Peugeot e-208 Review
We were really excited to take delivery of a brand new Peugeot e-208 for a morning to get a brief insight into what an affordable electric car for the masses might look like and understand whether we would enjoy driving it.
There are four model lines available; all get the same 50kWh battery with 136 horsepower and each produce 0 g/km of CO2. OTR prices start from around £25,000 but get in touch with one of our leasing experts to find out what deals are available on personal contract or business contract hire.
Charging and range
We drove the top of the range GT in pearlescent 'Vertigo Blue', but in a unique twist the standard colour on this car is 'Faro Yellow'. This is great for those who want to inject a bit of colour into the roads, but some slightly more conservative options of black, greys and whites are also available.
In terms of the range, official WLTP figures from Peugeot state 217 miles. The powertrain benefits from 260 Nm of torque from 0mph. There are three charging options available:
- Domestic (AC): requires an adapter cable and will take 24 hours to charge from a regular 10A/£ kWh socket
- Fast (AC): will get you a full charge in 7.5 hours from a 32A/7kWh wall box
- Rapid charge (DC): charge from a dedicated 100kWh terminal and get an 80% charge in just 30 minutes.
Model lines
As standard all models get features such as cruise control, a 7” touchscreen, mirror screen for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and automatic headlights. Here's a breakdown of the model line-up.
‘Active’ models are the most basic, and get the following:
- 16” 'Plaka' Alloys
- Gloss black detailing (wheel extensions, edge trim) and ‘e’ badges.
- Automatic air-con
- Electronic parking brake
- 3.5” i-Cockpit instrument panel
- Comfort seats
- Electric and heated door mirrors
- Rear parking sensors
- Automatic windscreen wipers
- USB and USB-C sockets
‘Allure’ models get all of that, in addition/replacement to:
- 16” ‘Elborn’ Alloys
- Gloss black B-Pilar and rear bumper
- Leather effect/cloth mix seats
- Electric rear windows
- 3D Head-Up instrument panel
- Central front armrest
- ‘Claw Effect’ LED rear lights
- Wireless charging
‘GT Line’ models are one further up and get:
- Parking sensors (front and rear)
- 180 Degree Reversing Camera
- 17” diamond cut, two-tone Alloys
- Gloss black door mirror shells, dark chrome radiator grille and diamond black roof
- Tri-material seats (leather effect and cloth) with green contrast stitching
- 8-colour ambient lighting
- LED daytime running lights and Smartbeam Assist
‘GT' is top of the line-up and gets:
- 10” touchscreen
- Connected 3D navigation with TomTom
- Adaptive cruise control
- Lane positioning assist
- Active blind spot monitoring
- Heated front seats
Safety features
As far as safety, all of the new 208s get an antonymous braking system which is essentially technology developed to avoid or reduce the severity of collisions by reducing the vehicle's speed. This means the driver will get visual and audible distance warning alerts when they're too close to a pedestrian or the driver in front. Failure to acknowledge these will trigger the automatic emergency braking system.
All cars will also get SOS assistance which both manually or automatically (depending on the situation) alerts the emergency services of your location and sends assistance.
Drive and performance
The e-208 will sprint from 0-60 in 8.1 seconds and can flip between three different driving modes; Eco, Normal and Sport. As with any EV, you have the luxury of immediate power, whilst the maximum speed tops out at 93mph. The ride is comfortable, and you get the signature small Peugeot steering wheel, which makes the whole experience feel a bit… racier.
We’ve heard a few people comment on road noise on this car, but in all honesty, I didn’t think it hindered the experience at all. One of the slightly disconcerting things with an electric car can be the silence without the engine, so in my book, a bit of road noise just made it feel less alien and more like we were driving a run of the mill hatchback.
The Verdict
What we love about the e-208 is that Peugeot haven’t tried to provide us with a brand new car; they’ve essentially taken a car that people love - the Peugeot 208 - and put an electric battery in it. It’s a really exciting thing to see so many mainstream manufacturers bringing their electric cars to the table, and one thing is for sure; when the time comes for you to make the move to lease a fully electric vehicle, you’ll surely be spoilt for choice.
