Are you considering switching to electric vehicles, but have concerns, the Peugeot e-208 might be the vehicle for you.
That’s because, unlike many of its competitors, including the BMW i3, Honda E and Renault Zoe, the Peugeot e-208 isn’t an electric car specifically designed to stand out from “normal” petrol and diesel cars – it’s just a big-engined Peugeot 208, with a battery And an electric motor instead of an engine with cylinders and pistons.
The only real visual difference in the Peugeot e-208 is its comparison with the petrol and diesel versions of the 208, which do not have the “e” badge on the rear sides of the car. And when you get behind the wheel, you’ll also notice some electrical details on the driver display.
And the Peugeot e-208 is offered even with the same trim levels as the regular 208 – Active, Active Premium, Allure, Allure Premium, GT and GT Premium – as its fossil-fueled sibling.
As the first mass-produced electric vehicle (EV), the Peugeot e-208 represents a major shift for the French brand, and a seemingly well-timed move. However, the Peugeot e-208 needs an impressive real-world range, as well as competing with competitors such as the Fiat 500, Zoe, Mini Electric and Vauxhall Corsa-e in other respects.
In our in-depth review, we’ll find out how the Peugeot e-208 compares to its main electric competitors, and which new car you ultimately decide to buy,
PERFORMANCE AND DRIVING
Let’s start with the numbers. The Peugeot e-208 has a 45 kWh battery powered by a 134 hp electric motor – enough to propel the car, and in our tests, it went from 0-60 mph in 7.5 seconds. This means that it is comfortably faster than the Renault Zoe, although not quite as nimble as the Kia e Niro or the Mini Electric.
The Peugeot e-208 also has an impressive official range of 217 miles on a full charge. You wouldn’t get that far in real-world driving, but based on our testing, 150 miles in the winter and 170 miles in the summer is a realistic expectation without much effort. That’s way beyond what a Fiat 500 or Honda E can reach, although the Zoe has a longer range.
Riding comfort is better than it was on the Zoe – or the Mini Electric for that matter. It’s just the potholes and expansion joints that the e-208’s relatively soft suspension system struggles to deal with; These obstructions sometimes send jerks through the vehicle. There’s also more steepness when braking than you might encounter in many competitors, including the Fiat 500 and Zoe.
On the topic of brakes, as with all electric cars, the Peugeot e-208 has something called regenerative braking. It just means that the energy is recovered during the idle process, and returned to the battery. Depressing the brake pedal increases this effect, but this means that the pedal feels oddly spongy, which can make it difficult to slow your progress smoothly.
On a positive note, the Peugeot e-208 is quieter than its main competitors, especially the Mini and 500, and also the Zoe. You notice this most at highway speeds, where the e-208 does a great job of keeping out road and wind noise.
The e-208 isn’t particularly fun to drive and there’s more body slender than the Mini or Zoe, but it does feel a lot firmer through fast corners than the smaller 500 and Honda E models and there’s plenty of grip. Likewise, the steering is precise and there’s enough weight build up when you turn into curves to give you confidence, but don’t expect too much feedback.
Interior Interior
design, fit and finish
We’ll start this section with a controversial topic: the driving position of the Peugeot e-208. Unconventionally, you’re supposed to see its iCockpit digital instruments (speedometer, etc.) by looking at the steering wheel rather than through it, something Peugeot has tried to make easier by shrinking the steering wheel to the size of a dinner plate.
And if you’re tall, or sit close to the steering wheel with the seat up, you’ll probably think the whole arrangement is great. But many will find that the steering wheel completely obscures their view of the tools, and they will have to resort to moving the wheel or seat to an uncomfortable position just so they can see how fast they are at. For this reason, we highly recommend that you do a test drive before purchasing. In order not to encounter what some in the Corsa-e have closely related to this problem, thanks to the full-size steering wheel and sharper digital instruments.
The “3D” effect of the tools (standard from Allure Premium trim onwards) is also one of the issues; It makes the instruments more difficult to read than competitors such as Renault ZOE or Mini Electric. And at the very least, the speed readings are in a prominent position. You can also prioritize satellite navigation maps or other information based on your needs.
The interior quality is generally excellent. The dashboard materials feel nice-grained, the leather on the steering wheel is just fine-grained and there’s fewer hard, scratchy plastics you’ll find in a Zoe or Corsa-e, although the Mini Electric looks sleeker inside than the Peugeot tested here. .
A 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system is standard, with a larger 10.0-inch touchscreen display optional on Allure Premium and standard on GT and GT Premium models. Either way, the graphics aren’t great and the screen doesn’t always respond as quickly as you’d like, but it’s nice that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto mirroring come standard.
However, it is annoying that adjusting the air conditioning that also requires the use of a touch screen; And it would be much better if there were actual discs for adjusting the internal temperature, such as those on the Corsa-e. All in all, the 500, Zoe and Mini (especially with the upgraded 8.8-inch screen) have superior infotainment systems.
Passenger space and luggage compartment
Although the Peugeot e-208 is a relatively small car, tall people should find enough room at the front. Head and legroom is plentiful, and the interior is spacious enough not to risk an elbow-displacement battle between front-seat passengers.
There’s also decent storage space, including good-sized door bins, several small chests, and a drawer under the dashboard. On top of that, there’s a hidden compartment that you tap to open to reveal another useful storage location – where you’ll also find a wireless phone charging pad if you check this checkbox.
Legroom in the rear is reasonable, and there’s plenty of legroom under the front seats. Although the headroom is a bit cramped, it is better than the Fiat 500, Mini Electric and Renault ZOE. Just be sure to avoid adding a panoramic sunroof as this lowers the roof height a bit.
The closely related Peugeot e-208 and Corsa-e both have relatively small rear door openings that can make getting on board a bit awkward. Mind you, at least there are back doors; The competitor to the Fiat 500 Mini Electric is available in a three-door variant only.
And if you’re wondering if there’s a practical compromise in choosing a Peugeot e-208 over a petrol or diesel version when it comes to luggage space, there is no compromise. Whether you choose fossil-fueled or electric-powered ones, all 208s have the same luggage compartment capacity. This means that you won’t be able to carry more luggage than you carry in the Mini Electric, although Zoe will carry more. Unfortunately, there is no easy-to-use, height-adjustable luggage compartment floor as there is on the Mini.
Costs and judgment
Daily costs, in addition to how reliable and safe they are
The Peugeot e-208 costs more to buy than some small electric cars, such as the Fiat 500, but beyond that expect more, it’s more practical than others and can travel farther between charges.
In fact, prices are broadly in line with Renault ZOE and similarly sized Mini Electric, although the Peugeot e-208 price tag rises above those if you choose one of the higher trim levels. We do not recommend doing this, but we recommend that you avoid the active sector that is poorly equipped.
Active Premium provides automatic air conditioning, rain-sensing wipers, rear parking sensors and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. We think the Allure is a good range choice, as it adds luxurious seating and some smarter exterior styling. And higher trim levels, especially GT and GT Premium, stray from the ID.3 region, so they’re too expensive to recommend.
And unlike Renault Zoe and Mini Electric, which are limited to charging speeds of 50 kW, the Peugeot e-208 battery can support charging rates of up to 100 kW. Note that 100kW charging points are fairly rare in some countries, but if you can find one, the e-208 can charge from 10-80% in about 30 minutes. Or if you charge it from a home charger with a power of 7 kW, the charging process from 0 to 100% will take 7 hours and 30 minutes.
Peugeot finished a disappointing 25th place (out of 31 manufacturers) in 2020 car opinion research? This is in the survey on reliability, although the e-208 itself was not included in that survey. But a three-year warranty should help increase reliability, consisting of two years of unlimited mileage coverage from the manufacturer and an additional year provided by Peugeot’s dealer network, to reduce any reliability concerns. Meanwhile, the battery is covered by an eight-year or 100,000-mile warranty which is similar to that offered by competitors with the same warranty periods.
Peugeot electric tested with us got Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) on all models which, if you choose the GT or GT Premium model, works at night and can recognize cyclists. These two upper trim levels also benefit from blind spot monitoring. However, the e-208 received a relatively disappointing four stars (out of five) for safety when rated by Euro NCAP, with injury protection rated for adults seated in the back as ‘Poor’.
Loyal Peugeot e-208
It has a great interior that is decent for driving. But some competitors are cheaper and can go as far between charges as it is, but the e-208 is still an SUV. The interior is striking, elegant, decent to drive, and well-equipped. Renault ZOE can get more miles between charges, but the downside is that the brake pedal is soft, and it’s not cheap.
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