Item: Peugeot e-308
Rating: 3.5

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In general, life is more expensive than it was five years ago. That terrible coffee in the airport just isn’t worth £6, is it? But there is one thing that’s getting cheaper: EVs. There’s a fierce price war raging, spurred on by the EV grant. When the Peugeot e-308 was launched only two years ago, you didn’t get any change from £40,000. Now we’re driving the new and improved version and it starts from £30,245 – just £1000 more than the petrol version.

Arguably, it was overpriced at launch compared with its rivals such as the Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric, Volkswagen ID 3 and Kia EV4. The new price puts it in a different light and, on paper, there is plenty of appeal. It’s the only one among its peers that is a traditional hatchback, rather than a semi-SUV like the Renault or VW, or an expressionist sculpture like the Kia. It’s also the only one that’s also available as an estate.

Together with the combustion-engined Peugeot 308, it has just been facelifted, which has also brought it a bigger battery. Time for another look.

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating: 7

Peugeot e-308

Price cut and bigger battery put EV in a new light. It offers a reassuringly traditional driving experience and, in estate form, a 505-litre boot

Good

Compact size feeds into its handling appeal

Looks stylish and sophisticated

Efficient

Bad

Slow by class standards

Second-row space is below par for the class

Doesn't have the range of some and manages only 100kW DC charging

DESIGN & STYLING

Pros

Sharply cut, eye-catching exterior styling

Compact proportions aren't warped by EV powertrain packaging

Cons

Fairly unimpressive battery, power and charging specs

The e-308 is unusual among the current crop of electric hatchbacks in sharing its underpinnings with the combustion-engined version. That gives it a more traditional hatchback look than others, which will appeal to some.

At a little under 4.4m in length, the 308 remains one of the hatchback class’s more effete members - although some of its electric-only competitors use cleverer packaging to deliver even more compact dimensions. At well under 1.5m in height, however, the car avoids the funny, higher-rise proportions from which some rivals seem to suffer. In that sense, it carries its underfloor battery cleverly.

The 2025 facelift has brought updated headlights, which are now split into two units on each side: the top one just contains the ‘three-claw’ daytime-running lights, while a smaller unit has the main beams. Peugeot has also replaced all the chrome with gloss black.

Sharing its EMP2 platform does come with some compromises, as it does seem to limit the size of battery that it can carry. For the facelift, this has been upgraded thanks to denser cells from 51.0kWh to 55.4kWh (usable), which is similar to the mid-grade VW ID 3 Pro and the standard-range Kia EV4. Both of those also offer a much bigger battery as an option, though.

The platform also lumps the 308 with a rear torsion beam rather than a multi-link, as in rivals. The single electric motor sits at the front, like in the Kia EV4 and Renault Megane E-Tech, but unlike VW Group MEB cars. There’s only one motor option with a slightly weedy-sounding 154bhp. It’s surprising that this hasn’t been swapped out for the e-408’s 207bhp unit.

INTERIOR

Pros

Sculptural dashboard is bold and attractive

Upmarket materials

Estate has a big boot

Cons

Second-row passenger space is below the class average

Material finish quality is a little inconsistent

Infotainment is a little slow and unintuitive

Peugeot 308 GT Electric SW review 2025 030

The e-308 takes the third-generation 308’s interior wholesale, the regular hatchback itself having been introduced only in 2021. It has quite a boldly sculpted fascia dominated by a central touchscreen infotainment system, with the car’s primary control layout conforming to Peugeot’s i-Cockpit ergonomic regime (which makes for a small, low-sprouting steering wheel, a high-set digital instrument pack and a driver’s seat positioned so you can see the latter over the upper edge of the former’s rim).

Even lower-tier, Allure-trim cars get Peugeot’s impressive i-Connect 10in touchscreen infotainment system, with its driver-selectable i-Toggle shortcut controls. Allowing you to set your own quick-access permanent menu shortcuts for things like navigation, audio and driver assistance functions, these are a great aid to usability.

Peugeot offers a couple of seat comfort upgrade packages, one with massagers as well as heating, but they’re only available at additional cost on top-grade GT models. For the money, I think I’d stick with an Allure car and the standard seats. This also has the benefit of physical controls for the climate control.
Matt Saunders
Road test editor

Driver comfort is good, the quirky control layout working better in the 308 than in other Peugeots, both larger and smaller.

Material quality is high in places, but some harder, cheaper mouldings rob the car of a really consistent high level of fit and finish. On the eye at least, the impression of apparent quality is convincing enough, though.

Second-row space is limited, even by mid-sized hatchback standards, but growing kids or young teenagers would be happy enough back there, and that’s precisely the compact-second-car vibe that Peugeot has always pursued with its Golf rivals.

Boot space is class competitive for the hatchback. There's 361 litres below the load bay cover, which is acceptable, but it's smaller than in the ICE version.

The figure rises to 505 litres for the longer-wheelbase e-308 SW estate. Once again, this is smaller than in the ICE equivalent, but it is usefully larger than the boot found in the MG 5.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

Pros

Very smooth and refined

Cons

Slow

Limited regen control

Stellantis’s very latest electric powertrain hardware doesn’t quite give this car the turn of speed that some might expect for the money or that you may find elsewhere, but it’s delivered in a car that’s very refined and easy to drive, even by EV standards. There’s no sense of deficiency about the quiet, progressive, pleasant way that the e-308 accrues and carries speed, but it needs around 9.0sec (longer in the SW) to get to 62mph from rest, in a class where something between 7sec and 8sec is closer to the norm.

Just like in other Stellantis EV, you have to remember to use Sport driving mode to get the full 154bhp from the motor, which is quite annoying given it’s already down on power compared with the rest of the class. While there’s very respectable motorway urge when you do, as well as plenty of A- and B-road performance, there’s isn’t quite enough to quicken the pulse.

The 2025 update has finally brought steering wheel paddles to adjust the regenerative braking, but we can’t help but wonder why Peugeot bothered, given that there are just three levels and none of them amounts to a full coasting or one-pedal mode.

RIDE & HANDLING

Pros

Masks the weight of its batteries well

Supple and isolated ride isn't at the expense of some cornering agility

Cons

Front-wheel-drive chassis can't quite engage you like RWD rivals

Much like the styling and mechanicals, the e-308 feels like quite a traditional hatchback to drive, which is certainly no bad thing and will appeal to drivers seeking familiarity rather than wilful modernity from their electric hatchback.

The ride walks a middle ground between the particularly distant and softly sprung Kia EV4 and the tauter alternatives. It doesn’t have the damping sophistication of some of the VW Group MEB cars (which also offer adaptive suspension), but the wheels deliver a quiet, supple, rubbery-feeling ride with plenty progressive body control. The grip level doesn’t feel as if it has been compromised for the sake of lower rolling resistance and the handling doesn’t feel overly burdened by mass, as plenty of EVs still can in both cases.

Holding the button with the car icon disables the lane keep assist, overspeed warning and driver monitoring. Ironically, the lane keep assist is actually very unintrusive.
Illya Verpraet
Road Tester

The extra bulk of the e-308’s batteries even seems to give the car’s downsized steering wheel greater useful weight and makes placing it in a corner feel more intuitive than in plenty of other current Peugeots. You might stop short of calling what it all amounts to fun, but it's certainly gratifying.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

Pros

Delivers impressive on-road efficiency

Well priced

Cons

Doesn't have a long-range version like rivals

DC rapid charging speed is far behind rivals

Prices for the e-308 have usefully come down. £30,245 is still no insignificant amount of money, but it does represent decent value compared with rivals. We would stick with that entry-level Allure spec too, because it comes with most of what you need and little of what you don’t. Heated seats are standard, and on this entry-level trim, you get good old physical climate controls instead of the extra touchscreen on the GT.

While the e-308 is down on battery capacity compared with some rivals, it is at least quite efficient. We’ve seen 4.4mpkWh from a hatchback (a bit less from the SW), which should make for around 240 miles of range. Rapid charging is starting to look very last generation, though, at just 100kW.

LONG-TERM REPORTS

Read our full long-term report here

How comfortable is it on a long drive?

The optional Driver and Passenger Seat Pack is £500, but a real treat on a long journey thanks to its massage function. It helped us get over the annoyance of the oddly shaped steering wheel.

Other than that, though, we soon got used to the i-Cockpit layout, with the seat set slightly higher than usual so we could see over the wheel to the dashboard.

Does it cope well with wet weather?

We were impressed with the e-308 in the rain: unlike some front-wheel-drive EVs, it doesn’t have huge amounts of torque to overwhelm the driven wheels. That means good traction even in the wet, and it brakes similarly confidently.

How easy to use is the infotainment system?

The infotainment screen is a good size, and we really appreciated the i-Toggle touch-sensitive shortcut switches beneath, which you can pre-programme so that the functions you need most often can easily be selected.

It’s much more intuitive than having to scroll through lots of menus.

Is it practical?

Make no mistake the space taken up by the battery pack does little to affect its practicality – the boot is a good size and shape. There are also some neat touches, such as netted storage areas on each side and remote releases to release the rear seatback.

Improvements for the next generation?

The back seats are very snug, so we’d be tempted to move the rear bench a few inches, or put it on runners – as it stands there is no more space than in the 308 hatchback.

We would also be pleased to see the option of a larger battery pack. We struggled to better 200 miles from a full charge, some way off the WLTP claimed range of 254 – which in itself isn’t huge.

VERDICT

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating: 7

Peugeot e-308

Price cut and bigger battery put EV in a new light. It offers a reassuringly traditional driving experience and, in estate form, a 505-litre boot

Good

Compact size feeds into its handling appeal

Looks stylish and sophisticated

Efficient

Bad

Slow by class standards

Second-row space is below par for the class

Doesn't have the range of some and manages only 100kW DC charging

The e-308’s dramatic price adjustment puts it in quite a different position from when it was launched. It’s sophisticated if not outright exciting to drive, yet compared with the ID 3, EV4, Renault Megane and even China’s MG 4 EV, it’s now quite affordable.

And while it doesn’t have the biggest battery, it is usefully efficient, so its real-world range should comfortably exceed 220 miles. Particularly as a roomy estate, the e-308 is more tempting than ever.

TECHNICAL SPECS

Model tested:

Peugeot e-308 GT Premium

Price:

£30,995

Price as tested:

£34,495

Electric motor/s:

Hybrid synchronous motor, front mounted 

Drive battery:

Li-ion nickel manganese cobalt

Driveline layout:

Front, transverse; front-wheel drive

Model tested

Peugeot e-308 GT Premium

Price

£30,995

Price as tested

£34,495

View all specs and rivals

Electric motor/s

Hybrid synchronous motor, front mounted 

Drive battery

Li-ion nickel manganese cobalt

Driveline layout

Front, transverse; front-wheel drive

Power

154bhp

Torque

199lb ft

0-62mph

9.3sec

Top speed

106mph

Kerb weight (DIN)

1674kg

Battery size

58.3/55.4kWh (total/usable)

Energy efficiency

4.1-4.2mpkWh

Range

237-267 miles

Max. charge rate

7.4/100kW (AC/DC)

Rivals Cupra Born Renault Megane E-Tech Kia EV4

Power

154bhp

Torque

199lb ft

0-62mph

9.3sec

Top speed

106mph

Kerb weight (DIN)

1674kg

Battery size

58.3/55.4kWh (total/usable)

Energy efficiency

4.1-4.2mpkWh

Range

237-267 miles

Max. charge rate

7.4/100kW (AC/DC)

Rivals Cupra Born Renault Megane E-Tech Kia EV4

Illya Verpraet

Title: Road Tester

As a road tester, Illya drives everything from superminis to supercars, and writes reviews and comparison tests, while also managing the magazine’s Drives section. Much of his time is spent wrangling the data logger and wielding the tape measure to gather the data for Autocar’s in-depth instrumented road tests.

He loves cars that are fun and usable on the road – whether piston-powered or electric – or just cars that are very fit for purpose. When not in test cars, he drives an R53-generation Mini Cooper S.

Matt Saunders

Title: Road test editor

As Autocar’s chief car tester and reviewer, it’s Matt’s job to ensure the quality, objectivity, relevance and rigour of the entirety of Autocar’s reviews output, as well contributing a great many detailed road tests, group tests and drive reviews himself.

Matt has been an Autocar staffer since the autumn of 2003, and has been lucky enough to work alongside some of the magazine’s best-known writers and contributors over that time. He served as staff writer, features editor, assistant editor and digital editor, before joining the road test desk in 2011.

Since then he’s driven, measured, lap-timed, figured, and reported on cars as varied as the Bugatti Veyron, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Tesla Roadster, Ariel Hipercar, Tata Nano, McLaren Senna, Renault Twizy and Toyota Mirai. Among his wider personal highlights of the job have been covering Sebastien Loeb’s record-breaking run at Pikes Peak in 2013; doing 190mph on derestricted German autobahn in a Brabus Rocket; and driving McLaren’s legendary ‘XP5’ F1 prototype. His own car is a trusty Mazda CX-5.