The improved version of Peugeot's E-308 aims to raise the benchmark for what a family EV can offer. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.
Ten Second Review
Conventional family hatchbacks that are also full-EVs are relatively thin on the ground, but Peugeot's E-308 hopes to set more of a trend for them, especially in this usefully updated form with a longer-ranging battery. As before, it comes in hatch and estate forms and aims to establish some fresh standards for the kind of car a family EV should be.
Background
Something we haven't seen much in the current explosion of full-electric compact cars are EV versions of conventional family hatchbacks. True, if you're looking at either a Volkswagen ID.3 or a Kia EV3, that's essentially what you've got, but both those manufacturers pretend those cars are Crossovers. Here is something much more straightforward, the Peugeot E-308.
In terms of conventional EV family hatches, at its launch in 2022 this was the first one we'd seen since the Volkswagen e-Golf was discontinued in 2019. Unlike that car, there's more than one body style, an SW estate offered as well as a 5-door hatch. And developed alongside this model with exactly the same 54kWh battery and powertrain are full-electric versions of its close Stellantis Group cousin, the Vauxhall Astra. This 308 was the first of the two cars to market and in this improved form continues alongside the pricier 308 Plug-in Hybrid model for those wanting to make a more eco-minded choice in this segment.
Engines and Tech Spec
This E-308 features perhaps the most significant engineering change made as part of this mid-term update package. It still features the same front-mounted 154hp motor, but now trades its old 51kWh (usable-capacity) battery for a slightly larger 55.4kWh package. With the result that EV drive range rises from 254 to 281 miles. This battery powers a front axle-mounted 156bhp motor which will get you to 62mph from rest in about 8 seconds. That's provided you engage most focused of the three available drive modes - 'Sport'; the others are 'Normal' and 'Eco'.
As before, it feels quite sporty, thanks to Peugeot's usual (but unusual) 'i-Cockpit' driving position, which sees a dinky little steering wheel that's ideal for wrist-flick manoeuvres. As is normal in an EV, the battery's central lower down positioning minimises the weight downside by lowering the centre of gravity.
Ride quality is better than it is on most other compact EVs of this size (and far softer than in the equivalent rather over-firm Vauxhall Astra Electric); you certainly won't be clumping over speed humps and crashing through pot holes in the way we have with some recent small EVs we've tested. And Peugeot's kept wind noise and tyre roar at reasonable levels, so you can get the refinement benefit of that near-silent powertrain. On the top 'GT' model, there's a bit of (rather basic) drive assist technology too, courtesy of an 'Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go' (which automatically maintains your speed to vehicles in front on the highway and when you come across a tailback, will seamlessly bring you to a stop, then when appropriate, automatically start you off again).
Design and Build
The 308 was the first Stellantis Group model to be offered with combustion, Plug-in Hybrid or pure electric power. Either way, beyond different badgework, visual differentiations designating the various powertrains used are few. So, as an EV customer, you'll need to look elsewhere if you want to make more of an eco-statement to the neighbours. Unless you think that the sharky styling of this improved version of the third generation 308 already makes enough of a statement, eye-catching in both hatch and SW estate body styles.
This update sees a sleeker nose featuring LED headlamps more hidden in the front face. As part of the front end changes, Peugeot has added an illuminated badge and more body-coloured inserts into the now-sleeker grille. A new 'three-claw' daytime running llight signature replaces the pre-facelift model's vertical bar and the GT models get vertical lighting across the bonnet. More sculpted bumpers and a large air vent aim to improve aerodynamic efficiency too. At the back, all models now get the 3D three-claw rear lights previously only fitted to top-spec GT variants.
There are far fewer changes inside, but that always looked quite avant garde and modern - and still does. This update has brought smarter seat fabrics and revised instrument cluster graphics. Otherwise, things are as before, the cabin characterised by Peugeot's usual i-Cockpit dashboard layout with its small steering wheel which sits beneath a very avant garde digital instrument panel, with clever 3D image tech borrowed from the brand's smaller 208 supermini. The tall, sloping fascia features a sharp-looking 10-inch touchscreen display which has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity and is available in two forms - basic 'i-Connect' and more sophisticated 'i-Connect plus', which offers widescreen navigation from TomTom.
Beneath this monitor is a row of freely configurable touch-sensitive controls, called 'i-Toggles'. Each one offers a shortcut to a major function, such as radio, climate control or 'phone. Out back, the rear cabin is reasonably spacious than before. And boot space for the hatch is rated at 412-litres, better than most class rivals. If you want more, you'll need the alternative SW estate, which offers 608-litres before you start folding seats.
Market and Model
Unlike the pre-facelift E-308, there's a Band 2 government Electric Car Grant of £1,500 to reduce the price, the result of which is when all's taken into account you should be paying from around £34,000 for your E-308 in hatch form, with a £1,200 premium for the E-308 SW estate. That's for base 'Allure' trim; you'll need around £2,500 more for the 'GT'-spec most will want.
'Allure'-spec gets you 17-inch 'Bangkok' diamond cut alloy wheels, chromed exhaust surrounds, signature LED daytime running lights and a gloss black connecting strip between the rear lamp clusters. Also added are front parking sensors and dark tinted rear side and tailgate windows. Inside at 'Allure' level, there's upholstery part-trimmed in 'Tremezzo' grey-embossed fabric. With ambient lighting for the door panels, an 'AQS 3' air quality system, an HD 180-degree colour reversing camera, a rear seat ski hatch and LED-lit sun visors with concealable mirrors. Plus the infotainment screen features 'OK Peugeot' voice recognition. There's also a 'Drive Assist Pack' with various camera safety features including Adaptive Cruise Control.
Things start to get really luxurious at 'GT' level, marked out by 18-inch 'Helsinki' alloy wheels, a dark chrome chequered radiator grille, extended front and side lower body sills, Lion emblem badging on the front wings and, on the SW version, gloss black roof rails. The headlights gain intelligent 'Matrix' technology, which the tail lamps play a sequential 'welcome sequence' when you unlock the car. A 'Driver Sport Pack' adds a personalised colour theme to the digital instrument display and sport adjustment for the steering and accelerator pedal. The steering wheel gains heat, green stitching and full-grain leather, plus there's a 'Mistral' black roof liner and aluminium door sills.
Cost of Ownership
We gave you the 281 mile range figure in our 'Driving' section: to get near to that, you'll have to make frequent use of the provided 'Eco' mode and the 'Brake' button, which will increase the aggressiveness of the brake regeneration system, so recovering more energy back to the new 55.4kWh battery (all of which is usable). The brand claims a recharge rate from 20 to 80% in under 25 minutes using a 100kW charger. As with the 308 PHEV, using the MyPeugeot smartphone app or by using the vehicle's touchscreen, owners can schedule a wake-up time for the battery. This means that the cells can be at the optimal temperature for efficiency from the time you start up, plus of course the interior can also be pre-cooled or pre-heated too.
Via the 'MyPeugeot' smartphone app or by using the vehicle's touchscreen, owners can schedule a wake-up time for the battery. This means that the cells can be at the optimal temperature for efficiency from the time you start up, plus of course the interior can also be pre-cooled or pre-heated too.
Owners can opt to purchase a single service plan to cover all essential maintenance. Service intervals are every year or 20,000 miles. And with the E-308 EV, you'll be given a certificate of battery capacity after each service; the battery comes with an eight year / 100,000 warranty for 70% of its capacity. Unlike other 308s, the E-308 benefits from an 8-year / 100,000 mile warranty.
Summary
Peugeot calls the E-308 'a benchmark car in its segment'. It isn't, but we could see why you might want one, even though this model has been rather over-ambitiously priced in the form most people will want it in. For the extra premium you'll be paying over some obvious segment rivals, you'll be getting a family hatch EV that handles better than most of them, rides better than nearly all of them - and arguably now looks better too. Whether you ultimately choose an E-308 will have a lot to do with those looks - and whether you like its unusual 'i-Cockpit' driving position. But if you do, then there's certainly nothing else in the segment quite like it.
We're perhaps most tempted by the SW version, which was the first European-built EV estate in its class, a model which manages to combine a bit of style with the sensibility you want from an EV and the practicality you'll need from a station wagon. Whatever body style you ultimately prefer, this is the kind of family hatch-sector EV model we're all going to have to get used to in the coming years. And on this evidence, the transition to that new era might be just that bit easier than expected.
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