Peugeot E-408 Review 2026

More than a decade on from the death of the 407, Peugeot has a new '40x' model, but it's a very different kettle of fish. This time, it's a high-riding five-door hatchback, and it's available as an EV. But is it worth buying? Find out in our full Peugeot E-408 review. 

The Peugeot 406 was one of the brand's all-time best models. Unfortunately, the subsequent 407 didn't quite live up to its predecessor, and by 2011, it was killed off and not directly replaced, with the bigger 508 acting as a successor to both the 407 and 607. And then that too was binned off.

Now, the '40x' designation is back, but it's not really like any of those cars we've just mentioned. It's not a saloon, and is instead a hatchback, but one with a sloping 'fastback' style roof. And while it rides higher than the 308 with which it shares a platform and many components, we wouldn't call it an SUV either. 

Further distinguishing itself from 40x models of old, you can get this one as an all-electric car called the E-408. And we reckon it's a better car in this form, replacing the 408's less-than-impressive engine line-up with a smooth and quiet electric setup. 

The stats of the electric gubbins aren't likely to cause much excitement, though. The E-408 uses a small battery compared to a lot of its rivals, and the motor isn't all that powerful either. Most people won't be so bothered about the latter (as it happens, the E-408 is reasonably quick despite the restrained output), but a lot of buyers won't be as keen on the lack of electric range from the little battery.

In real-world driving, especially if you do a lot of motorway miles, you won't get much over 200 miles. A longer day trip, then, might see you stopping for a top-up at an expensive public charger. If you'd rather avoid that, it's not like there's the option of speccing a bigger battery, as is possible in a lot of EVs now.

In better news, the E-408 is a stylish thing, and only got more so when Peugeot facelifted the car in 2026. Other than a nip and tuck mostly concentrated at the front end, which follows the 308 in losing its lion's 'fangs' in favour of what we reckon is a cleaner, more cohesive look. We're yet to sample the updated car, but really, not a whole lot has changed other than the styling. 

Compared to the E-308, the E-408 is more than 30cm longer, and crucially, some of that increase has come from a stretched wheelbase. This means that, along with more boot space, you get more legroom in the back of the E-408. 

The E-408's unusual body style means it's tricky to try to pick a direct rival, with the Ford Capri perhaps coming closer. The Polestar 2 is another strong alternative, and although they're both different shapes from the E-408, the Skoda Elroq and Hyundai Ioniq 5 are both worth a look.

Peugeot E-408: Range and charging 

Initially, the E-408 could cover 281 miles on a full charge according to the WLTP Combined cycle. The facelifted version is ever-so-slightly slipperier, which sees the range rocketing to...283 miles.

These official figures are notoriously difficult to replicate in real-world driving situations. You might struggle to get significantly over 200 miles from the E-408, particularly at colder times of year and/or if you're doing a lot of motorway miles. 

The rapid charging capacity of 120kW is nothing particularly special, not when a Hyundai Ioniq 5 offers more than double that rate. Assuming conditions are optimal. It'll take a little over 30 minutes to charge the battery from 20 to 80%. 

Plugged into a home wallbox, it should be just over eight hours to fully charge an E-408 from empty. It'll be three to four times as long from a three-pin socket, but in any case, manufacturers generally don't recommend this because it might not be great for your home electricity supply. 

The Peugeot E-408 doesn't seem massively interested in being sporty, which is just fine by us. There's an emphasis on comfort here, if not quite to the same degree as the products of sister brand Citroen. The body of the E-408 still stays relatively level during more enthusiastic cornering and roundabout tackling, and the small steering wheel makes steering inputs feel quick and effortless. 

There's only one battery and motor combination available in the Peugeot E-408, which combines a single electric motor on the front axle with a 58kWh battery pack. The motor develops 215PS and 343Nm of torque, but because the E-408 is reasonably light at about 1800kg, thanks largely to its modest-sized battery, the 0-62mph is perfectly respectable at 7.6 seconds. 

It feels sprightly off the line and up to about 30mph or so, but as we often find with electric cars thanks to their linear power delivery, the sense of acceleration starts to wane after that point. You will also need to put it in the Sport mode to unlock the full output, with Normal limiting the car to 190PS and Eco to 170PS. 

Even in its lowest power setting, making progress in the E-408 is a much more pleasant affair than in a petrol-powered 408, with the former's smooth, quiet nature contrasting with the at-times thrashy three-cylinder engine in the latter. 

Euro NCAP hasn't crash tested the E-408, but it has assessed the 408, its petrol-powered sibling. It achieved four stars out of five, which is a little underwhelming when five-star scores are so common nowadays. In the individual categories, the car was scored at 76% for adult occupants, 84% for child occupants, 78% for vulnerable road users and 65% for its safety assistance systems.

Unlike the petrol and plug-in hybrid versions of the 408, the all-electric E-408 isn't rated for towing at all. 

The E-408 has an impressive 536-litre boot, which matches the capacity of a petrol-powered 408 and greatly exceeds the 471 litres managed by the plug-in hybrid version. Audiophiles will lose out because of their love of sound, though, with the optional Focal audio system trimming the boot capacity to 508 litres, we assume because of the presence of a subwoofer in the boot. 

The rear seats fold in a 60/40 split, although they don't lie completely flat. Still, the maximum capacity is decent at 1611 litres. Just remember that anything especially bulky, big pieces of furniture, for instance, might not fit thanks to the car's sloping tailgate. 

In the front of the cabin, the door bits are good size, although the rears are more compact. There's a shallow storage area containing USB ports under the central armrest, and just in front of that, a curious little cubby with a sloped bottom, which feels like it won't be of use for much. Further forward is a pair of cupholders in line with the centre console, and a tray which becomes a wireless charging pad if you tick the right option.

The E-408's stretched wheelbase compared to the related E-308 makes a noticeable difference to the rear legroom, which is supplied in abundance in the former. There inevitably isn't as much rear headroom as in a traditional EV, and you do have to duck a bit to get in, but once seated, there's a decent amount of clearance up top. 

Comfort in the front is potentially a bone of contention if you're a bit taller. Peugeot's infamous 'i-Cockpit' is present, as it is in all Peugeot models, featuring a much higher-set instrument cluster which sits above a smaller-than-average steering wheel. Tall drivers may struggle to find a seating position they're happy with which still gives a clear view of the digital dials. 

Peugeot's bargain basement years are a distant memory. The 408 feels not just well built, with a feeling of solidity and everything lining up nicely, but also very premium. The materials used in the cabin have an upmarket feel to them, enhancing the stylish interior design going on.

Regardless of trim level, you get a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system. What's below this depends on how you've specced the car. GT models come with an additional display Peugeot calls 'i-Toggles', featuring five customisable shortcut keys. You could make one of these a shortcut for the climate control screen, for instance, something you might well want to do, since there aren't any permanently displayed icons along the bottom of the infotainment. 

It is possible, however, to get proper buttons for the climate control. The i-Toggle display is optional on the entry-level Allure version, and if you don't tick that in the configurator, you get, you guessed it, proper buttons for the fan speed and temperature. 

As for the infotainment display, it responds quickly to touch, but the software the screen has to work with often seems like it's not in much of a hurry. That sense extends to the navigation, which always seems to be slightly behind where the car actually is. You're much better off using an app like Google Maps or Waze through the standard fit Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity. 

Originally, the cheapest E-408 was over £42,000, representing a significant premium over a petrol-powered 408. Prices have tumbled since the car's launch, though, with the range starting at a much more palatable £33,670 for an E-408 Allure. The mid-spec GT is £36,105, and it's £39,285 for the top-of-the-range GT Premium. 

The least expensive Ford Capri, for comparison, is £37,485, while the Polestar 2 range starts at a chunky £45,160, although even the entry-level version will go much further on a charge than the E-408. If you don't mind an SUV-shaped alternative, the Skoda Elroq range kicks off at £33,560, for which you're getting a 60 model with a similar range to the E-408. 

The up-front costs won't be relevant for a lot of prospective E-408 owners, who'll instead be tempted by the car's super-low 3% Benefit in Kind (BiK) company car tax rate. 

EVs are no longer exempt from paying VED car tax, so it's the same £195 yearly bill for the E-408 as any other type of car. EVs are also now liable for the government's expensive car tax supplement, although the threshold is set to rise for such vehicles from £40,000 to £50,000, so long as the second-year anniversary of its registration is after 1 April 2026. 

On a regular electricity tariff, it'll be just over £15 to charge the E-408's battery from empty. Our advice? Get yourself on a home charging EV tariff which reduces the rate of electricity at certain times of day. Time your advice to suit, and the charging cost will be slashed, making the E-408 or any other EV a very cheap car to run.

Offsetting this somewhat will be higher insurance costs, with the E-408 sitting in groups 33-34. For comparison, it's 19-23 for the petrol-powered 'Hybrid' 408 models, and 28-32 for the plug-in hybrids. 

As a brand, Peugeot doesn't tend to crown itself in glory in the HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index. Most recently, it placed a lowly 29th out of 33 brands for reliability. We're more confident about the reliability of more recent models, though, and in an EV like the E-408, there are fewer moving parts, meaning less to go wrong. 

The standard Peugeot warranty lasts for three years, with unlimited mileage in the first two years and a 60,000-mile cap thereafter. You can however

The Peugeot E-408 is offered in three trim levels called Allure, GT and GT Premium. 

The Peugeot E-408 Allure comes with the following equipment fitted as standard:

• 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• 10-inch digital instrument cluster
• Cruise control
• Wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto
• Dual-zone climate control
• Rear Parking sensors
• Reversing camera
• Keyless entry and start
• 19-inch alloy wheels

Upgrading to the Peugeot E-408 GT builds on the above with the following equipment:

• Heated leather steering wheel
• Automatically dimming rear-view mirror  
• 19-inch diamond cut alloy wheels
• Customisable 'i-Toggles' display
• Electrically operated tailgate
• Artificial leather upholstery
• Navigation

The top-spec Peugeot E-408 GT Premium adds:

• 20-inch alloy wheels
• Focal sound system
• 3D digital instrument cluster
• Heat pump
• Wireless phone charger
• 360° Vision & Drive Assist Plus Pack
• Nappa leather upholstery
• Electrically adjustable driver's seat