Peugeot e-308 SW review

This is the estate version of Peugeot’s 308, but now with batteries included. In fact the stalwart model is well into its third generation: the original was launched in 2007, with a second version arriving in 2013 and the current one revealed in 2021. 

It sits on parent company Stellantis’s EMP2 V3 platform, which means it shares its undergubbins with the likes of the DS 4 and Vauxhall Astra (the latter also has a load lugging electric variant on sale). 

All the things we like about the e-308 hatch have been translated to the larger model: it’s refreshingly normal and easy to use. No headline grabbing bhp craziness (just 154bhp and 270lb ft of torque on offer here) and no space age design weirdness.

Must be loads more expensive though.

The e-308 SW Allure will cost you £41,195, while the e-308 SW GT model will cost you £43,265. Of more significance is the fact that the combustion cars fall into company car BIK brackets around 30 per cent, while the EV sits in the two per cent banding.

But yeah, not exactly cheap is it? You can only spec it in the middle and top specs that combustion 308s can be ordered in (Active, Allure and GT), and in Allure spec it’s nearly £10k more than the hybrid-petrol and diesel versions. Meanwhile the GT model is about £8k more.

But then it’s not massively more expensive than the PHEV versions of the car. In fact there’s a more powerful 222bhp PHEV in GT spec that actually costs more than the e-308.

What about the battery?

The e-308 SW has just the one battery size available, a 54kWh pack that we’ve seen in other Stellantis models and indeed in the e-308 hatchback. Here it has a WLTP range of 254 miles: we got 3.4mi/kWh out of the car in a week of mixed driving, which works out around 185 miles from a full tank of electricity. But we reckon we could have done better with more effort. 

The car charges at a 100kW maximum rate if you find yourself a suitably beefy ultra rapid charger, which means 20 to 80 per cent in 30 minutes.

Not many electric estates about, are there?

It is indeed a niche that has been left sadly unexplored by many for a long time. But then estates aren’t the force they once were, so there can’t be quite as many sales to tap into. No wonder there are so many electric SUVs everywhere.

As well as the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer, at this end of the market you’ve also got the MG5 EV. There's a VW ID.7 Tourer on its way but all the other electric estates out there are proper premium jobs. You're unlikely to leave yourself a toss up between this and the BMW i5 Touring.

Both Astra and MG5 are fairly low rent in comparison with the Peugeot, which edges them both out by being très chic and all that. To be fair Vauxhall has upped its game in recent years, but the Astra Estate still leaves us slightly cold. It's a bit more expensive than the Peugeot too, although the MG5 embarrasses them both by being £10k less.

A wildcard from the Stellantis stable would be the Citroen e-Berlingo, if uber-practicality is what you need.

So how does the e-308 drive?

For a company that has decided that it’s avowedly unsporty, the e-308 drives surprisingly well, even if it's a little firm occasionally. The thick-rimmed tiny steering wheel, laidback driving position and cosseting interior all lend a cosy but purposeful atmosphere to the car.

Likewise there’s not masses of feel, but the car will turn promptly into a corner and benefits from the low-slung centre of gravity that you get with a big battery pack.

Paying for the e-308 SW is the only time that you’ll really feel penalised for going for the electric version of this car. It’s easy to live with day to day and the extra bootspace over the hatchback model gives it useful extra practicality. It’ll be cheap to run, too. A very good electric car for all the family. 

If you’re really into your EV driving then it doesn’t offer the same level of flexibility and granular detail that other cars do, but that’s not really how it operates. While other carmakers play catch-up on electric estates, Peugeot’s take is probably the best all-rounder you can currently buy at the affordable end of the market.