Peugeot E-308 review
The E-308 looks more stylish than ever, and it’s now more competitively priced, somewhat making up for a modest electric range
Our opinion on the Peugeot E-308
Now priced at a much more modest premium over its combustion-powered equivalents, the Peugeot E-308 makes a stronger case than it did previously. It helps that the facelift has sharpened it up further, while the cabin remains a stylish and high-quality place, albeit with the usual i-Cockpit strangeness to the driving position.
On the road, the E-308 focuses on comfort over sportiness, which will suit many buyers down to the ground. They might be less enamoured with how far they can go before having to stop to charge, and the time it’ll take to do so, but this is more acceptable given the price reductions.
About the Peugeot E-308
The Peugeot E-308 is about as straightforward as electric cars get. It’s just a Peugeot 308 with the engine and all the associated bits and pieces swapped for an electric motor and a battery pack. You can’t even tell the two apart without looking really closely for a little ‘E’ badge.
In that sense, the E-308 feels like an accessible first electric car. There’s a familiarity to it, and a lot of buyers will appreciate that it isn’t trying too hard to look like a spaceship, as some EVs seem to do.
The E-308 uses a modest-sized battery, and that makes for a modest range. The charging technology isn’t the most rapid, either. That was difficult to swallow when Peugeot used to charge so much more for an E-308 than the regular petrol and diesel versions of the 308, but the prices have come down dramatically in recent years.
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That makes the electric Peugeot a lot more palatable. Helping it further, it’s pleasant and comfortable to drive, and more relaxing than a regular 308 thanks to the lack of engine noise and vibrations.
Performance & driving experience
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The Peugeot E-308 seems to have little interest in feeling sporty. You’ll have a lot more fun behind the wheel of something like a Cupra Born or an MG4.
For many, that won’t matter one jot. They’ll be more interested in the E-308’s comfort levels, which are generally decent. The suspension soaks up lumps and bumps in the tarmac well, and more successfully than the Vauxhall Astra Electric, which, despite being made from a lot of the same parts, rides quite firmly. It’s not like the E-308 leans too much in the corners, either – the body stays relatively level.
Less good is the driving position. Like all Peugeot cars (a few of the vans escape the treatment), the E-308 has the company’s ‘i-Cockpit’ layout. This involves the use of a smaller-than-average steering wheel placed low, with a high-set digital instrument cluster sitting above. The problem is that it can be difficult to place the steering wheel where it isn’t obstructing your view of the instrument panel. At least, not without adopting a driving position you aren’t used to.
In better news, ditching internal combustion makes the E-308 a much more relaxing driving companion than the standard 308. The three-cylinder engine used in many versions of that car isn’t very refined and is downright noisy when pushed hard, so a smooth, quiet electric motor is a welcome change.
Performance, 0-60mph acceleration and top speed
| Model | Power | 0-62mph | Top speed |
| Peugeot E-308 156 | 154bhp | 9.8 seconds | 106mph |
There’s only one battery and motor combination available in the E-308, combining a 55kWh battery pack with a single motor driving the front wheels. It’s not a very powerful motor, outputting all of 154bhp and 270Nm of torque for a 0-62mph time of 9.8 seconds, and a top speed of 106mph.
Performance, then, is only just about adequate, not helped by a frustrating delay between pressing the accelerator pedal and anything actually happening. Given that electric drive systems are able to supply full torque instantaneously, it’s annoying the E-308 doesn’t let its motor do that, which would have made it more sprightly off the line.
The E-308’s leisurely pace puts it far behind a lot of rivals. A Renault Megane E-Tech, for example, will get you from 0-62mph in a much more respectable 7.6 seconds.
“The E-308’s driving experience won’t thrill you as Peugeots of old might, but its relaxed, comfort-focused nature will suit many buyers." - Matt Robinson, contributor.
Range, charging & running costs
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As with most EVs, the E-308 has the potential to be extremely cheap to run if you can combine it with a variable electricity tariff and time your charging sessions to coincide with cheaper off-peak periods.
Even if you don’t, it’ll be less than £15 to fully charge the battery from empty, which seems reasonable when that top-up is good for 287 miles according to the official WLTP figure.
Electric range, battery life and charge time
| Model | Battery size | Range | Insurance group |
| Peugeot E-308 156 | 55kWh | 287 miles | 26 |
A range of 287 is a notable improvement on the 267 miles managed by pre-facelift versions of the E-308, although it’s still behind most rivals, including the Cupra Born, which is good for 299 miles as standard, and has the option of larger batteries if that’s not enough.
We should also point out that it’ll be very difficult to actually achieve that 287-mile figure, although this isn’t us singling out the E-308 for criticism in this regard – it’s an issue with pretty much every EV out there. During colder times of year, you might struggle to manage 200 miles in the E-308, which can be limiting if you do a lot of longer journeys.
It’s not like you can rely on fast charging to ensure a quick stop to top the battery up. The 100kW fast-charging capability is some way behind the 130kW offered by a Renault Megane E-Tech, and is made to look quite meagre by the Kia EV4’s 150kW capability.
Even if conditions are optimal, the best you can hope for is a 10-80 per cent top-up in 33 minutes, which isn’t brilliant considering that an E-308 on 80 per cent charge might not get you that far.
Interior, design & technology
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The E-308 has long been one of the more stylish options in the class, and has been further tweaked for a facelift. Whether or not it’s an improvement is up for debate – we do miss the light-up ‘lion’s fangs’ of the pre-update model.
It’s also interesting that the E-308 is so close to the standard 308. All but identical, in fact, save for a small ‘e’ badge at the back. Whether you like that or not is going to be down to personal preference – not everyone wants to shout about the fact they have an electric car.
That sense of style extends to the inside, which both looks and feels great. It’s a radical departure from the bargain basement cabins Peugeot was putting together not that long ago.
The colour palette is a little subdued, with the Elixir Red being about as jazzy as it gets, if you’re willing to stump up the best part of a grand. The sole free option, Lagoa Blue, is interesting, at least.
Infotainment, sat-nav and stereo
All models come with a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system plus a similarly sized digital instrument cluster. The former responds quickly to touch, but the software can feel a bit laggy.
The built-in navigation is always a moment or two behind the actual position of the car, too. It’s a reasonably usable system overall, but our preference would be to use something like Google Maps or Waze, which is easy enough thanks to standard-fit wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. We were able to easily connect a device using the latter.
On GT and GT Premium models (optional on Allure), there’s an additional display below the infotainment displaying a series of customisable shortcut tiles. These are a neat touch and give easy-to-reach shortcuts for functions like navigation, but they also delete the bank of physical climate controls that would otherwise be there.
These don’t look as snazzy as the I-Toggles, of course, but it’s much easier using those than it is to fiddle with the controls on the infotainment screen to change climate settings. Try and do that on the move without getting distracted…
“There’s no denying how stylish the E-308’s cabin looks, but the infotainment tech is behind the curve.” - Alastair Crooks, senior news reporter.
Boot space & practicality
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The E-308 seats five, although only two of those will be perfectly happy with the space – those in the front. In the back, it’s a bit more cramped, with limited leg and headroom. It also has less boot space than most other versions of the 308, although it does at least get more than the plug-in hybrid.
The front armrest has a decent-size storage bin underneath, and there’s a pair of cupholders. The door bins can fit plenty of stuff in them, too.
Dimensions and size
The E-308 is a little bigger than some of the cars in the class, but there’s not enough in to be worth swaying your decision away from the Peugeot and to another model.
| Dimensions comparison | |||
| Model | Peugeot E-308 | Renault Megane E-Tech | MG4 |
| Length | 4,367mm | 4,200mm | 4,287mm |
| Width | 1,454mm | 1,505mm | 1,836mm |
| Height | 1,852mm | 2,685mm | 1,504mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,675mm | 1,768mm | 2,705mm |
| Boot space | 361 litres | 440 litres | 388 litres |
Boot space
Due to the location of the E-308’s battery pack, it has less boot space than the hybrid, petrol and diesel models at 361 litres. The rear seats fold in a 60/40 split (the SW version has a more flexible 40/20/40 arrangement) to open up 1,271 litres of total cargo volume.
The Renault Megane E-Tech easily beats the E-308’s modest boot space at 440 litres, while the Cupra Born is slightly ahead with 385 litres on offer.
We’ve no complaints about the E-308’s boot opening, and although there is a slight lip to load items over, it’s not a big drop on the other side.
Reliability & safety
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Euro NCAP hasn’t specifically tested the E-308. Instead, the regular 308’s test from 2022 is carried over. It scored four stars, which is a solid result, but one that looks a bit underwhelming when cars so commonly get the full five stars these days. That includes a few of the E-308’s rivals, including the Cupra Born and Renault Megane E-Tech. It should come as no surprise that the closely related Vauxhall Astra Electric also only mustered four stars.
The 308 struggled in the vulnerable road user and safety assistance system categories the most, managing 68 per cent and 65 per cent respectively. It was rated at 76 per cent for adult occupant protection, and 84 per cent for child occupants.
As standard, you get lane-keeping assist, a driver attention warning, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking and speed limit recognition. A Drive Assist Pack adds lane positioning assistance, blind spot detection and rear-cross traffic alert for an extra fee, although it’s standard on the GT Premium. It’s a shame this isn’t included across the board.
In the past, Peugeot had a poor reputation for reliability, but things have been improving in that regard. The 308 as a whole was placed 18th out of 50 cars in our most recent Driver Power survey, and as a brand, Peugeot finished an impressive 7th of the 30 best manufacturers. It should help the E-308’s cause further that, as an EV, it has far fewer moving parts, so there’s less to go wrong.
Peugeots also had a period of feeling pretty flimsy, but for all its fancier materials, the E-308 still feels solid and as though it’ll wear the miles well.
| Euro NCAP safety ratings | |
| Euro NCAP safety rating | 4/5 |
| Adult occupant protection | 76% |
| Child occupant protection | 84% |
| Vulnerable road user protection | 68% |
| Safety assist | 65% |
Buying, prices and deals
Best buy: Peugeot E-308 Allure
You don’t have to choose a powertrain, given that there’s only one on offer. That only leaves the trim levels. The range starts with the £30,995 Allure, which already ticks a lot of the right boxes, so for a lot of buyers, it makes sense to simply stop there.
You also still get physical climate controls as standard in the Allure, because in the £32,995 GT, they’re replaced with the I-Toggle screen, with other equipment improvements including front parking sensors and adaptive headlights.
Among the additions brought by the £34,495 GT Premium are a heat pump, a 360-degree camera and the safety kit mentioned earlier.
You can save on these list prices by building your new Peugeot E-308 with the Auto Express Buy A Car service. We also have a range of used E-308 models to choose from, and we can even help you to sell your car.
Peugeot E-308 alternatives
While price cuts have made the E-308 more palatable, the closely related Vauxhall Astra Electric has had its own reductions, making it cheaper still. The Vauxhall feels more bargain-basement inside, though, and it doesn’t ride as comfortably.
Another cheap alternative is the MG4, which is more fun to drive. The Cupra Born is another stylish EV of this size, and it’ll go further on a charge, but it is more expensive. Closer on price is the Renault Megane E-Tech, which looks like a strong alternative.
Peugeot E-308 pictures
Frequently Asked Questions
The standard E-308 warranty lasts for three years and 60,000 miles, which we’d consider a bare minimum approach. This can be increased up to eight years and 100,000 miles if you keep the car serviced at a main Peugeot dealer, though. The battery is covered separately by a mandatory warranty lasting eight years and 100,000 miles, guaranteeing at least 70 per cent state of charge.
Deals on the E-308 and alternatives
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