Peugeot e-208 review

The e-208 actually feels pretty lively on the move, especially if you’re in Sport mode, which improves performance at main road speeds. It'll chuck out the sort of 0–62mph sprint times of a warmish hatch of a decade or so ago, and with a whole lot less fuss: just mash the pedal and go. Situation normal for an EV, then. The motor and reduction gear are free of whine, too.

Strangely Peugeot says the more powerful one is slightly slower off the line, taking 8.2 seconds over 0-62mph instead of 8.1. You wouldn't notice that gap.

Does it misbehave with all that electric torque?

You can use full acceleration with remarkably little torque steer or traction loss. It's an accurate, well-behaved chassis, and you can feel how the effort moves between each of the tyres as you accelerate or lift mid-bend. It's not the world's most involving steering, but it isn't bad. Roll is low, and the responsive motor makes the whole experience feel nicely quick-witted.

It holds its line on a motorway better than some small cars. The ride is a bit brittle at times on the 17in rims. The lower trims get 16s and more supple tyres.

Tell me more about the driving modes.

You get to choose from three acceleration modes. Only Sport gives you the full power. Switching through Normal to Eco loses 27bhp and 30lb ft at each step. This makes it easier to drive smoothly at low speeds, and also Eco mode in particular will force you to be easier on the battery. Best if you’re trying to maximise range.

You can also switch between two levels of regenerative braking (where the act of slowing down sees electricity recycled back into the battery). You might want to use the upper of those levels: the brakes are fully blended with the regen which is good for range, but the brake pedal itself is a little soggy.

What about range?

Obviously the claimed 225/248-mile ranges are for the birds, but careful driving in the summer could see you getting 180/200 miles out of a full tank of electricity. Winter driving would see that drop down to around 150/180 miles as the cold weather saps energy.