75 Peugeot 408

Peugeot brings full-EV power to its avant garde 408 family hatch. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Review

In its full-electric E-408 form, Peugeot's aspirational crossover hatch makes for an unusual, slightly compromised but rather appealing confection.

Background

From the beginning, Peugeot promised us that there would be a full-EV version of its stylised mid-sized hatch, the 408. To start with, we thought it would share the same rather EV-limited drivetrain as the E-308. Then more recently, we thought it might get the more advanced and larger battery set-up used in the E-3008. In the event, the car was launched here in early 2025 with neither, which was a curious decision on Peugeot's part. Like EV versions of the marque's other models, this electric 408 is remarkably unaffected by the installation of its fossil fuel-free drivetrain. So it's still a mid-sized Peugeot hatch-cum-crossover that'll have the neighbours craning their necks over the fence.

Driving Experience

Set off in an E-408 and this refined full-battery drivetrain feels a good fit for the car, smooth and refined. But it's difficult to avoid thinking about the elephant in the room here. When a manufacturer starts to talk about the amount of miles an average of EV customer drives in a day (28 miles apparently in the C-segment), you know the marketeers have been saddled with a product struggling on EV range. In the case of this E-408, that figure is just 281 miles. It wasn't actually necessary for this car to be hobbled like this. Apparently, the Long Range 98kWh battery offered with the E-3008 would have fitted, but Peugeot presumably didn't want this E-408 to be saddled with that bigger pack's likely downsides of heavier weight and higher cost. So instead, the E-408 has ended up with a 58.2kWh usable-capacity NMC battery pack that we've never seen on a Stellantis Group model before. It is at least slightly bigger than the pack in the brand's comparable E-308 hatch (which in its updated form now has a 55.4kWh usable-capacity battery). Unfortunately though, because this E-408 is nearly 200kgs heavier than an E-308, that extra capacity doesn't translate into any extra range. You do though, get quite a lot more power than is offered in the E-308, the synchronous front motor developing 210hp (56hp more) which with a perky 345Nm of torque translates into a 0-62mph sprint time of 7.6s that's a couple of seconds quicker than that hatch. Top speed though, is limited to just 99mph and you only get that in the feistiest of the three provided drive modes - Sport, which turns the little virtual dials ahead of you a fetching shade of lime green. When we tried the combustion version of this car, we enjoyed its well-weighted steering and eager handling, the effect accentuated by the low-set driving position and the way that quick wrist-flick turns are easy with the tiny little wheel. Well inevitably, a bit of that dynamism has been dulled with the extra weight of the EV powertrain, but this is still one of the better EVs in its class to drive on twisting secondary roads. If you're wondering about brake regen settings, well those are controlled via proper steering wheel paddles, with a choice of three settings. The fiercest of these slows the car noticeably, but not as much as the 'one-pedal'-style setting you'll get with some rivals.

Design and Build

Apart from the badgework and the lack of an exhaust, there's no real visual way to identify the E-408 from its combustion showroom stablemates - and that's the way Peugeot wants it - 'because we wanted to protect the design and its attractiveness', according to the brand's Product Director Jerome Micheron. His styling team think this shape is unique but are we alone in seeing similarities to another Gilles Vidal-influenced design, the Renault Rafale? Peugeot brushes such comparisons aside, describing the 408 as a 'reinvention of the mid-sized sedan'. Well it doesn't look much like any sort of sedan from the side - more like a hatch on SUV steroids, the latter imbued by black wheel arch cladding and a ride height 4cms higher than the hatch segment average. There's 4.69m of body length and 1.48m of height, with a confidently sporty stance and quite a slippery 0.29Cd drag factor. Inside, nothing's very different from a combustion 408, so everything's very in-your-face and angular, with the dashboard and centre console at different levels. Virtually everything you touch feels tactile and of high quality, though you only get the full intended effect with one of the 'GT' variants, which feature smart green-stitched trim and part-faux leather upholstery. The first thing you're going to have to decide is whether you can get on with the distinctive 'i-Cockpit' dash design with its tiny steering wheel, above which (rather than through which) you're supposed to view the instruments. The little gauges you view, which are of the virtual variety displayed on a 10-inch screen, are unusual too, but all the information shown is clear and easy to assimilate and as an option on the 'GT' (or with top trim), this screen layout gets the clever 3D graphics we have here. The central monitor is also 10-inches in size, but is deeper and more informative, underscored by virtual buttons and (if you avoid the base variant) below that by a row of what Peugeot calls 'i-toggle' switches which will usually operate the climate features but can be re-programmed for other functions if you wish. In the back, it's certainly not what you'd call spacious - or at least it won't be if you've front seat folk of at least average height sitting ahead of you - but to be fair, few similarly-sized hatch models do much better and the 188mm knee room figure is reasonable by class standards. Boot capacity takes a hit over the self-charging Hybrid 145 version - it's 471-litres (65-litres less), the same as the PHEV. Once the backrest is flattened, there's 1,545-litres of capacity, 38-litres less than the Hybrid 145.

Market and Model

You'll be pleased to hear that this E-408 qualifies for the government's Electric Car Grant - the £1,500 level of it anyway. With that deducted, at the time of the time of this test in late 2025, asking figures were starting at just under £35,000 for the base 'Allure' version. That's a substantial amount more than the brand's more conventional-looking but very similarly-engineered E-308 hatch (around £5,500), so you're paying quite a price here for the more stylish look. Still, console yourself with the thought that with grant deduction, the E-408 is actually the cheapest variant in the 408 range, around £1,100 less than the self-charging Hybrid 145 version and a huge £7,000 less than the Plug-in Hybrid 225 variant. Most E-408 customers will be wanting the sportier-looking mid-level 'GT' version, which was priced at just over £37,000 at the time of this test. Just over £3,000 more gets you top 'GT Premium' trim, but that kind of money takes you into the next segment up where you'll find larger, longer-ranging mid-sized EV crossovers than this - cars like Tesla Model 3s, Kia EV6s and Ford Explorers. As you'd hope for the money being asked here, even entry-level 'Allure' spec gives you quite a lot. Specifically, you get 19-inch 'JASPE' alloy wheels, ecoLED headlamps with 'Smartbeam' high beam assist, signature LED daytime running lights and 'claw-effect' LED rear lamps. Inside, there are twin 10-inch screens, aluminium sports pedals, a 180-degree colour reversing camera and a rear seat ski hatch. Most will want the smarter look you get with the two GT models, set apart by a front grille with vertical body-coloured accents, matrix LED headlamps and smarter 'Graphite' 19-inch wheels. Inside, the green-stitched upholstery combines 'Belomka' fabric with 'Isabella' faux leather.

Cost of Ownership

We gave you the 281 mile range figure in our 'Driving' section (the same as an E-308). Avoid higher speeds and you can realistically target an efficiency figure of up to about 4.5 miles/kWh. To get near to that, you'll have to make frequent use of the provided 'Eco' mode and the strongest of the paddle-selectable regen braking settings. Let's move on to charging. This E-408 has a maximum DC charging speed of just 120kW. If we tell you that a 77kWh Volkswagen ID.5 charges at up to 175kW and a Mercedes CLA 250+ at up to 320kW, you'll realise just how far off the class standard this is. Still, you might not care too much, given that because it's got a relatively small battery by class standards, this E-408 can still DC-charge from 20% to 80% in just over 30 minutes, recovering 62 miles of range in just over 10 minutes. To optimise charging, the driver can programme the lower and upper thresholds via a 'Charging' section of the central screen, for example, setting a minimum charge of 20% and a maximum of 80%. What about home AC fast charging? Well, that smaller battery helps a bit here too. Like pretty much every EV these days, this Peugeot can AC-charge at 11kW if you happen to have a 3-phase supply. And if you can do that, you'll need 6 hours 15 minutes for a full charge. It'll be 7 hours 30 minutes if you've a single-phase 7.4kW wallbox. Owners can opt to purchase a single service plan to cover all essential maintenance. Service intervals are every year or 16,000 miles. For reasons best known to Peugeot, the brand's EVs get a much longer vehicle warranty than the combustion models - an 'Allure Care' package lasting for eight years and 100,000 miles, conditional of course on franchised dealer servicing. And the insurance group will be 33E for the 'Allure' and 34E for the 'GT'.

Summary

There are lots of reasons why you might be a little confused by what Peugeot's trying to do here. In terms of its sales niche, the E-408 sits above more compact hatch models (like its Vauxhall Astra Electric and Peugeot E-308 Stellantis cousins); but isn't quite big enough to compete with pricier but properly mid-sized EVs like the Tesla Model 3 and the Polestar 2. The brand sees it as a stepping stone between those two classes of car. If you're being less charitable, you might see it as neither one thing nor the other. If that doesn't bother you and you're seduced by the swoopy styling (as you very well might be), the next thing to get over is the rather restricted drive range. Which is rather at odds with the fact that this car is most in its element on longer distance highway trips. With the E-3008's heavier long range battery fitted, this car would have been easier to recommend. Still, we can see why you might want an E-408. The eye-catching exterior looks are matched by a charismatically-designed and very nicely-built cabin. And it feels sportier to drive than most of its segment contemporaries. You'll need to stretch beyond base trim to get that 'want one' factor here, but if you can, you might feel that there's nothing else in the class quite like it.