Peugeot e-208 review

To our eyes, the Peugeot e-208 is one of the best-looking models the firm has produced in years. It has a fairly aggressive face, thanks to LED daytime running lights that extend into the bumper, plus a large grille and contoured bonnet.

Every version, starting with Active Premium trim, has five doors for extra practicality and alloy wheels and rear parking sensors, with equipment such as rear LED lights, full LED headlights, gloss black trim, bigger wheels and keyless entry featuring on Allure, Allure Premium GT and GT Premium trims.

The e-208 looks virtually identical to the latest petrol and diesel-powered 208 supermini, which is also available from cinch in its previous incarnation. The e-208 is only available in the current body style, which went on sale in late 2019.

The e-208 is one of the better small cars to drive. Its electric motor means there’s no engine noise, so this is a very refined driving experience, with only a bit of tyre noise and wind flutter being apparent, the latter at higher speeds.

Some electric cars have supercar-like performance, and while the e-208 is a humble supermini, it can cover the 0-62mph sprint in 8.1 seconds, which is quick enough.

Body control isn’t quite as good as with the Mini Electric or Renault Zoe. There’s plenty of grip, and the ride quality is best on models with smaller wheels.

Peugeot’s interiors have come on in leaps and bounds in recent years, and the e-208’s is good enough to compete with the premium Mini Electric’s.

The first thing that strikes you is the steering wheel – it’s small and has a flattened bottom and top – and you view the driver’s digital instruments above it, rather than through it. This is what Peugeot calls its i-Cockpit design, and it doesn’t take long to get to used to.

The e-208’s interior features plenty of quality materials, including soft-touch plastics and leather (depending on the trim level), chrome-effect trim and glossy black plastics. Everything feels well screwed together.

Entry-level trims get a seven-inch touchscreen, with a 10-inch screen fitted to GT trim as standard or available as an option when the car was new. It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which allows you to use some of your phone’s apps via the car’s screen. There are a few physical shortcut buttons beneath the screen, but you’ll need to dip into the menus to alter the ventilation, which can be annoying.

The e-208 is also identical to the regular 208 for interior space, thanks to the battery being installed beneath the floor. That means there’s lots of room for tall adults in the front seats and a reasonable amount in the rear seats, although a long-legged passenger may feel a little squeezed behind a tall driver.

Sitting in the front seats, you’ll find at least a couple of USB sockets for your mobile devices and there’s storage beneath the central armrest and more in front of the gear lever – including a shelf for your phone. On higher trims, there’s a wireless charging pad for compatible phones. There’s also a glovebox and reasonable-sized door bins, plus a couple of cup holders.

Move to the rear seats and there are more USB sockets on some models, small door bins and nets in the backs of the front seats.

The boot is as roomy as the standard 208’s, which is to say it holds more than that of a Ford Fiesta but can’t beat the Renault Clio. But you’ll still be able to fit plenty of carrier bags or holdalls; the rear seat backs are split 60/40 and fold to accommodate at least a couple of full-size suitcases.

Get a charging point installed at home and the e-208 will be cheaper to run than a petrol or diesel car. Use your 7kW wall box and it’ll take around 8 hours to fully charge from near-flat.

The e-208 is also compatible with 100kW rapid chargers (which add 100 miles of range in 20 minutes) and 50kW fast chargers, which take 40 minutes to add the same amount of range. Officially, the e-208’s range is 217 miles, although expect more like 150 miles in the real world.

Peugeot has a mixed showing in reliability surveys, and the e-208 comes with a three-year warranty when new, so you might want to consider cinchCare for added peace of mind. The battery is covered by a separate eight-year, 100,000 miles warranty, which is par for the course.

We love the e-208’s styling, both inside and out. It’s purposeful and practical, and those rear doors mean you won’t have to get out to let passengers in. Top-level trims come with a raft of safety kit, including cyclist-detecting automatic emergency braking and blind spot monitoring.