Peugeot e-208 is one of the most significant electric cars out there. simply because it brings back free power to a household name model like never before. so it’s a good thing that promises great things, including a driving range of up to 217 miles and Finance cost from under 300 pounds per month.
Not only that, but it looks great sort of chunky and aggressive. it’s one of the best-looking cars in the class and on top of that, it’s got a nice interior high tech and loads of equipment. so clearly it’s got a lot going in its favor. which is good because it’s also got a lot of competition.
Battery, Charging, and Range
Charging is a chief concern for many buyers considering going electric. the Peugeot e-208 CCS and type 2 socket are compatible with the vast majority of car chargers across Western Europe. and a maximum charging rate of 100 kilowatts will deliver 100 miles of range in 20 minutes. provided you can plug into a CCS rapid charger capable of delivering those speeds. most UK charges on the motorway only deliver 50 kilowatts which will do the same 100-mile top-up in more like 40 minutes. the Peugeot e-208 is powered by a 50 kWh battery with water-cooling technology to help with rapid charging and battery longevity.
The company provides a 100,000-mile or eight-year battery warranty that also promises free refurbishing of the battery if it drops below 70% of the new performance.
Most owners will do all of their routine charging at home where a seven-kilowatt wall box will fully charge the 80% in around seven and a half hours. the fastest charge you will get from an AC type 2 charger. there’s a free app with the Peugeot as well which allows you to remotely control the charging times cabin temperature and more, or as with most electric cars, you can set the fine charging hours via the car’s screen. this means that you can easily take advantage of off-peak charging rates which could have the peak charging cost of roughly seven pounds on a standard domestic tariff.
Unfortunately, you do have to pay extra for a cable that plugs into a 3-pin domestic socket which is a useful addition for trickle charging when you’re staying overnight with friends or family. but will take over 24 hours if you want a full charge from empty.
The big clincher for most people thinking of going electric now especially if they’ve got no experience of electric cars is how far it goes in between charges. and that official range of 217 miles is promising.
But I’m a bit disappointed, to be honest. because it’s a very middling 10 degrees gray rainy British winter’s day. and we’re getting about 140 miles at the moment. and that’s not great. I would have expected a little bit better for a car with such high range officially. I would add that every electric car does tend to suffer in the rain and the cold. so you would expect to see this get better and climb up to about 180 miles.
Maybe even you get up to about 200 miles in warmer weather and especially if you spend a lot of time around town because we have done a few motorway miles as well throughout this range test. but it will still be more than enough range for most people considering going electric. and not only that but this car as I’ve already mentioned does charge very quickly if you need it to. so that is all good. not only that but it drives nicely this car.
Driving and Handling
Peugeot engineers have changed the suspension settings on the e-208 since the international launch. and I was really worried about the ride comfort in this car when I drove it in Portugal. but because of those changes. this car is on 17-inch wheels and yet it rides quite nicely in the UK. it’s still a bit firm. you get a bit of a sort of unsettled a bit of sort of jiggling about over particularly over sort of high-frequency undulations in the road. but other than that honestly it’s not gonna bother you at all and you’d be happy to commute daily in this car it’s nice.
Interior
Not only that, but it’s got a bit more vim and vigor to the way it goes around corners than most of its rivals. it’s quite a mature feeling. it feels like quite a big car despite obviously being sort of compact and you know Fiesta sized. and I think that is to its benefit. I don’t think everyone is going to love this little steering wheel. it’s not a natural feeling because you have to have it very low. to see those cool digital dials about the steering wheel it sounds like a bit of a gimmick, doesn’t it?
The interior is either going to be a really big selling point for you. or it could be a deal-breaker. you’re either going to love the look of it. because it doesn’t look great here. and there are all these lovely tactile materials it’s a real wow factor. or you might get annoyed by the fact that you have to use the screen to change the temperature on the car or the fact that these buttons aren’t always terribly self-explanatory. the fact that you have to have the steering wheel very low. all of that stuff. you’re I think I like the way it looks or you’re going to be annoyed by the fact it’s just not a very logical dash. even so, equipment is very good even on the entry-level II 208, you get automatic headlights rear parking sensors, cruise control, aircon, so you get the basics.
Sort of 3D holographic dials but in practice, they’re cool and effective. so I do like them. even so like I said driving position comfy seat I wish the steering wheel were a bit more conventional and you know yeah I just wish I could have the driving position I want rather than the driving position that Peugeot wants me to have. but with that little steering wheel, it does help to make it feel nimble through corners. it’s got quite a nice turn in. you can stick it in Sport down here. and that sharpens up the throttle response as well.
Performance
So you can make better use of the Peugeot e-208 powered with a 134 brake horsepower motor that you’ve got from this front-wheel-drive car. it feels sort of zippy and encouraging and a little bit sporty. which is not something you’re ever going to get from a Renault Zoe or a Nissan Leaf or any other rivals. so we’ll have to reserve judgment on that one.
Regenerative Braking
There are only two levels of brake regeneration in the e-208. and a standard it’s very mild. it doesn’t feel really like any more breaking than you’d get on standard engine braking in a normal petrol or diesel car. so it feels very natural to drive. and I think a lot of people like that. but you can increase brake region by nudging the gear leaver down here into B. and that means that when you lift off the pedal, you get a stronger brake regen. it bleeds in quite smoothly and it’s easy to judge.
So I think a lot of people will make use of that around town. but it isn’t one pedal driving as you get in the Nissan Leaf. it’s nowhere near strong enough for that to be honest. it’s the way that the Peugeot balances being quite fun with being comfortable and crucially feeling entirely normal to drive that I think would be one of its biggest selling points because people who haven’t driven an electric car before gonna leap in this and it’s incredibly reassuring. it’s exactly like the other petrol and diesel Peugeot 208 Stu Drive. other than being quieter smoother actually, to be honest just generally a bit nicer.
GT line
The GT line is well worth considering as it gets full LED headlights, ambient lighting in the cabin, contrast roof, and bigger wheels. top-spec GT gets the bigger 10-inch touchscreen that you see here, and heated seats amongst other extras. but it is pricey. the touchscreen is not bad at all. but it is a little slow at times and the graphics aren’t as good as those that you’ll find in plenty of rivals including Kia and high-end eyes latest electric cars.
Space
The Peugeot e-208 is five-door only. and it’s more than practical enough to make a good compact school run car. it’s more comfortable in the back than the Renault Zoe. and the 267-liter boot is good by floor standards and will easily take a light buggy and some shopping. mind you it is annoying that there’s no dedicated cable storage and the small case that you get for the cable is pretty tight as well. so it probably won’t be long before you give up and just live with having the cable cluttering up the boot floor.
Conclusion
The Peugeot e-208 is a compelling car. it’s got a proper want one appeal to it that very few of its rivals can lay claim to. not only that, but it’s one of the best cars to drive in its class and it’s very competitively priced. so as long as you can live with the range that this car off as being a bit less than some of its rivals. it is one of the best options out there for petrol driving electric calm.
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