Peugeot 308 set for radical redesign that's more than just skin deep

The Peugeot 308 is gearing up for a midlife nip and tuck, promising small styling tweaks and subtle upgrades under the skin – previewed here by spy pictures of the SW estate version, hidden in what looks like a test facility somewhere in Europe.

Just three images have been supplied, and the camouflage wrap disguises almost all of the updated car’s design. Despite the fact that the front is completely taped over, it’s most likely the new 308’s styling will take inspiration from the newer 3008 and 5008 SUVs – with sharper headlights and three-prong daytime running lights. 

We can also expect Peugeot to make the grille less prominent than the outgoing car’s, probably with the use of extra body-coloured trim. The current 308’s front end is more reminiscent of a conventional petrol or diesel car, so the maker will want to modernise the model’s look with a fresher face.

To the side we can see a new wheel design not currently offered on the 308. Its geometric, squared-off design isn’t dissimilar to some of the options available on the latest 5008, and should carry over to the production car unchanged. As before, the Peugeot crest features on the front wing.

At the back, we can pick out what looks like a subtly different lighting signature, but the bumper design doesn’t appear to have been altered all that much. The mule – as confirmed by the ‘Electrique’ lettering on the number plate – is thought to be the updated EV version. The clean bumper design and lack of exhaust pipes confirm this.

We don’t expect any fundamental changes to the car’s underpinnings, meaning the 308 will remain on the EMP2 architecture rather than moving to the newer STLA-Medium platform. However, recent updates saw a new Plug-in Hybrid 195 model added to the range – boosting the 308 PHEV’s zero-emission range to almost 50 miles.

Elsewhere, the petrol-electric Hybrid will be carried over, but the diesel is likely to be ditched; the mechanically similar Vauxhall Astra is no longer available with a diesel engine, and the fuel is used sparingly by the 308’s rivals. We may see the E-308’s battery capacity increase slightly, but its usable range is unlikely to trouble dedicated-EV rivals such as the Cupra Born.

The 308 is likely to drop its camouflage over the coming months, before being revealed in full before the end of the year. While we’d usually expect to see a small price hike over the outgoing car, Stellantis (parent company of Peugeot, Vauxhall and Citroen, among others) has been pretty punchy in recent months, slashing costs to ensure certain models come in under the £40,000 VED threshold for ‘luxury’ cars. As such, we may see prices for certain variants – particularly the high-spec PHEVs and EVs – cut to make them more appealing to potential buyers.

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