Peugeot e208 Review

Practicality and Boot Space

The remarkable thing about the e208 is actually how unremarkable it is. Sit inside and it has exactly the same space, comfort and boot capacity as the petrol and diesel versions. It’s not big or small for the class – it sits right in the middle and is exactly as you would expect for a car of this size.

That means the boot, with a measured size of 311 litres is about half-way between the smaller Volkswagen e-UP!’s 251 litres and the bigger Nissan Leaf’s 405 litres. There’s no froot/frunk (front boot) like in some electric cars though, as all of the under-bonnet space is taken up with motors and other hardware. It’s a shame there’s no space under the boot floor to hide charging cables either.

In terms of passengers, the e208 is pretty much as you’d expect. It’s a five door, so school run pick-ups will be easy and all but the lankiest teenagers will be able to cram themselves in the back and be comfortable.

Technology

It might be a humble hatchback, but even the cheapest e208 is surprisingly advanced. Anyone who’s trading in a five-year-old car could be in for a bit of a shock. For a start, there’s a screen where you’d normally find old-fashioned dials and on all of the models expect the cheapest ‘Active’, some vital info is projected onto the base of the windscreen to give a head-up display. 

A 7 or 10-inch touchscreen sits in the centre of the dashboard – Peugeot calls it a ‘virtual cockpit’. It means you can keep an eye on all the of car’s vital signs and use the TomTom branded navigation. You don’t need to get into the car to play with the tech though; charging can be controlled by an app on your smartphone, which also lets you preheat and defrost the car while you are still in bed on a cold morning. 

If you don’t mind having a bit of friendly advice about your style of driving, the app a will also give you hints and tips to help you make the most efficient use of the power in your battery. 

When you need to top up the battery on your phone, there’s a wireless charging pad. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity are standard too.

Safety

The independent crash testing organisation EuroNCAP checked out a petrol version of the new 208 and gave it a four-star rating (out of five). This looks a little disappointing compared to some rivals – notably the five-star Renault Zoe. However, the Peugeot actually got better scores for its protection of adults (front) and children (in the rear) but was stripped of a star because some of the accident-prevention technology isn’t standard on all models in the range.

So, if you want the safest e208, you’ll have to find a few more pounds to buy one of the posher versions. If you do, it’ll have gadgets like lane departure warning, and automatic braking which can sense pedestrians and cyclists even at night. 

It will even monitor the blind spot over your shoulder and if you attempt to change lanes and the car thinks you haven’t spotted another vehicle next to you, it will actively stop you pulling out.