2024 Peugeot e-208 confirmed for Australia - electric car rival to GWM Ora, MG4 coming soon, but will it be too expensive?

Peugeot's diminutive 208 hatch was discontinued in Australia back in 2018, but now it will make a triumphant return as a fully electric car.

The e-208 as it is known has soared to big popularity in its European home market, where, combined with its combustion counterpart, frequently ranks as the continent's best-selling vehicle. After some time mulling a potential launch, Peugeot has announced the e-208 will make an Australian debut in 2024.

While the announcement did not reveal any details regarding price or specification of the incoming model, other than the fact that we will adopt the incoming facelifted version, if it follows Peugeot's existing strategy in Australia, expect the local division to only adopt high-spec examples.

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As to what that price might look like? We can take a look at the pricing and specs for the right-hand-drive model in the UK, which starts from the equivalent of roughly $55,000 Australian dollars, although straight conversions of price are rarely the case.

There are two grades of e-208 overseas, although it is most likely Australia will get the higher grade, which offers a 51kWh battery pack good for a 400km range according to the WLTP standard as well as a front-mounted electric motor offering 115kW/260Nm.

Charging is available at up to 7kW on AC for a full charge in a little over seven hours, while DC fast charging can be achieved at up to 100kW for an 80 per cent charge in 30 minutes.

With a starting price looking to be more than $50,000, the 208 will be in competition with cars like the Nissan Leaf (from $50,990), Fiat 500e (from $52,500), Mini Cooper SE (from $64,975), and Cupra Born (from $59,990).

Standard equipment overseas includes 16-inch alloy wheels, a 7.0-inch multimedia touchscreen, push-button start, single-zone climate, LED headlights, cloth interior trim with a leather-bound steering wheel, and rear parking sensors, and at least basic auto emergency braking, however expect Australian-delivered versions to be higher-spec, with items like 17-inch alloy wheels, built-in navigation, surround parking cameras, a 10-inch multimedia touchscreen, partial synthetic leather interior trim, a higher grade of LED headlights, and a more comprehensive active safety suite.

Meanwhile the 2024 facelift will adopt updated software for the multimedia and digital instrument cluster, alongside tweaked exterior and interior styling.

Stay tuned closer to the e-208's release date for more accurate Australian pricing and spec. Peugeot Australia also confirmed earlier this year that the e-208's SUV sibling, the e-2008 will also arrive in Australia before the end of 2023.