Peugeot e-2008 review

Always need the very latest smartphone? Follow the latest catwalk fashion statements? Well, the Peugeot e-2008 might be your sort of car. It’s not only an in-vogue small SUV, but also runs purely on electricity. Rest assured FOMO will be a thing of the past with one on your driveway.

But if you’ve wrestled with the idea of buying an EV and worry it’s all too big a step, then the e-2008 is the EV for you – all that distinguishes it from 2008 is its new grille and badging.

Still, even without obvious hints to its electric propulsion, the e-2008 is a sharp, modern-looking car with a variety of LED light slashes and bodywork creases that make a VW e-Golf and Hyundai Kona Electric look a bit dull.

And the same is true of the inside where you’ll find yourself enveloped by the e-2008’s sculpted design and a pair of large infotainment screens. It looks brilliant and feels pretty expensive, too, though the Peugeot’s fiddly controls could learn a lot from the more intuitive VW and Hyundai.

On the upside, there’s not much to complain about in terms of practicality. There’s plenty of room for a young family and loads of storage spaces to help you keep the interior tidy. Even boot space – there’s room for a set of suitcases – remains the same as in the regular 2008.

The most obvious clue that the e-2008 is electric comes when you start it, silently. It’s powered by a 100kW (or 136hp) electric motor, which doesn’t seem like much but factor in 260Nm of torque that’s available the moment you put your foot down, and it feels surprisingly quick.

The e-2008 is like a Quartz wristwatch – it looks completely conventional on the outside but under its skin, traditional mechanicals are replaced by electronics.

Charging to 80% on a 50kWh public fast charger will take around 50mins, but the e-2008 comes with 100kWh charging as standard. if you can find one, the time drops to 28 minutes. A charge on a domestic plug will take 20 hours, and that home charge will translate to around £7 in cost, which versus a petrol car over the same distance will save you around £16. If you can’t charge at home, take a look at our charging map to find your nearest public charger.

The Peugeot e-2008 is a relaxing car to drive, with little noise, effortless performance and no gearbox to worry about the e-2008 is a point-and-shoot tonic to the misery that is real-world driving in town.

Higher speeds reveal the heavier e-2008 is less happy cornering quickly than the standard car, although there’s not a huge amount in it. And the cars are similarly closely matched on the motorway with the electric model’s silent motor keeps things nicely hushed, though it still suffers from a little bit of wind noise around the windscreen.

It’s here that the e-2008’s modest 192-mile range becomes more of an issue because it drops rapidly at cruising speed. In the city, the range steadies thanks to regenerative brakes that top up the battery when you lift your foot off the accelerator, though they only apply a light force, so you can’t rely on them to brake the car like you can in a Nissan Leaf.

All of which means, the e-2008 makes a strong case for itself as a stylish, practical and extremely comfortable SUV. If you can live with the limited range, it’s the pick of the 2008 range. Check out our Peugeot deals page for the very best prices.