Peugeot 5008 (2010 – 2017) Review

Peugeot 5008 (2010 – 2017) At A Glance

3/5
Honest John Overall Rating
The Peugeot 5008 doesn't stand out as the very best seven-seat MPV on sale, but it's worth adding to your shortlist. It’s easy to drive, practical and well-equipped, with impressive flexibility thanks to the easy-to-use seating system and large load area.

+Practical and versatile seating layout, good range of engines, comfortable to drive, good value as a used buy.

-Not exactly exciting to drive, poor cabin storage, clunky satellite navigation system.

Insurance Groups are between 12–22
On average it achieves 79% of the official MPG figure

If you're looking for the newer model, you'll need our Peugeot 5008 review.

The first generation of Peugeot 5008 was very much a family-friendly affair, with practicality taking precedence over excitement and style. The 5008 might have become more of an SUV in recent times, but this version is most definitely a seven-seat MPV, competing with the likes of the Citroen C4 Grand Picasso and Ford S-MAX.

Peugeot might call its 5008 a compact MPV but it’s far from small. With seven seats and a bright, roomy cabin there’s a lot of space on offer for a family. There’s a lot of flexibility, too, with a sliding middle row of seats to give between 758 and 823 litres of carrying capacity, or a huge 2506 litres with everything folded flat.

The rearmost row of seats isn’t exactly spacious, but for small children or occasional use it's fine and access is good thanks to a clever mechanism in the middle row of seats.

Add to that an easy-to-drive character, plus comfortable seats and you get a very family-friendly car. The fact that all three seats in the middle row come fitted with Isofix will be a real selling point for those that have more than the two children that car makers seem to generally cater for. 

Peugeot offered a pair of 1.6-litre petrol engines with 120PS or 156PS in this generation of 5008, with a third 1.2-litre petrol engine joining the range in the latter stage of the car’s on-sale period. Plus three diesel engines with between 115PS and 163PS.

The lower powered 1.6-litre petrol engine might not be the best suited to the 5008, but the rest of the range offers respectable performance, even that diminutive-sounding 1.2-litre version.

Regardless of engine the 5008 is easy to drive and refined. Motorway cruising is relaxed and, despite the car’s large size, it’s easy to park or manoeuvre in town providing parking sensors are specified. It is a heavy car, but unless you press on particularly hard it remains composed even on twisting country roads.

The facelifted model, introduced in 2014, offers better quality and more standard equipment than earlier cars. It’s certainly more attractively styled than the pre-facelift model, but it doesn’t do quite enough to beat the pricier Ford S-MAX for driver enjoyment nor the Citroen C4 Grand Picasso for style and comfort.

There are three trims across the 5008 range, Access, Active and Allure, although the entry-level Access model was dropped towards the end of the car’s life.

It only offered a basic level of equipment, with a leather steering wheel and air conditioning the stand-out kit, but Active brought useful things like parking sensors front and rear and Allure added more desirable kit like satellite navigation and a panoramic glass roof

Ask Honest John

Can you explain the confusing towing limits for my car?

"According to the VIN plate on my 2013 Peugeot 5008, the GVW is 2250kg and the GTW is 2950kg. I have been told by a caravan salesman that this makes the legal towing limit 700kg. This is at odds with information in the car handbook, which gives the GTW as 3250kg and 1300kg for a braked trailer. I wish to buy a caravan weighing 1147kg but if the police go by the information on the VIN plate, I will be in trouble. Why the discrepancy? Thanks."
The GVW is the maximum weight the car can legally be when fully loaded. Bear in mind that you're unlikely to drive the car fully loaded, so you can use that spare capacity to tow a trailer - provided the GTW doesn't exceed 2950kg. A 1147kg caravan is fairly small and should be well within the towing capacity of a diesel 5008. It's also within the 85% rule (which suggests that the trailer shouldn't exceed more than 85% of the car's kerb weight).
Answered by Andrew Brady

We want a petrol seven-seater - what do you suggest?

"I need a seven seat car but don't do long distance regularly. Most journeys are short such as school, work, shopping. The majority of options are diesel though. We really like the Peugeot 5008 and currently drive a 2004 Vauxhall Zafira that's past its best. We have considered the newer Zafira but would like a change. What do you recommend?"
For mainly short journeys, I'd stick with petrol. We like the original Peugeot 5008, it offers great versatility and represents good value for money on the used market. Take a look at the Mazda 5 too, it's a very reliable MPV and the petrol is a smooth, likeable engine.
Answered by Andrew Brady

Is there a known problem with the Peugeot 5008 electronic handbrake?

"I have a 2016 Peugeot 5008 automatic that was stored for three months over the winter. I took it for its first drive of the year yesterday, but as I was pulling away the parking brake fault light appeared on the dash. From what I can find online it appears to be something to do with the rear brake pads and disks. It doesn't appear to affect how it drives or stops, I was wondering if this is a problem with these handbrakes and if it would be fixed under warranty. I don't live near the dealer where the car was bought and I never had any dealings with my nearest Peugeot dealer, so I'm not sure how to go about getting this fixed."
The electromechanical parking brake will have clamped the rear pads onto the discs and since both have metallic content there will have been some rusting between them. It could be that a bit of heavy braking cleans this off. If you leave a car standing for extended periods it's best to leave it in gear with the parking brake off so this does not occur. If the light stays on, book it into a Peugeot dealer to get checked. If the brake discs self-clean through driving then all that might be needed is to clear the fault codes from the ECU.
Answered by Honest John

Need a used car with three large seats in the back

"I am looking for a good sized family car with three proper seats in the back. I've got roughly £6k to spend and am not fussed if it's petrol or diesel. What do you recommend? "
Three proper seats in the back: Citroen Picasso, Ford S-Max, Renault Scenic, Peugeot 5008, Volkswagen Touran. Then choose your engine.
Answered by Honest John
More Questions

What does a Peugeot 5008 (2010 – 2017) cost?