Peugeot 108 review

If you think you’ve seen the Peugeot 108 before, that’s most likely because it has a couple of very similar stablemates out there – the Citroen C1 and Toyota Aygo. They’re very much variations on a theme as they are, in essence, the same car with brand-driven tweaks to personalise them. 

Peugeot has taken the basic car and added chrome at the front, a large grille with a chrome surround, angular headlights and large vents surrounding the fog lamps. 

Early 108s come in either three- or five-door versions. Later cars are five-door-only, and if you go for the Top! version, it has a fabric-style roof that rolls back to turn the 108 into a convertible. Perfect for commutes on sunny days or for a solo trip to the beach.  

 At the rear, later 108 models feature a neat centre-exit exhaust, a black tailgate panel and funky LED tail lights. Some models come with attractive-looking alloy wheel designs too. 

The Peugeot 108 isn’t the sort of car you buy for speed. With that in mind, it’s actually a nippy little performer that’s more than capable of keeping up with city traffic and nipping into gaps in the slow flow of commuter jams. The gearshift is also light and pretty quick, which enhances the fun around town. 

The sharp and light steering means it’s easy to whisk into a small parking space or do a rapid U-turn. The soft suspension does a decent job of making sure the worst road scars don’t reach your backside. 

The 108 does tend to feel like it’s having to try quite hard on the motorway, so perhaps might not be the right choice for those who regularly do long trips. 

The funky exterior style of the Peugeot 108 continues inside, where there’s a riot of shapes, plenty of piano-black plastic, plus the odd body-coloured trim to enliven matters.  

The instruments are simple. They comprise a large speedometer that’s flanked by a digital rev-counter and which houses a central digital display that gives you information on economy, distance to being empty and suchlike. 

The centre of the dashboard is dominated by a touchscreen through which you can control the audio set-up and various other systems. Better still, the screen caters for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring, which is what you’ll likely use most of the time.

Below the screen sit the controls for the air-conditioning, which are separate (this is a very good thing). Lower trims have simple dials to adjust things, while top-spec models have electronic controls. 

The plastics used in the interior feel built to last if not necessarily luxurious. Levers, switches, knobs, door pulls and even pedals all operate with a slickly consistent weight that hints at some serious engineering behind the scenes. 

Getting comfortable is simple, although the steering wheel adjusts for height only. Also, while there are electric windows in the front, the rear windows don’t go down at all. They merely pop open at the rear edge. 

The front of the Peugeot 108 is more than big enough for a couple of tall adults to sit quite comfortably. Those same adults will struggle to fit in the back seat however, which is aimed more at carrying young children.  

Further back, the boot is a fair size, although there’s a bit of a lip to lift things over. If you fold down the rear seats they leave a bit of a step in the boot floor. Still, the seats are extremely easy to fold down when you’re at the rear of the car.  

In-cabin storage is good, with decent-sized door pockets, a large cubby in front of the gear lever and a comparatively roomy glovebox. 

Drive the Peugeot 108 with a little bit of restraint and it’ll pay you back by having such a light thirst you’d almost think it ran on air. It should do an average of almost 59mpg in the real world, so your fuel stops will be few and far between. Insurance groups are extremely low indeed, ranging from 6 to 12, so you won’t be shelling out much at all for cover.

The Peugeot 108 does exactly what it says on the tin-it’s a small, cheap city runabout that has plenty of standard equipment and a healthy dose of fun thrown in for good measure. The fact that the interior looks so cool merely serves to enhance the feeling ofjoie de vivre.