- Stylish interior and exterior design
- Enjoyable drive, firm yet measured ride
- Peugeot i-Cockpit may not find favour with all drivers
Peugeot’s small SUV can’t just get by on looks in this highly competitive section of the market – fortunately it has other qualities with which to tempt buyers.
Overview
Peugeot is a manufacturer with a great history in small cars, and with recent market trends it’s looked to take advantage of this pedigree in the small SUV segment with the 2008. The second-generation version of the model was first launched in 2019, then facelifted in 2023. Further changes then came in 2025 with the introduction of a new range-topping GT Premium trim level, and a power boost for the hybrid powertrain – both of which were specced with our test car – and these helped the 2008 to be Peugeot’s best-selling model last year (it was the UK’s 15th most-registered car overall).
The hybrid powertrain is not technically a full hybrid – it’s a 48V system that mainly assists the 1.2-litre petrol engine, although low-speed EV-only driving is possible in some circumstances. Other powertrain options include two petrol engines – a 101PS engine with manual transmission, and a 131PS automatic – and full EV, badged E-2008, with a 156PS motor and a 54kWh (51kWh useable capacity) battery. In 2025, E-2008s made up 4,482 of the 25,928 2008s registered.
At 4,304mm long the 2008 is very large for a B-segment car, verging on halfway house territory heading towards medium SUVs. Rivals such as the big-selling Ford Puma and the Renault Captur are smaller, as is the 2008’s Stellantis-group cousin, the Vauxhall Mokka. The Peugeot’s size contributes to a stylish and rather imposing look for the segment, with the 2023 facelift’s wider front end, extended grille and ‘claw’ LED DRL arrangement augmented by black exterior detailing, particularly with GT Premium trim.
Pricing and spec
The 2008 range now consists of Allure, GT and GT Premium trim levels. Allure trim comes with features such as 17-inch alloy wheels, all-round LED lights, automatic lights and wipers and automatic air conditioning, while further features of GT trim include keyless entry and start, automatic headlight high beams and customisable ambient lighting.
Further features of GT Premium trim include 18-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, an electrically adjustable and massaging driver’s seat, TomTom sat-nav and a heat pump (the latter EV only).
2008 range prices start at £25,695 for a petrol manual Allure. GT trim costs from £30,145, for a petrol auto, and GT Premium trim from £31,695, also for a petrol auto. Compared with rivals, an entry-level 2008 undercuts the cheapest Puma by around £1,500, and is closely matched with an entry-level Mokka. The Captur range, however, starts from £22,495.
As for the GT Premium hybrid spec 2008 we tested, priced at £32,445, this is very slightly more than an equivalent Puma mild hybrid and an equivalent Vauxhall Mokka with the same powertrain as the Peugeot. The Renault Captur retains a significant price advantage, however, despite coming as a full hybrid.
Prices for the E-2008, including the UK Government’s Electric Car Grant at the £1,500 Band Two level, start at £27,995. This is nearly £2,000 pricier than the Puma Gen-E, due to that model qualifying for a grant at the full £3,750 Band One level, but £3,000 cheaper than the Mokka Electric, with the Vauxhall also eligible for a £1,500 grant.
The 2008 comes with Peugeot’s three-year/60,000-mile warranty (although mileage for the first two years is unlimited). E-2008s also get an eight-year traction battery warranty.
Service intervals for petrol and hybrid 2008s are one year/12,500 miles. The E-2008 needs an initial check after one year/8,000 miles, then the first scheduled service after two years/16,000 miles, with services then due every two years/16,000 miles after that.
Related reading: New car review: Ford Puma still does much to deserve sales success
Technology
The defining feature of the 2008’s interior is Peugeot’s i-Cockpit set-up, which sees a small steering wheel placed below the driver display. Peugeot has been doing this for several years now and it’s long divided opinion – we feel that manufacturers such as Citroen and BMW who followed on with this type of idea execute it better, with a thinner display closer to the bottom of the windscreen. The Peugeot’s display looks a little on the small side – and we feel the 3D effect which is standard with GT and GT Premium trims just makes it a little harder to read than it should be. It also doesn’t integrate sat-nav instructions from Apple CarPlay.
The 2008 comes with a 10-inch colour touchscreen, with which wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity is standard. The wireless smartphone charger included with GT Premium trim is inside a lidded compartment which should help to prevent people being tempted to reach for their phones while driving – although we should note that with our iPhone the charger seemed strangely ineffective.
Safety
Standard driver assistance technologies include front and rear parking sensors, autonomous emergency braking with night function and cyclist and pedestrian detection, lane keep assist, speed limit monitoring and driver attention alert. GT cars gain a reversing camera, while GT Premium trim also comes with a front camera, adaptive cruise control with stop and go and blind spot monitoring – these systems are available with other trims as part of an option pack.
Pressing the vehicle button on the 2008’s dashboard takes you straight to an ADAS settings menu, from which systems such as overspeed alerts can be deactivated should drivers wish. We would note that once limit change notification sounds are turned off, this setting is then saved for subsequent trips – not always the case with other cars.
The 2008 has not been tested by Euro NCAP since the current generation model was introduced in 2019. At the time it received a five-star rating on condition that it was equipped with the then-optional cyclist-detecting autonomous emergency braking system, which is now standard.
Driving experience
The 2008 hybrid has a total output of 145PS, with the electric motor contributing 21PS and 51Nm of torque. It’s the latter figure that we’d say is most noticeable, as although the powertrain feels nippy enough around town, it feels gutsier at B-road speeds. The main function of the hybrid element is to support the petrol engine and allow engine-off coasting, however full EV drive is possible in limited circumstances such as when parking or crawling along in a traffic jam.
The ICE component of the hybrid powertrain sounds relatively coarse so far as modern petrol engines go, and also isn’t the quietest. The powertrain is also sometimes surprisingly slow to respond in situations such as when the car has been coasting up to a roundabout and the engine needs to restart. The six-speed automatic gearbox comes with gearshift paddles which offer pretty snappy changes if used.
We averaged 47mpg during our time with the 2008 – fairly disappointing given an official WLTP combined figure of 57.6mpg with the spec tested, although we did do quite a bit of motorway driving and in hot weather which meant the air conditioning had to work hard. That official figure is a few mpg higher than that offered by a Ford Puma mild hybrid, but very slightly worse than the smaller Mokka with the same powertrain. A full hybrid Captur is predictable more economical still.
The small steering wheel that comes with the i-Cockpit set-up contributes to the 2008 feeling enjoyably sporty to drive on a twisty road, with nimble handling, and only a bit more front-end softness than would be ideal from a dynamic perspective. The ride is reasonably firm but not harsh, and improves at higher speeds, with bigger bumps well absorbed.
Practicality
The 2008’s interior trim shows commitment to a sporty look with carbon-effect material liberally applied (we initially assumed this was just for GT Premium trim but in fact it’s throughout the range). This adds to a cabin that’s pretty interesting to look at regardless of garnish, with lots of sweeping angles, and the screens set in chrome surrounds that look more like old-school instrument binnacles, with the trim below the touchscreen also serving as a useful hand brace. Even the climate control buttons are imaginatively presented as a row of aircraft-style toggle switches – an aesthetic flourish that doesn’t make them any less useable, although sadly they only control limited functions, with a touch button opening a menu in the touchscreen to adjust the actual temperature.
Aside from the carbon-effect material, the interior with GT Premium spec also features a good amount of leather and gloss plastic, making the cabin feel well trimmed.
As sport seats go, the ones with GT Premium trim are quite convincing, allowing you to drop down into them in a sports car-esque manner when they are at the lowest height setting. Should a more conventional SUV driving position be preferred there’s a wide range of vertical adjustment. The i-Cockpit set-up meant it took us a bit of experimentation before we settled on a decent driving position.
The floor in the rear of the cabin is relatively high, meaning adult passengers will lack thigh support. Leg room back there is otherwise acceptable, while headroom is OK even with the optional panoramic sunroof which was fitted to our test car. There are two rear USB sockets, but no dedicated rear air vents.
The 2008 offers 434 litres of boot capacity – a figure which unlike with some cars is unchanged with electrified powertrains. This is large for the segment, and bigger than that offered by the Mokka, although the Puma’s boot with its underfloor MegaBox is slightly bigger still, as is the boot of the Captur (although the Captur hybrid’s boot is smaller).
The boot floor is adjustable (optionally with Allure cars, otherwise as standard), and in its higher position provides a decent separate compartment underneath, though a raised piece of trim prevents the loading lip being flat.
