Peugeot 408 vs Peugeot E-2008

What's the difference?

The Peugeot 408 GT plug-in hybrid features tech that could be improved upon and like all plug-ins, you get the best economy if you regularly charge it and that’s not always realistic. It is a little expensive compared to its rivals but sports a killer design that looks fresh and the cabin is roomy with nice features.

The Peugeot e-2008 GT looks stylish but it’s definitely a compact SUV and that means it will only suit a small family. Or even a grandparent who has to occasionally ferry the grandkids around.

I like how easy it is to park and its stylish packaging but the cabin feels small. The practicality just wasn’t there for my family this week and the price point isn’t quite right for the features you get.

My son liked its looks but didn’t get excited about it.

There’s quite a lot happening with the design because of the mash-up of body styles. The long sleek body has sedan vibes but it sits high enough to tag itself as an SUV and the rear has that classic coupe pinching.

It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but I like it. It's bold and different, which feels like a bit of fresh air in this SUV-heavy market.

The lights also set this apart from its Peugeot stablemates and look more refined, too. You can still see the remnants of the original ‘claw’ design in the tail-lights if you look closely but it's the long vertical DRLs at the front that give the design real edge. They resemble the fangs of a snarling cat (just too cool).

The sophisticated sleekness is extended to the interior where you find a cabin that is flush with high-end materials and soft touch points.

The curved dashboard, high-end tech screens and the mix of Nappa leather upholstery and synthetic leather trims definitely cement its grade position. While not a fan of the green contrast stitching myself, it does create an interesting focal point.

The e-2008 looks super cute! I love the intense 'Vertigo Blue' paintwork on our test model. It makes it pop.

In fact, all the paintwork colour options look bright and happy and that describes the styling of this car.

The e-2008 has stacks of personality and sports Peugeot’s signature three-claw LED lights at the rear but the daytime-running lights almost look fang-like, which gives it an edgy look.

The GT comes with a contrasting black roof, the same shade applied to the mirrors and 18-inch alloy wheels, which further enhances its street-cred.

The cabin is gorgeous with the premium-look trims and contrasting green stitching.

The dashboard features sharp cutaways and shiny chrome accents but it's the 10-inch multimedia system and 12.3-inch 3D digital instrument panel which give the cabin a 'wow' factor.

Its a good-looking little SUV inside and out.

Both rows have ample leg- and headroom for my 168cm height. Even my father, who is 183cm tall, felt comfortable in both rows.

The seats are comfortable and offer enough padding to be enjoyable on a long trip. The heat and massage functions on the front seats make the cabin experience feel refined but the massage function sometimes stops when the heat function is also on.

Individual storage is good for the class with the front getting some centre console storage spots, including a phone shelf, as well as a dual-opening middle console, glovebox and two cupholders. There are also a small storage bin and drink bottle holder in each door.

In the rear, there are directional air vents, two USB-C ports, map pockets and a drink bottle holder in each door but you miss out on cup holders, an armrest and other items you might expect for this grade level, like heated outboard seats or climate control.

The other charging options are solid with the front row getting two USB-C ports, a wireless charging pad and a 12-volt socket. There is another 12-volt socket in the boot.

The 10-inch touchscreen multimedia system looks great and you can customise your ‘buttons panel’ to the features you use most often, which is very clever. However, the system isn’t always responsive which gets very annoying - the seat functions in particular can be laggy.

The system does feature built-in satellite navigation and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto but the multimedia system is too glitchy to truly charm.

The boot features a tyre puncture repair kit, relatively level loading space and 471L of boot capacity, which has been fine for all of my errands this week. You also get a hands-free powered tailgate, which is always handy.

The e-2008 looks great but what about the practicality? Well, let’s just say the front row benefits the most in terms of everything – space, comfort and features. If you’re a super tall family, this might not be the car for you.

I felt perfectly happy when it was just my son and me but as soon as my husband jumped in, it started to feel a bit claustrophobic in the cabin.

There are a few reasons why, though. You knock elbows with your front passenger, if you have a cup in one of the centre console cupholders it gets in the way of the transmission shifter and you knock your feet on the too-high door aperture. I felt clumsy getting in and out of this car.

That said, the seats are comfortable and you could easily do a longer trip in them. It's curious that the front passenger seat and the sunblind for the panoramic sunroof adjust manually. But all in all, I was happy with the comfort in the front.

Individual storage is decent up front for this class with a middle console, glove box, two drink bottle holders in each door plus two cupholders. There is also a large hidden storage cubby above the phone tray that I was able to pop all my loose items away in.

Individual storage is basic in the back seat with the only options being a couple of netted map pockets plus shallow storage bins in each door.

Generally speaking, space is lean in the second row. I’m 168cm (5'6") and sitting behind my driving position, my knees touch the back of the seat.

My videographer and I had a laugh when we were filming the video review for the e-2008 because it was so awkward for him (at 183cm / 6'0") to get comfortable in the back seat! I thus dub it only fit for kids on longer journeys.

The two digital screens look great and the 3D-effect instrument panel is a cool highlight but the multimedia system doesn’t seem to have a lot of accessible information or customisations available.

The screen responds quickly but sometimes the built-in satellite navigation is slow to load. However, I like how easy it is to connect to the wired Apple CarPlay plus it has wired Android Auto for those users.

Charging options are good with each row enjoying two USB-A ports and the front getting a single 12-volt socket. Disappointing that there are no other amenities in the back row, though.

The highlight of the car for me is the boot. It's a good size at 434L and I like the level load space. You have underfloor storage for cables and such but the compromise for getting all of this space is that you only get a tyre puncture repair kit. There’s also no frunk storage in this model.

I missed a powered tailgate because the boot lid is quite heavy to close but otherwise, the boot suited my little family’s needs just fine.

There is only one model available for the e-2008 and that’s the GT. Which will cost you $59,990, before any on-road costs, which places it right in the middle of its nearest rivals. Let’s look at some of the features you get for the price.

The interior gets most of the big-ticket items with synthetic leather and synthetic suede trims, a panoramic sunroof, a 12.3-inch 3D hologram-style digital instrument panel and 10-inch touchscreen multimedia system.

For comfort items, the driver’s seat is electric with adjustable lumbar support and a massage setting (although the ‘massage’ is very gentle). The front passenger’s seat is manually adjustable but both front seats feature a heat function.

Other standard features include items like dual-zone climate control, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, five seats (2-3 configuration), 18-inch alloy wheels, a built-in satellite navigation system and adjustable ambient lighting with up to eight colour choices.

The 408 GT is a front-wheel drive that has an eight-speed auto transmission and is powered by a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine and an 81kW electric motor, which produce combined outputs of 165kW/360Nm. It can do a 0-100km/h sprint in 7.8 seconds. 

The switch between the electric and petrol components isn’t always seamless and you can feel some shudders as it flips between them at lower speeds but the power feels adequate for everyday driving.

The e-2008 GT has a fully electric powertrain and a lithium-ion battery that has a 50kWh capacity. The battery is located underneath the rear seats.

The electric motor delivers a maximum power output of 100kW and 260Nm of torque. It's official 0-100km/h sprint time is nine seconds.

So, it's not the punchiest EV on the market but it has enough power to tackle the open-road, if need be.

The official combined cycle fuel consumption figure is 1.5L/100km but that’s if you were recharging the car every time the electric range dropped out.

My real-world consumption sat at 5.5L after a mix of open-road and urban driving. I only charge it every other day as that’s realistic for my family life but like all plug-ins - you will get the best efficiency if you charge it regularly.

The 408 GT has a Type 2 charging port and a small 12.4kWh lithium-ion battery that can accept up to 3.7kW of power. You get up to 60km of pure electric driving range (but I only saw a top of 38km available) and on a domestic socket, you can go from zero to 100 per cent in around six hours.

On a 7kW or 11kW AC power charger, that drops to three and a half hours. So, it’s a tad slow to charge but worth it if you can leave your car on charge overnight.

The e-2008 has a driving range of up to 328km (WTLP) and a Type 2 CCS charging port – which means you can hook it up to a fast charger.

The battery capacity means it can also accept a 50kW fast charger’s speed and will go from 0-80 per cent in as little as 30 minutes, which is very handy.

Peugeot's official energy consumption figure for the e-2008 is 14.5 kWh/100km and I saw my average flit between 17.3kWh to 19.5kWh on my travels after doing mostly urban driving this week. 

I will admit to feeling some range anxiety because of the lower driving range available.

The 408 GT has more than enough power to be a comfortable open-roader. You can keep your speed consistent on hills and it has enough gumption to cross traffic quickly in an urban environment.

Steering is responsive and the car is easy to manoeuvre in close quarters but the lane-keeping aid does severe corrections, so have your wits about you when you’re on the go because it can be a fright when the wheel starts fighting you.

With the ride comfort, there can be vibrations through the seats and steering wheel depending on the road surface and you’ll know about it when you hit a bump. It’s okay enough to not be classed as rough but it’s not as refined as you'd hope.

Despite the narrow rear window, the visibility is actually very good and it’s easy enough to park but the 180-degree camera system needs work.

You'll end up using the straight reversing camera because you need to ‘drive’ over the space for an image to pop up for the '180-degree' view and by the time it does, you’ve parked anyway!

Besides the range anxiety, the e-2008 drives well. The power is a bit lacklustre compared to other EV models out at the moment but there is still plenty to access when you need it. I felt confident whenever I had to tackle the open-road or overtake.

The ride comfort is good with the suspension cushioning most bumps. The road noise can creep up a bit, especially at higher speeds but the e-2008 is otherwise fairly quiet around town.

I like the concise steering. It makes the e-2008 super fun to drive in the city! When you hit corners or wind at higher speeds, it can feel a bit light footed, though.

It sits low at 1550mm in overall height and that can mean that sometimes the visibility isn’t great if you pull up to a roundabout or traffic lights with a big SUV beside you. Otherwise, the windows are nice and wide and provide decent visibility.

The e-2008 is a good size to fit into small car spots in the city but the 180-degree rear-view camera isn’t as clear as I’d like. It’s still serviceable and I like the back up provided by front and rear parking sensors. It takes out some of the guesswork!

The e-2008 has a solid list of safety features and I like the adaptive cruise control's stop and go function. 

Other standard safety features, include blind-spot monitoring, daytime-running lights, forward collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping aid, lane departure warning, intelligent seatbelt reminders, traffic sign recognition, 180-degree view camera system, as well as front and rear parking sensors.

The rear seat also features ISOFIX child seat mounts on the outboard positions and three top tether anchor points but two seats will fit best. Front passenger comfort will be compromised when a 0-4 rearward facing child seat is installed.

The e-2008 doesn’t have an ANCAP rating but its fuel-based siblings achieved a maximum five-star assessment in 2019.

Surprising that it only has six airbags, which is low for a family car, but the curtain airbags do cover the back row.

The 408 comes with a usual warranty term of five-years/unlimited km and the battery is covered by an eight-year or up to 160,000km warranty.

You can pre-purchase three, four, or five-years worth of services, which all work out to be cheaper than the pay-as-you-go option. It costs $1200 (three-years), $1700 (four-years), and $2000 for the five-year plan.

On the five-year plan, services average $400, which is reasonable for the class. Servicing intervals are also good at every 12 months/15,000km, whichever occurs first.

The e-2008 comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty, as well as an eight-year/160,000km warranty on the battery.

Servicing intervals are every 12 months, but it is normal to see EV servicing at around 24 months.

You can pre-purchase either a three- or five-year servicing plan, which are both cheaper than the pay-as-you-go option.

On the five-year plan, services average $200, which is good for the class.