Peugeot i-On

Text: Tom Phillips / Photos: Otis Clay

March 2011

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Meet the Peugeot that’s seriously switched on! The all-electric iOn is the sister car to Citroen’s C-ZERO, and both are based on the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. But does the newcomer uphold family honour? The iOn is very narrow, so it’s easy to slip through gaps in traffic.

Performance is snappy and the brakes are powerful, too, aided by the electric motor as it regenerates power back to the batteries. Motorway speeds are achievable, but they do dent the iOn’s 93-mile range. The motor, gearbox and batteries are all stowed under the car, so space is decent.

Four adults can travel in relative comfort, and the load bay is big enough for three or four shopping bags. The big drawback is the £33,000-plus list price – although the Government’s EV grant knocks £5,000 off that. As a result, around 90 per cent of buyers are set to be businesses, and fleets will pay £415 plus VAT per month.

A four-year warranty is included – and if you add up the benefits of free parking, exemption from road tax and the London Congestion Charge, plus running costs of around £2 per battery charge, it makes some sense, despite the price.