Peugeot e-2008 review

This is the Peugeot e-2008, newly facelifted as of 2023. It’s Peugeot's small electric crossover, a vehicle also available with petrol power. If it’s the latter you’re after kindly click these blue words, as it’s the battery-powered variant we’re focussing on here. It accounts for nearly a fifth of all 2008 sales and is one of the most successful small e-crossovers out there.

Even four years into its life (yes, this was a pre-Covid vehicle) the 2008 still looks pretty trim and smart. Its visual strut holds up in the face of new electric rivals as well as those yet to arrive: the Hyundai Kona Electric, the all-electric Ford Puma (due in 2024), or even if you stretch to the Cupra Born. Plus the Stellantis group cars with the same drivetrain: Vauxhall Mokka, DS 3, Jeep Avenger and Fiat 600e.

Older rivals include the very cheap MG ZS EV, Kia Soul EV and - if you don't need the full crossover height – the Citroen e-C4.

Still, nothing's unimprovable. So the 2008 has been made over with new three-claw front LEDs, a grille with texture in body colour, and re-shaped rear lights. Inside, we find a full 10-inch centre touchscreen with better connectivity and graphics.

Any other changes? Battery or range bump?

Yes. Depending on your driving style, you can go further or faster, or a bit of both. The facelift brings a brand-new motor and inverter that raises peak power to 154bhp, and a marginally bigger battery, up from 47kWh to 51kWh (net).

Those don't sound like big improvements, but the new components are usefully more efficient. The WLTP range has gone up to 250 miles from 214. Head to the Driving tab of this review to find out how it stacks up outside of the lab.

Is it roomy? I’m guessing the e-2008 is just a taller e-208?

The extra zero on the badge gets you a 100mm taller and 250mm longer car, at 4,304mm overall. There’s also 122 litres of extra boot space, amounting to a grand total of 434 litres below the parcel shelf.

The wheelbase is longer than the e-208, and also than the Mokka, Avenger and DS 3, so the e-2008 is more of a family car than any of those.

Does it drive alright?

Surprisingly, yes. The e-2008 feels nimble and game, even if it lacks something in outright feel. The electric stuff adds around 350kg to the standard 2008, tipping it past the 1.6 tonne mark. Still not bad for a family EV.

There's a bit of torque steer and wheelspin if it's bumpy or wet and you’re too generous with the accelerator in Sport mode. But conserving momentum can be fun in the car’s Eco mode.

Crossovers don't often impress us: they can't help but feel like fatter, slower, more expensive versions of neat little hatchbacks. And sure, a Peugeot e-208 will do much of what the e-2008 does, for less money. So you'll have to really want the extra space and ride height on offer here. You've also got to want an electric car: the price premium over a petrol 2008 is steep.

Yet Peugeot has made the e-2008 a properly appealing thing in its own right. It looks exciting; like a car you’d be happy to be seen in. People stopped us in the street to ask about it, so handsome is that face. And with the combination of spangly 3D dials (at least on top-spec) and electric power, it feels futuristic without resorting to any naff touches.

It's a cliche to imagine no EV is worth the bother if it can't claim 300 miles range. And the e-2008, at 250 miles, can't. But it really doesn't need it if a combination of quick charging capacity and good efficiency mean you won't spend a lot of time or money charging its modest battery.