare to be disappointed — it's not been homologated to tow a trailer of any capacity.

If you’re after the roomiest family hatchback on the market, you should look at something other than the Peugeot E-308. The MG 4 EV and the VW ID.3 both have quantifiably more rear legroom than the Peugeot, although the Renault Megane E-Tech is a tad more compromised than the E-308 in that regard. 

The Renault makes ground back up with a boot volume that’s 79 litres more capacious than the E-308’s 361-litre capacity, a figure which is also more modest than the MG 4 EV (363 litres) and VW ID.3 (385 litres). 

There’s a 60/40 split to the Peugeot’s seatbacks although they don’t lie flat when folded forwards, creating an awkward step when sliding long, heavy loads along the boot floor. A ski-hatch behind the rear centre armrest is handy for slender-yet-lengthy cargo but that feature’s only fitted to GT specification models.

Total carrying capacity when the whole rear seat’s folded and the Peugeot’s loaded to ceiling height is 1271 litres, which beats the MG’s 1177-litre space but remains behind the Renault’s 1332-litre cavern. Families with pre-teenage children will be fine using the Peugeot E-308 but its limitations will become more apparent if you need to fit bulky child seats into the back and carry buggies. 

When it comes to rear knee room specifically, you do wonder why Peugeot made the front seats so chunky. They’re very comfy but making the seatbacks slimmer seems like an easy way to liberate more rear space. It’s a shame there’s no frunk for your charging cables either, although there’s a small amount of space under the boot floor for those. 

Cabin storage is limited too, with the E-308 having a relatively small glovebox and limited centre console space — the split armrest on top of the largest cubby between the seats at least keeps what’s in there out of view. The pair of cupholders on the centre console have a sliding cover should you wish to close it when not in use and the optional wireless smartphone charging pad is slotted under the main dashboard out of view — it didn’t seem to work reliably on test, though.

Ostensible cabin quality is one of the main attractions that will swing you towards a Peugeot E-308. Saying nothing of overall reliability, which is improving generally for Peugeot according to various surveys, as it goes, the feel of the E-308’s interior is outstanding. 

The soft-touch, stitched top to the dashboard looks and feels great, as does the faux suede trim on the seats, doors and the dash. Pity it’s all dark grey and black, mind.

All the digital stuff looks lovely too. Not just the graphics for the infotainment and the i-Toggles, but the 3D effect of the digital instrument panel. Some may find it gimmicky, but others will enjoy the novelty — if it’s not your cup of tea you can always switch it off and opt for a flat 2D look.

It trounces the MG 4 EV and Volkswagen ID.3 for tactility and solidity, which you might expect in the former’s case, but the latter shows how far ahead of your expectations the E-308 could be. 

Peugeot E-308 evidently reflects the firm’s attempt to correct an area of its cars that has caused most consternation in the recent past. Peugeot’s multimedia systems have been historically poor, while this one is good… If not still not quite there, yet. 

The i-Toggles work well, offering you a neat, configurable and always-on row of shortcuts under the main screen. Plus there’s a physical volume knob — always a winner — and physical buttons for driving modes and air con functions. 

But the E-308’s main issue is software-related. Its operation is sluggish, partly because Peugeot has built a transition graphic between menus. That’s lovely for PowerPoint presentations, but not when you’re switching between navigation and media menus at 70mph. A lot of the control icons are on the small side, too. 

Wireless smartphone mirroring is standard, at least, so you can bypass the proprietary system’s media and navigation quirks for something familiar. 

As highly specified and with its lovely interior finish the Peugeot E-308 is, earlier versions felt like they were priced too high. Following the introduction of the government’s Electric Car Grant (ECG) in August 2025 and Peugeot’s price realignment drive, the situation’s now more balanced.

Inclusive of the £1500 ECG discount, the E-308 in Allure specification costs £33,460 while the plusher GT model is £35,940.

Elsewhere, it’s the Citroen e-C4 that now seems something of a bargain as £26,150 gets you behind the wheel of one, while the MG 4 EV can be had for £27,245. For the VW ID.3 you’re looking at £30,860 with a small step to £30,995 for the Renault Megane E-Tech.

Yes, the Peugeot E-308’s now cheaper than before, but so is everything else.

The Peugeot E-308’s higher prices are somewhat offset by the low running costs typical of an electric car. To give you a working example, 10,000 miles could cost less than £200 in electricity, if you charge exclusively at home using an EV-specific off-peak tariff. 

Maintenance costs are minimised, with no oil changes or exhaust repairs and fewer moving parts to go wrong, so servicing and upkeep costs are relatively low too. 

Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) — the tenner for the first year aside — is now £195 annually, the same as combustion-engined Peugeot 308s. While the Expensive Car Supplement now also applies to EVs, you would need to add over £4000 of optional extras to an E-308 GT to get it to the £40,000 threshold, at which point you’ll be liable for an extra £425 per year for five years.

For company car drivers it’s even better. In Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax alone, a 40% rate-payer will save around £2500 per year by running an E-308 instead of a diesel-engined 308 — that’s the difference a 3% band makes for the EV model compared with the BlueHDi’s 32%. Ouch.

Just two trim levels are available for the Peugeot E-308 — Allure and GT.

Standard features for the Peugeot E-308 Allure include:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• LED headlights
• Reversing camera
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Heated front seats
• Heated steering wheel
• Dual-zone climate control
• 10.0-inch HD multimedia touchscreen
• Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity
• Integrated navigation
• Autonomous emergency braking
• Adaptive cruise control
• Lane-keep assist
• 11kW onboard charger 

Additional features that are found on the Peugeot E-308 GT include:

• Matrix LED headlights
• 3D LED rear lights with animation
• 360-degree view parking camera system
• Alcantara faux suede upholstery
• Front sports seats
• Full-grain leather steering wheel
• 3D digital cluster
• ChatGPT voice control
• Semi-autonomous lane positioning
• Extended blind-spot monitoring