Peugeot e-308 SW review

Driving position

Peugeot's i-Cockpit design has been through a couple of phases in its life, and it's far better than it was, but it still causes some issues in Peugeot's smaller cars, such as the e-308 SW.

The steering wheel is positioned low, and you look over it at your digital instrument cluster rather than through it. In bigger cars with more interior space, like the e-3008, it works, but in the e-308's slightly more cramped interior, it doesn't always work.

This is especially true if you like to sit low, because the lower portion of the display might be blocked by the upper portion of the steering wheel.

The slightly raised floor (due to the placement of the batteries) further adds to the compressed feel.

Thankfully, other factors that impact driving position, such as seat comfort and support, and outward visibility, are all better.

Tech and features

Peugeot's interiors have improved over the years to the point that they not only feel premium, but also interesting.

The multi-layer dashboard consists of a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment on top, a secondary touchscreen with space for five programmable shortcut keys beneath, and another row of physical shortcut keys beneath that.

We found it useful customising the touchscreen shortcuts to include quick access to the vehicle's safety systems (such as speed limit warnings) and to play certain radio stations.

Standard kit is already strong, with all 308 SW models getting a reversing camera, rear parking sensors and a digital instrument cluster, but electric models stand out over their combustion counterparts.

For example, heating for the front seats and steering wheel is standard on the e-308 SW, but it's optional for other powertrains.

Electric motors and power

The Peugeot e-308 was one of the group's first models to use the new 156hp motor – a small but welcome upgrade over the 136hp motor we saw in other cars, like the e-208 and e-2008.

Power delivery is smooth, but it does feel sluggish in a world of quick EVs – its 0-62mph time of 9.9 seconds (0.1 seconds slower than the e-308 hatchback) isn't especially impressive.

In fact, the 195hp plug-in hybrid is quicker (7.9 seconds), so it would be nice to see a punchier motor added for the e-308 SW.

Handling and ride comfort

The car's heavier weight (316kg more than the diesel) doesn't do the 308 SW any justice – with combustion engines, it feels agile and sharp.

With the electric motor, it feels bogged down and nowhere near as sharp.

Still, it offers a comfortable ride with a well-insulated cabin on longer trips, so you're unlikely to come out feeling exhausted.

Boot space

Electric cars often have to sacrifice boot space to make room for the batteries, and this is generally more pronounced in smaller cars simply because you have to fit a lot more in.

The e-308 SW has a 548-litre boot, compared with the 608-litre space in the petrol or diesel-powered 308 SW. The plug-in hybrid model also has a smaller 548-litre capacity.

Most of the loss is from underneath the boot floor, so if you're just relying on the visible storage, there's not a huge difference.

It's not far off the 605 litres of boot space the Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer offers – a car that's much bigger and crucially, much more expensive than the Peugeot e-308 SW.

Rear seats

The trade-off for having a big boot is that rear-seat space feels more cramped than in other compact estates, so you'd have more room in the back of something like a VW Golf Estate.

Unfortunately, they don't slide like they might in some electric SUVs, so you're stuck with fairly restricted rear legroom.

Storage solutions

Being a family car, there's plenty of storage in and around the cabin, including two cupholders in the front underneath a sliding cover and a wireless phone charging pad.

Interestingly, space under the front central armrest is nowhere near as deep as in combustion models. A bizarre side effect of the electric powertrain, but one worth noting.

Thankfully, the door bins are well-proportioned and all passengers have access to USB-C ports.

Safety

The Peugeot 308 was independently tested in 2022 by Euro NCAP. Although the rating only specifies it covers combustion and plug-in hybrid versions of the hatchback and estate, it's fair to guess that the electric model would also get a similar score, if not the same.

Those models got a four-star rating, which is pretty average, but other compact estates and most larger electric estates have five-star ratings.

Range and charging

As well as a more powerful motor compared with earlier electric Peugeots, the e-308 SW also gets a slightly bigger 54kWh battery.

It means a claimed range of 254 miles, but Peugeot says you could get around 340 miles if you're sticking to slower speeds around town.

With the efficiency figures we were getting, we were equalling a real-world range of the 210-mile mark, which is still very impressive.

7.4kW charging is standard, and it's the speed most buyers will get if they have a dedicated home charger. A full charge from empty would take around 7.5 hours, but regular top-ups make this far more manageable.

100kW rapid charging is slower than we'd like – cars with similar-sized batteries are now passing 150kW – but you still get a 20-80% charge in around 30 minutes, so you won't be waiting for ages once you've picked up your favourite coffee order in the services.

Reliability

Peugeot has been making the 308 SW for many years and generations, so it's a well-refined recipe. It's mechanically similar to the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer, but it also shares parts with other Peugeot cars, so everything it tried and tested.

Peugeot offers an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty on the Peugeot e-308's battery, ensuring it retains 70% of its original capacity. In reality, unless you're frequently rapid charging and driving huge miles, you're unlikely to see this sort of degradation.