Peugeot E-308 Review – ‘We take France’s best electric car to Britain’s prettiest city'

Introduction

Eager to test drive the Peugeot E-308 GT, I planned an adventure on country roads in Kent with a final stop in the picturesque city of Canterbury, to test the vehicle’s tranquillity and performance while travelling to my favourite green spaces and cities in the UK’s southeast.

Peugeot’s entrance into the fully electric market has been a long time coming, and the E-308 ensures it has arrived in style. With petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid versions available, the latest addition to the fleet was added in 2023. The Peugeot E-308 GT costs £42,250.

It looks particularly striking in Olivine Green, and it caught the attention of other women drivers, approaching and commenting on its “eye-catching green” appearance, and shiny new Peugeot badges.

Setting off in East London and driving through the Blackwall Tunnel to begin my journey to Kent, I tested the comfort, response and practicality of the E-308.

First impressions and exterior

When sat in the comfortable seats of the Peugeot E-308, I first noticed how well acoustically isolated the cabin was. No rumbling engine, wind or traffic noise, just a smooth quiet drive that’s as good for your ears as it is for the planet.

With zero emissions, you’re not just cruising, but making a statement that says “I care about the environment”, and looking good, while doing it. The car, which is at a little under 4.4m in length, flaunts a sleek and aerodynamic design that’s not just easy on the eyes but also super-efficient.

The E-305 is available in seven classy colours, with Olivine Green as standard. Other understated but otherwise stunning premium paint options are Cumulous Grey and Obsession Blue.

In some way, the Olivine Green paint is a fashion statement, turning heads on the road, while matching the green countryside and tranquillity of nature as I drove out of London, through Kent’s country roads and on to city driving in Canterbury.

Performance

Having a modern, small steering wheel in the E-308 made driving feel light on smaller roads in the city, but the steering weights up well at increased speeds on motorways, which gave the feeling of a sporty edge to the car.

The electric powertrain is smooth and quiet, and noise isolation over poor road surfaces and bumpy country roads is excellent. When roads got twisty the E-308 felt nimble and light.

Official acceleration time from 0-62mph is 9.8 seconds, and I found there is plenty of go if needed. It was easy to get up to motorway speeds on the M2, driving south.

Out of the three driving modes, normal, sport and eco, sport mode on country roads made the car feel a lot lighter and livlier. I always switched to eco mode when driving to charging points, but this selection limits the use of energy intensive systems, such as the heating.

The E-308 GT has a 54kWh battery that gives you a range of 255 miles according to official figures – but if the car is fully loaded with luggage or passengers, expect a little less.

With a 100kW charging capability, this can bring the battery from 20 percent to 80 percent in about half an hour.

For long-distance driving, journey planning is necessary. You have to research which electric vehicle charging points are available, how fast your car will therefore charge, and often re-calculate what time you’ll arrive at your end destination (providing charging points are available, of course).

It took a couple of attempts for me to lock in the Type 2 cable at a Clenergy EV charging station in Canterbury, but this was the fault of the charging point, and not the vehicle itself.

Interior and practicality

The E-308 uses the small steering wheel found in most modern Peugeot cars, which as a petite, 5ft 3 woman, I prefer handling.

The driving position first felt as if the wheel was placed on my lap, as it sits low down, but I thought this gave the optimal viewing position for the digital dashboard which sits at the perfect eye level.

All information on the dashboard is presented in a 3D, hologram-layered fashion, that feels, fresh, modern and clean.

There is a convincing “premium” sheen about the interior of the E-308. The materials inside looked classy and high quality, and green stitching detailing complemented the exterior features.

Rear seating space is limited, even by mid-sized hatchback standards, but children or young teenagers would have enough room to comfortably enjoy long rides.

Boot space is class-competitive for the hatchback measuring in at 361 litres below the load bay cover – the figure rises to 548 litres for the longer-wheelbase E-308 SW estate.

A reversing camera also comes as standard in the E-308, as does a ten-inch infotainment touchscreen that comes with a dedicated display mode for monitoring all aspects of the electric powertrain – which is useful to keep track of during your car’s progress throughout a journey.

Most cabin functions are in the touch screen which I found useful – including heated seating, and warming up the steering wheel was completely necessary on a cold, blustery, winter’s day.

Bluetooth features are easy to connect personal gadgets to, which makes for easy communication through calling safely while driving.

There is also a row of shortcut buttons that can be customised, so you can reach your car music preferences faster for example, and enable quick navigation during your journey.

Cost

The Peugeot E-308 comes in two main trim levels – Allure and GT.

Allure costs around £40,050 and comes with 18-inch alloys, climate control, a reversing camera, synthetic leather seats with heating, sat-nav, LED lights and Peugeot’s i-Cockpit media set-up.

The £42,250 GT model adds features such as a heated steering wheel, sportier styling widened side sills for a more aggressive stance, Matrix LED lights, and the Peugeot shield on the front wings.

The silhouette of the E-308 is dynamic from every angle combining the brand’s timeless identity with ultra-modernity.

Verdict

The Peugeot E-308 is an impressive hatchback with striking features and makes for comfortable driving.

The French manufacturer is definitely pushing itself upmarket with a step forward in exterior design, cabin quality and cabin functions and the infotainment touchscreen is very easy to use with modern features such as USB-C charging points for personal gadget connectivity.

The 54kWh battery gives the E-308 GT a range of about 255 miles, which isn’t bad for city driving, but for long-distance journeys I found it was vital to plan in order to make full use of your trip.

For Peugeot fans like myself, (my first car was a Peugeot 206 1.4 16V Sport), the E-308 has a lively personality for every type of journey.

Overall, there’s nothing to disappoint with the drivability and style of this particular EV.