Peugeot e-308 review

Driving position

Sitting inside the Peugeot e-308 can be better than nearly any other family hatchback (this side of a hot hatch) if you’re after a sporty ride, because the low seat, supportive bolstering and wraparound cockpit feel the part.

Thankfully, slim A-pillars and a sensible rear windscreen also help in terms of visibility.

What’s not so conventional, though, is the i-Cockpit steering wheel design. It places a smaller-than-average wheel lower on the dashboard. The principle is to look over it, not through it, at your speedo.

In reality, the top of the wheel generally blocks half of the digital driver’s display, so it’s not quite so ideal.

With a lot of careful refinement done over multiple drives, it can be possible to strike the perfect position, but it rides on the driver’s size and seat height preference, so it’s not always so possible.

It’s definitely worth trying out any modern Peugeot’s seating position before buying to make sure you’re happy with it. For us, after lots of adjustment, we can generally nail it without the wheel impacting the screen too much.

Tech and features

Peugeot e-308 trims

– Allure

– GT

– GT Premium

Every model gets a 10-inch touchscreen and a slick, glossy screen beneath it with configurable shortcut buttons to things like climate control or Apple CarPlay.

The software itself is ok, and it’s a pretty easy system to navigate, but other cars like the VW Golf have more responsive and feature-packed systems. The e-308's infotainment display is just on the cusp of showing its age, let’s say.

A mid-life facelift in 2025 brought some changes to the driver’s display graphics, improved connected services and over-the-air (OTA) updates – all minor but welcome tweaks.

For the electric e-308 in particular, Peugeot also added a new 80% charge limit to help drivers protect their batteries against excessive degradation, plus new vehicle-to-load (V2L) for powering portable devices, such as laptops, air fryers or anything else you may want to charge on location.

While it’s not the most hi-tech interior, we think the e-308 occupies an important middle ground where it’s got enough connectivity without feeling overwhelming. It’s instantly familiar, and physical buttons cut the need to spend too much time navigating the touchscreen.

Electric motors and power

Peugeot e-308 performance stats

– Power: 156hp

– 0-62mph: 9.8 seconds

– Top speed: 106mph

– Driven wheels: Front-wheel drive

Peugeot uses many of the same engines and motors across its entire range, as well as the rest of the Stellantis family (which owns Peugeot as well as Citroën, Jeep, Alfa Romeo, etc). The 156hp electric motor is oh-so familiar, and it’s not a bad pick for the e-308.

This car is light enough to feel brisk enough with the 156hp motor, but it’s more ‘smooth power delivery' than ‘performance’.

A Volkswagen ID.3 or Kia EV4 might be a better pick if you want more pace, with up to 326hp and 292hp respectively.

Importantly, the facelift added adaptable regenerative braking, which the driver can control with steering wheel-mounted paddles. Three levels of regen replace the single ‘B’ mode that the pre-facelift e-308 had, and we’re very grateful for the change.

Kia also has a similar system in its EV4, but what that car has that the e-308 doesn’t is full one-pedal driving. The e-308 won’t come to a complete stop without you pressing the brake pedal.

Handling and ride comfort

The e-308 remains one of the most predictable and enjoyable electric hatchbacks to drive, despite its less engaging front-wheel-drive layout.

Its steering is direct and ride is suitably firm yet composed over bumps, and it might just be one of our favourite hatchbacks to drive on long journeys for this reason.

The small steering wheel also helps with the sporty feel – if you can get to grips with its positioning.

It’s also a quiet place to be, with little wind and road noise, so you can drive hundreds of miles without feeling too tired. More on range below – and it’s good news.

Boot space

Peugeot e-308 boot space:

– Boot space: 361 litres

– Incl. rear seats folded: 1,258 litres

The Peugeot e-308's 361-litre boot isn’t too far from the family hatchback standard, which sits at around 380 litres.

It’s roughly 51 litres smaller than the petrol model due to the battery placement.

The ID.3 (385 litres) and EV4 (435 litres) have more space, but the e-308 never feels short on space.

Like most of its competition, this electric Peugeot lacks a front boot (froot).

Peugeot says it’s because drivers don’t demand them, but we think they’re ideal for keeping charging cables separate and accessible. We’d rather have the option than not at all.

Rear seats

Compared to more spacious rivals, the e-308 feels less accommodating in the rear for adults. The rear door openings are quite small, and the sills are high, so getting in and out isn’t as simple as, say, an ID.3.

Two adults should be fine back there, but not for any hours-long trips.

Storage solutions

The facelift doesn’t bring any major changes to storage, so it still feels pretty average inside. The split-opening front armrest feels premium but it’s not especially large, and the glovebox is smaller than we’d like.

Peugeot e-308 dimensions

– Height: 1,454mm

– Width: 2,062mm

– Length: 4,367mm

– Kerb weight: 1,674kg

Safety

A four-star Euro NCAP safety rating extends to the post-facelift model because the fundamentals are unchanged. Remember that tests get stricter over time, so a four-star rating today might be the equivalent of a five-star rating a few years ago – you can’t compare in a black-and-white way.

If you like as much assistance as possible, consider a high-spec GT Premium car with a 360-degree parking camera, rear cross-traffic alert, blind spot detection, adaptive cruise control and more.

Range and charging

Peugeot e-308: electric range, battery and charging

– Range: Up to 279 miles

– Battery size: 58.4kWh

– Max charging speed: 100kW

– Charge port location: Back right

– Charge time (AC): 8.5 hours (82.6kWh) with a 7kW charger

– Charge time (DC): 20-80% in 32 minutes

– Efficiency: 4.2 mi/kWh (claimed)

It’s good and bad news here, so let’s start with the positives. Range is up by around 20-25 miles, now at 279 miles. The e-308 remains very efficient, claiming over 4 mi/kWh and achieving it in real-world tests.

It comes from fitting the e-308 with a bigger 58.4kWh battery, compared with pre-facelift 54kWh unit.

11kW charging is standard, but most homes in the UK are limited to 7kW anyway, hence the full charge time of around 8.5 hours.

Sadly, rapid charging is still limited to 100kW, which is merely average and falls short of other family hatchbacks which push beyond 150kW. Because of the bigger battery, 20-80% now takes 32 minutes, up from 28 minutes. It’s not ideal for long trips.

A heat-pump is also only standard on GT Premium cars, so lower trim levels may be less efficient in the winter months.

Reliability

The Peugeot e-308 generally performs well in consumer satisfaction surveys, with the only minor niggles typically coming from the software. Thankfully, post-facelift models now support OTA updates, so Peugeot should be able to fix glitches wirelessly.