Peugeot e-208

Jonathan Crouch is charmed by the all-electric version of Peugeot's 208 supermini

Ten Second Review

It's getting harder and harder to resist the draw of full-electric vehicles. Most of them seem to be SUVs these days but here's a Zero Emission supermini, the Peugeot e-208. It looks snappy, does 211 miles between charges, has no practicality downsides over the combustion-engined version and comes with monthly payment finance you could justify. What's not to like?

Background

In the future, all small cars will need to be developed on platforms that can support full-electric as well as conventional thermic propulsion. Surprisingly, few currently are but the Peugeot 208 is an exception. The brand wants you to pick a powertrain for this model (petrol, diesel or electric) in the same way you'd select a trim option - and it's the battery-powered variant, the e-208, that we look at here.

It shares all the same engineering we've already also seen in the PSA Group's two other small car battery-powered products, the Vauxhall Corsa-e and the DS 3 Crossback E-TENSE, a pair of designs that share this Peugeot's sophisticated CMP ('Common Modular Platform'). And those same underpinnings allow for a new generation of 'big car'-style camera safety systems. It all sounds promising: let's take a look.

Driving Experience

Here, a 50kWh lithium-ion battery is mated to a 100kW electric motor putting out 136bhp and working through the usual single-speed auto transmission you get with EVs. Like all electric vehicles, this one develops all of its torque at once (there's 260Nm of it) and this car simply hurls itself away from rest, disguising the fact that this Zero Emissions variant has a bit of a weight problem - that drivetrain adds over 300kgs of bulk.

Still, all of this does represent a brave new world for forward-thinking supermini buyers looking to make the switch into all-electric motoring; it seems like only yesterday, after all, that a fully-charged small EV could only manage around half the kind of range you get from this one. Of course, you certainly won't achieve anything like that kind of operating capability if you get anywhere near this EV's quoted 93mph top speed. Or if you habitually drive your e-208 in the 'Sport' setting that'll be necessary to release to full 136bhp power output just mentioned. The quoted range figure will only be distantly possible if you instead engage a somewhat restrictive 'Eco' mode that drops power output right down to 83bhp. That's the setting you'll use in an e-208 around town, an environment in which it makes a strange polyphonic sound at low speeds to warn unwary pedestrians of its impending approach. Above 18mph, all you can hear is a bit of tyre roar from the eco-moulded Michelin rubber.

Design and Build

The all-electric e-208 is distinguished from what Peugeot calls 'thermic'-powered models by the adoption of body colouring for the front grille and a more unusual 'Dichroic' finish for the lion badge that appears to change colour, depending on your viewing angle. Most versions of this model will be ordered in either 'GT-Line' or top 'GT'-spec, these two top variants recognisable by 'diamond black' roof colouring and glossy black wheel arch flares, which streamline the body, making the wheel diameter of the 17-inch wheel rims appear larger.

Inside, there's the usual 208 'i-Cockpit' driving position format, where you view the instrument binnacle over the upper rim of a tiny steering wheel rather than conventionally through the wheel spokes. Plus, as with other versions of this model, the concept's been further developed with the addition of a clever 3D instrument binnacle display. What else? Well rear passenger space is slightly compromised by the need to place the powertrain's battery pack beneath that back seat. But there's no compromise in boot space, which is 311-litres in size just like any other 208.

Market and Model

Peugeot obviously thinks it's going to sell quite a few e-208s (the prediction is 20% of total model mix) because this powertrain is available with every trim level and the top 'GT' spec option is exclusive to it. Even in base 'Active' form though, an e-208 will set you back around £25,500. And that's after the available £3,000 government plug-in grant towards purchase has been subtracted from the mildly alarming initial asking price. At top Gt variant will cost you around £30,000. Most e-208 models will be bought on finance, which from launch, after grant deduction, saw deals starting from around £280 a month, with £5,450 up-front.

This car's value proposition is significantly more affordable than its identically-engineered Vauxhall Corsa-e equivalent, which in its least expensive form costs around £2,000 more than a base-spec 'Active'-trimmed e-208 and in its priciest guise costs around £1,000 more than a top e-208 GT. There aren't really any other direct all-electric small hatch options. You can get battery-powered versions of the Volkswagen up!, the SEAT Mii and the Skoda Citigo from around £20,000, but they're all smaller city cars. A battery-powered family hatch like a Kia e-Niro would cost around £5,000 and a BMW i3 even more.

Cost of Ownership

Peugeot's aim was for this EV to have a total ownership cost roughly equivalent to what you pay to buy and run an automatic version of the petrol model: well it's some way off that right at present. Its drivetrain claims to be state-of-the-art for a small car, though its WLTP-certified range of 211 miles is bettered in the class by the BMW i3 and the Renault ZOE. If you're an e-208 owner, you'll need to know that getting anywhere near the quoted range figure will necessitate staying in the powertrain's provided 'Eco' mode - activating its 'Sport' mode setting will reduce your range by around 10%.

What about charging your e-208? With a wallbox in place in your garage, a full charge from empty will take seven and-a-half hours. With a public 50kW Rapid Charger, the replenishment time to charge from 15 to 80% is 45 minutes. If you're fortunate enough to find a 100kW Rapid Charger, that falls to 30 minutes. As an e-208 buyer, your dealer will also give you the option to pay a subscription for a so-called 'Mobility Pass'. That'll enable you to borrow a conventional petrol or diesel-powered car from the brand for those times when you might need to undertake a longer or more complex journey - holiday times for instance.

Summary

So how successful has Peugeot been with this e-208 in terms of what it describes as "unboring the future"? Well, we think you'll be impressed. Other sector competitors can go further on a single charge, but we think that this model's operating range will (unlike that of segment rivals like the Honda e and the MINI Electric) be quite sufficient for the average family's needs.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

CAR: Peugeot e-208

PRICES: £25,050-£29,650 – on the road [after deduction of government Plug-in Grant]

INSURANCE GROUPS: 26E-28E

CO2 EMISSIONS: 0g/km

PERFORMANCE: 0-62mph 8.1s

DRVING RANGE: [WLTP] 211 miles

STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and curtain airbags, anti lock brakes with brake assist, electronic stability control

WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height mm 4055/1745/1430 mm