Peugeot 508 Hybrid reliability & safety
As with all Peugeots, the 508 Hybrid is very safe and should be built to last, but the reliability of its new drivetrain is largely unproven
| Euro NCAP | Adult protection | Child protection | Safety assist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 stars (2018) | 96% | 86% | 79% |
The Peugeot 508 is one of the safest large family cars on sale, with an impressive crash-test score from Euro NCAP and an array of active safety and driver-assistance features. As a gauge of how easy the car is to live with, it's useful to consult the 2020 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey; the 508 itself didn't feature, but a number of its stablemates did.
The closely related 3008 SUV finished in an impressive second place out of 100 cars – owners loved its styling, build quality, practicality, passenger space and driving experience. By and large, that's all carried over to the 508 – we'll just have to wait and see if the added complexity of its hybrid drivetrain affects Peugeot's already-great reputation for reliability.
Peugeot 508 Hybrid reliability & problems
The 508 may have missed out on inclusion in the Driver Power survey, but the strong performance from the similar 3008 bodes well – that car saw a reasonably low 11.8% average share of owners reporting a fault. Peugeot itself finished in a strong eighth place out of 30 manufacturers, with a still-low 12% average share of reported faults.
Peugeot was the highest-rated French car manufacturer in the survey, but it's worth noting that all of its models featured were conventionally powered. However, if this strong performance is a sign of Peugeot's depth of engineering, it's safe to assume that there's little to worry about.
Safety
This is where the 508 really shines: its five-star Euro NCAP crash-test rating comes thanks to impressive scores for adult and child occupant protection (96% and 86% respectively), along with a comprehensive list of active driver aids and safety systems.
Entry-level Active models come with automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance, speed-limit recognition and road-edge detection, as well as a distance alert system to stop drivers following the car in front too closely. The step to Allure trim adds blind-spot monitoring, automatic high-beam headlights and road-sign recognition to the mix, while GT Line gets full LED self-levelling headlights.
For the most safety kit, you'll need to cough up for the top-of-the-line GT, which adds Peugeot's Drive Assist Pack Plus, bringing adaptive cruise control with stop/go functionality and lane-positioning assistance.
