Peugeot 408 review

The 408 range starts at £31,075 for the entry-level 1.2-litre petrol engine. It’s a whopping jump to £39,900 for the hybrid version, so you’ve really got to want it, or at least think that you can save enough money using it.

On lease, you’re looking at around £365 and £535 respectively, on a four-year agreement with a £5k down payment and 10,000 yearly mileage allowance, through Peugeot’s own finance scheme.

To give you some perspective there, a 308 starts from £27,150 (£36,710 for the hybrid), and a 508 £33,970 (£41,590 for the hybrid) respectively.

What’s the best option to go for?

You’ve a choice of three, but even entry-level Allure trim is pretty decent, including 17in alloys, LED headlights, digital instrument panel, 10in touchscreen infotainment (with some proper buttons thrown in underneath), rear parking camera and sensors. 

One-up Allure Premium spec gets 19in wheels, keyless entry and go, front parking sensors and the Drive Assist Pack which adds Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go and Long Range Blind Spot Detection.

The top spec car is the GT, which comes with all the toys you’d expect: a fancy body-coloured grille, door badges, electric tailgate, matrix LED headlights and weirdly a heated steering wheel but not heated seats (those come with the £1,100 seat pack). 

What's the best option to go for? 

We think the mid-spec Allure Premium model is probably the best trim to go for – it’s well equipped enough that you'll want for little unless you're particularly fussy. That's £32,175 for the pure-petrol and a big step up to £40,825 for the 180 hybrid, or £42,225 for the 225.

The hybrid is really only justifiable it if you’re getting the 408 as a company car, with a BIK rate of eight per cent for the hybrid and 32 per cent for the petrol. Servicing is more on the hybrid too: a three-year/30,000-mile service contract is £18 a month for the petrol, and £21.60 for the hybrid.

Warranty is three years and unlimited miles, and it's eight years/100k miles on the hybrid battery (to 70 per cent capacity).