PEUGEOT PLUGS A GAP (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_peugeote408_2025

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 50

Conventional family hatchbacks that are also full-EVs were still quite thin on the ground back in 2023 but Peugeot's E-308 hoped to set a trend for them. It came in hatch and estate forms and aimed to establish some fresh standards for the kind of car family EV should be.

Modelsword count: 5

5dr Hatch, SW estate (EV)

Historyword count: 179

Back in 2023, something we hadn't seen much in the explosion of full-electric compact cars were EV versions of conventional family hatchbacks. True, those then looking at either a Volkswagen ID.3 or a Kia Niro EV were essentially getting that, but both those manufacturers pretended those cars were Crossovers. Here though was something much more straightforward, the Peugeot E-308. In terms of conventional EV family hatches, it was arguably the first one we'd seen since the Volkswagen e-Golf was discontinued in 2019. Unlike that car, there was more than one body style, an SW estate offered as well as a 5-door hatch. And developed alongside this model with exactly the same 54kWh battery and powertrain were full-electric versions of its close Stellantis Group cousin, the Vauxhall Astra. This 308 was the first of the two cars to market and joined the existing 308 Hybrid Plug-in model for those wanting to make a more eco-minded choice in this segment. Late 2025 brought a mid-term facelift, but it's the pre-facelift 2023-2025-period versions of this P5-era E-308 that we look at here.

What You Getword count: 521

The 308 was the first Stellantis Group model to be offered with combustion, Plug-in Hybrid or pure electric power. Either way, beyond different badgework, visual differentiations designating the various powertrains used are few. Unlike most EVs, there's no ugly blanked-off front grille and the look of this appendage changes subtly with trim choice, the grille featuring horizontal chrome stamping on the mainstream 'Allure' model or a dark chrome chequered finish on a 'GT' variant. The cabin of this third generation 308 was virtually unaltered for this E-308 model. Which means that everything's very in-your-face and angular. Virtually everything you touch feels tactile and of high quality. And, as usual with a 308, the first thing you're going to have to decide is whether you can get on with the distinctive 'i-Cockpit' dash design with its tiny steering wheel, above which (rather than through which) you're supposed to view the instruments. The little gauges you view, of the virtual variety displayed on a 10-inch screen, are unusual too, but all the information shown is clear and easy to assimilate and the screen layout gets clever 3D graphics with top 'GT' trim. The central monitor is also 10-inches in size, but is deeper and more informative, underscored by a row of what Peugeot calls 'i-toggle' switches which operate the climate features but can be re-programmed for other functions if you wish. Normally, you'd expect this central screen layout to flow down into the lower part of the centre stack, but the designers clearly felt more storage space could be freed up by separating out the angular lower console with its diminutive little 'impulse selector' gear shifting switch. Lumbar adjustment comes as standard for the beautifully-upholstered seats, with the exception of restricted rear three-quarter vision, the ergonomics are fine and build quality from the French Mulhouse factory is difficult to fault. The downsides of not creating a EV from a clean sheet of paper are generally most obvious in terms of rear seat passenger space and so it is here. It's certainly not what you'd call spacious in the back - or at least it won't be if you've front seat folk of at least average height sitting ahead of you - and there's the kind of prominent central transmission tunnel that you'd think a front-driven EV wouldn't need. We should point out that the SW estate version offers a fraction more leg space than the hatch, but the difference isn't great and you'd certainly do better in class rivals like Volkswagen's ID.3 or BYD's Atto 3. Conventionally-engined 308s offer 412-litres of luggage space but, like the Plug-in Hybrid model, the trunk capacity of this E-308 falls to 361-litres because of all the battery cells beneath the floor. Obviously, because of its slightly higher roof line, the SW estate version has a larger boot, 548-litres in size in the E-308 model. Fold everything flat and the E-308 hatch will offer you 1,271-litres of capacity. For the E-308 SW estate, the seats-folded figure is 1,574-litres. You'll have to fit everything in the back because unlike with some EV rivals, there's no extra under-bonnet 'frunk' space.

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