Peugeot e-208 review: reliability & safety rating

The Peugeot e-208’s four-star official Euro NCAP crash-test rating looks low compared to some rivals, such as the MG4 EV and Ora Funky Cat which both received five-star Euro NCAP scores in 2022. This doesn’t mean it’s unsafe, of course; Euro NCAP tests are incredibly stringent these days. It should be pretty reliable, too – something that’s theoretically the case for all EVs.

Peugeot e-208 reliability & problems

As a rule, electric cars are typically very reliable given that the motor has far fewer moving parts than a petrol or diesel engine. Peugeot fared well in the 2023 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, finishing ninth overall out of 32 brands. What's more, the 208 finished a respectable 51st in the rundown of the top 75 cars, although reliability was a topic of contention – something that shouldn’t be too much of a problem on electric versions.

Safety

The e-208 might not have excelled itself in Euro NCAP’s crash safety test, but it does come as standard with a host of standard driver aids, including autonomous emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance and traffic-sign recognition that beams the relevant speed limit onto your dials. 

However, you do have to go for GT trim to get upgraded autonomous emergency braking that uses radar rather than a camera-based sensor, and can respond to a cyclist or pedestrian as well as a vehicle. What’s more, you have to get the optional Drive Assist Pack Plus if you want adaptive cruise control and it’s only offered on GT spec cars. 

Adaptive cruise control was standard on the top-of-the-range GT Premium trim, but that’s currently unavailable to order. It’s a shame that you can’t get a space-saver wheel either as there isn’t room in the boot because the batteries take up too much space.