Peugeot E-3008 review: French SUV needs to fight like a lion

Peugeot E-3008 verdict

This new generation, Peugeot 3008 with electric power at first seemed poised to dominate the electric SUV sector, taking the fight to the Tesla Model Y. However, while the brand’s avant-garde i-Cockpit truly is something to behold, the rest of the Peugeot E-3008 falls a tad short of expectations. Don’t get us wrong; it’s spacious enough for most families, comfortable and gets a strong level of equipment as standard, bar a few missing items. However, it’s hard to ignore how ruthless this segment of the market is and if you’re not utterly entranced by the E-3008’s cabin – trust us, it is rather lovely – we think you’ll find more compelling and competitively priced competition elsewhere. We’re looking forward to trying the upcoming Long Range model to see if this could boost the E-3008’s appeal for high mileage drivers.

Details, specs and alternatives

It’s taken a while for Peugeot to fully electrify its 3008 family SUV, but at last the Peugeot E-3008 is here. It brings with it an all-new futuristic design and a never-before-seen EV platform that’s also set to underpin future Stellantis group models like the next-generation Vauxhall Grandland.

This French lion finds itself in a den full of fiercely competitive rivals, having to fend off the likes of the Skoda Enyaq, Renault Scenic and Tesla Model Y. Buyers may also be considering smaller models like the Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia Niro EV, as well as, given the Peugeot’s rather premium price point, posher offerings like the BMW iX1 and Audi Q4 e-tron.

As mentioned, the Peugeot E-3008 sits on an entirely new platform and is also available in hybrid form. We’re all about BEVs, though, here at DrivingElectric, so it’s the fully-electric E-3008 we’ll be focusing on here. This, at launch, is only available in entry-level ‘210’ guise; powered by a 73kWh battery that’s paired to a front-mounted 210bhp electric motor. With this setup, the E-3008 has a maximum claimed range of up to 327 miles and will dispatch 0-62mph in 8.8 seconds – not exactly remarkable figures, but competitive nonetheless.

Perhaps more exciting is the forthcoming ‘230 Long Range’ version which truly lives up to its name through a claimed 435-mile maximum – more than even a facelifted Tesla Model 3 and about the same as a Fisker Ocean. If riotous performance is more important to you than range, Peugeot is also releasing a ‘310 Dual-Motor’ E-3008 later in 2024 which, as its name suggests, gets two electric motors to provide four-wheel drive and a punchy 316bhp.

For now, it’s just the ‘210’ on sale, which is available in two trim levels: Allure and GT. The former is generally well equipped, bar a few disappointing omissions. As standard, the E-3008 gets LED lights front and rear, 19-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, a 21-inch digital instrument cluster and touchscreen infotainment system, dual-zone air conditioning, part-leatherette upholstery and a reversing camera.

Annoyingly, if you want heated seats or adaptive cruise control, you’ll have to step up to the range-topping GT trim; neither are available as an option with top-of-the-range E-3008 models demanding a roughly £4,000 premium. For your extra cash, you do also get larger 20-inch alloys, Pixel-LED headlights, Alcantara upholstery, extended ambient lighting and front parking sensors. 

This being the case, unless you’re really set on having a toasty bottom, we recommend saving your cash and sticking with the Allure. That said, we would also recommend splashing out an extra £700 on a heat pump – a somewhat cheeky exclusion from the standard kit list and, we think, a necessary item given how cold it can get at winter time here in the UK.

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According to Peugeot, the E-3008 is capable of up to 435 miles on a single charge under the official WLTP testing conditions. However, that’s only when equipped with the larger 90kWh (usable) battery that’s found in the ‘230 Long Range’ model. 

Only the entry-level ‘210’ model is available in the UK for the moment and this gets a more modest 73kWh battery which is enough for a range of up to 327 miles on a single charge – roughly the same as a Tesla Model Y Long Range, but roughly 50 miles short of what’s possible in a Renault Scenic. A ‘230 Twin-Motor’ model is also coming further down the line with the same battery and range figure as the less-powerful, single motor 210.

In terms of charging, the Peugeot E-3008 occupies the middle of the pack in this regard; a maximum DC ultra-rapid charging speed of 160kW should provide a 20-80% top-up in around half-an-hour, provided you find a suitable public charger. It’s worth noting that the Hyundai Ioniq 5 can complete the same charge in as little as 18 minutes thanks to a faster 220kW maximum charging speed.

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Starting from around £46,000, the Peugeot E-3008 is a chunk more expensive than an entry-level Renault Scenic which has more range than the Peugeot. That said, the E-3008 beats the Tesla Model Y RWD on price, even when you compare the top-spec GT model with the Model Y Long Range.

In terms of running costs, the Peugeot E-3008 – like all electric cars – is zero-rated for road tax (VED) until 2025, and sits in the lowest 2% Benefit-in-Kind tax bracket, making it a tempting choice for company car drivers. Insurance premiums, as is often the case with electric cars, will almost certainly be higher than the equivalent petrol SUV – exact insurance groups are yet to be announced.

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Most buyers of a family SUV such as the Peugeot E-3008 typically don’t care so much about pushing their car to the limits, and the French maker has certainly kept that in mind when it comes to its own offering. 

Despite its rather sporty-feeling squared-off steering wheel, the E-3008 errs on the side of comfort; even with larger wheels and rather stiff suspension, the Peugeot manages to remain composed over the majority of lumps and bumps in the road. Larger craters can cause some disruption in the interior, however.

The aforementioned steering is heavier than most Peugeot models, but light nonetheless which makes the E-3008 easy to manoeuvre in tight car parks as well as around town. Of course the caveat of this is that there isn’t a huge amount of feedback; it’s an easy car to place on the road, though, and the engineers at Peugeot have done well to contain body roll.

Just because this is the first electric 3008, don’t go expecting Tesla levels of performance; the sprint from 0-62mph takes a rather unexceptional 8.8 seconds. It’s not slow by any means and, given the instant torque that’s inherent with electric powertrains, even feels rather nippy at lower speeds. A four-wheel drive Twin-Motor model with over 300bhp and a 0-62mph time of 6.4 seconds is coming soon if you’re after a little more poke.

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Undoubtedly the Peugeot E-3008’s biggest draw is its futuristic, second-generation i-Cockpit interior. This cocoons the driver with a sweeping 21-inch screen that combines the infotainment touchscreen and the instrument cluster. It’s a superb-looking and highly responsive system, however, we feel the whole setup has been poorly utilised. The acres of screen real estate aren’t fully exploited by Peugeot’s software – wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come as standard if you’d rather use your phone – however, there is a small additional screen mounted below which at least provides easy access to the most important vehicle functions.

In terms of materials, the E-3008 utilises lots of soft-touch fabric on the dashboard and door cards to provide a premium, yet futuristic aesthetic. Some glossy black plastic has burrowed its way into the mix – unfortunate, given what a magnet it is for fingerprints and scratches – but generally, material quality is very good.

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While the E-3008’s cabin may be exceptional in almost every respect, one area in which it’s not quite superior to the rest is in terms of space. Don’t get us wrong, it’s a pretty roomy car – four six-foot adults will have no problem getting comfortable, despite the sloping roofline – but a Skoda Enyaq or Renault Scenic are both better choices for outright roominess and family-friendly features.

The same goes for the Peugeot’s 520-litre boot which is more than sufficient for a pair of large suitcases, a pushchair, or the whole street’s weekly shop, but some rivals have the E-3008 trumped when it comes to usable capacity. Unlike the Tesla Model Y, the Peugeot E-3008 is also without a ‘frunk’ under the bonnet, meaning you’ll most likely have to store your charging cables underneath the boot floor, reducing the overall volume somewhat.

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We’ve very little to go off of in terms of how safe and/or reliable the Peugeot E-3008 will be, however, there are some indicators; Peugeot placed a pretty punchy ninth out of 32 manufacturers in our most recent Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, with roughly 19% of owners reporting a fault with their car within the first year of ownership – about average across all the included manufacturers. It’s also worth noting that EVs should, in theory, be more reliable than the equivalent petrol model given they have fewer moving parts to go wrong.

The Peugeot E-3008 should be pretty safe, too; it comes with all the active safety and driver assistance systems you’d expect including autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control (only in range-topping GT models).