Peugeot e-208 review

If you’re looking to make the switch into a small electric car, the Peugeot e-208 could be a great place to start. It has a decent range, cool looks and is more practical day-to-day than the likes of the rival Honda e or Mini Electric.

In fact, it’s also very similar to the Vauxhall Corsa-e – both brands have the same parent company, and are pretty much the same underneath.

Some of the very first vehicles were EVs, but comparing them with modern electric cars like the Peugeot e-208 is like comparing the latest iPhone with morse code. The e-208 can be rapid-charged as standard and be controlled using an app. It’s so good, in fact, that it won the carwow Best Small Electric Car in the 2021 carwow Car of the Year Awards.

The e-208’s sculpted bonnet, three-claw LED light designs and prominent rear piano black trim give it a distinctive look. You can tell it apart from the regular 208  by its ‘e’ badging and special Peugeot badge that changes colour in different lights.

A 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system comes as standard, and includes DAB radio and Bluetooth, but more importantly Apple CarPlay and Android Auto too. An option (or standard on GT models) is a 10-inch version of the same system which also includes a built-in sat-nav. In both cases, the screen is high resolution and the menus fairly easy to navigate with e-208-specific energy info included, although the small on-screen buttons can be hard to hit confidently while driving.

There’s no knocking Peugeot’s new 3D digital dials, though. They’re standard from Allure trim and projected onto different layers to give a three-dimensional effect that looks superb. It also displays key information clearly and are customisable so you can choose what you want to see. The e-208’s dials differ slightly from the standard car’s, display energy, range and charge info.

Space is more of a mixed bag. Two adults will have no problems getting comfortable in the front seats and the driver gets loads of standard manual seat and wheel adjustment. However, adults in the back seats will find their knees brushing the front seatbacks even if their heads are clear of the ceiling. Still, the e-208’s boot doesn’t shrink over the standard car’s thanks to its clever battery placement.

The e-208 comes with loads of trim options. We'd go for range-topping GT if possible, as it looks great instead and out. Head to our deals page to see what you can save!

Peugeot e-208 range and charging>

The e-208 powertrain comprises a 136hp electric motor with enough poke to give the e-208 nippy performance around town while its 50kWh battery has enough juice to travel for up to 217 miles between charges – officially. In our own range test, we managed 161 miles, which still isn’t bad given the car’s size.

Speaking of charges, you’ll only need 30 minutes to boost the e-208’s batteries from flat to 80% fully charged using a fast public charge point. Charging the e-208 at home on a 7kW wall charger takes around 7 hours and should cost you between £8 and £9 depending on your electricity tariff. It’ll save you around £15 versus the average petrol or diesel car for the same miles, too.

Traditionally-powered small cars like the Ford Fiesta will put a bigger smile on your face around corners, but versus other small EVs like the Renault Zoe the e-208 is more fun. It steers and changes direction eagerly, which makes it great for darting through gaps in traffic.

The e-208 is a little heavier than the standard car, thanks to the weight of the batteries, and so Peugeot has stiffened the suspension a little to compensate, which means it doesn’t have the same feeling of comfort as lesser 208s over bumps.

You can also get the Peugeot e-208 with a range of driver assistance systems designed to make long trips less stressful, including a clever cruise control feature that’ll accelerate, brake and steer for you on motorways.

All-in-all the Peugeot e-208 has to be near the top of your list of test drives if you’re in the market for a small electric car.

Make sure you check out our Peugeot e-208 deal pages for the very best prices.