Peugeot 308 review

It’s the third generation 308. Peugeot has shifted over 1.3 million 308s in its 15 years on sale, meaning this latest one matters for the company’s bottom line. Fortunately, its design department has (yet again) smashed it out of the park: it's the best looking 308 yet to our eyes.

Peugeot’s aim is to be an ‘inventive high-end generalist’ brand, marketing gobbledigook that disguises a range of cars that are as well-engineered and robust as any of its apparently more esteemed rivals. So talk of the 308 mixing it with the likes of the Audi A3, BMW 1-Series and Mercedes A-Class isn’t too far fetched, alongside C-segment stalwarts such as the Ford Focus and VW Golf. No pressure.

It’s available as a five-door hatch or SW semi-estate form. There's a fully electric e-308, too.

It looks... striking.

The 308 represents further evidence of Peugeot’s concerted push both upmarket and its commitment to delivering something palpably different. Few mainstream car companies have executed a more convincing design about-turn than these guys, and the new 308’s dramatic aesthetic keeps the faith with the quasi-concept car look of the 2008 and 3008 crossovers.

The front end positions the bold new Peugeot badge in the middle of an equally punchy grille, the long nose doing most of the visual heavy lifting. The wheelbase has grown by 55mm for more room in the rear compartment, and it sits 20mm lower than the previous model. It’s also impressively slippery with a drag coefficient of 0.28, and Peugeot has pumped up the colour palette.

How does the cabin compare?

Plenty of noise has been made about Peugeot’s i-Cockpit interior, complete with compact steering wheel and 10-inch digital instrument cluster. The steering wheel still looks like a TIE fighter from the Star Wars universe and sits unusually (and, for some, uncomfortably) low, but don’t let it be a deal breaker until you’ve spent a good amount of time in the driver’s seat: it quickly feels natural.

Elsewhere, the central touchscreen - 10 inches as standard - has been slightly reworked with a row of ‘i-Toggle’ shortcut buttons underneath (from Allure trim upwards), which can be customised to the driver’s liking. Peugeot calls it i-Connect Advanced and it looks really smart, contributing to a cabin that is as good as anything else out there. Head over to the Interior tab for full details.

What's behind the badge?

The range starts with the 1.2-litre mild hybrid petrol with 134bhp, which uses a tiny electric motor and self-charging battery for improved lower down torque and economy than the pure petrol Peugeot sold befote it. That’s followed by a 1.5-litre BlueHDi 130 diesel.

At the other end of the rung are its plug-in hybrid powertrains; at launch, these came in 180 (177bhp) or 225 (221bhp) forms, both powered by a 1.6-litre petrol engine augmented by a 81kW (109bhp) electric motor and a 12.4kWh lithium-ion battery. Since then, Peugeot appears to have tidied the range up with just one, 195 option in the middle.

All 308s use an automatic gearbox, in one form or another, and it’s far from a Peugeot hot hatchback of times gone by with a clear focus on refinement and efficiency. But that’s not to say fun can’t be had: the steering is nicely weighted and it has decent body control. Head over to the Driving tab for more.

How much will I pay?

Well, in summer 2025 Peugeot announced a nifty-looking facelift for the 308. See the images above. Prices for that are yet to be announced, but the new car's arrival might just persuade your dealer to give you some strong deals on the car it replaces. Which is good, because a £33k starting point in base form or almost £40k for a plug-in hybrid feels like punchy money, even if the premium feel of the car beneath backs it all up pretty nicely.

Truth is this majors as a bread 'n' butter hatchback like Peugeot always used to knock out the park. Only now the bread is sourdough and the butter that really creamy stuff you get in fancy restaurants. But the pretty modest performance of the mild hybrid version means you'll probably want a good deal to countenance the fairly sensible life choice you've just made.

The third-gen Peugeot 308 landed in a class absolutely rammed with talent. But its rivals have ebbed away in recent years - even Ford has signaled the end of Focus production. This is one of the few remaining cars of its kind, then, a relatively light but reasonably sized hatch that also looks the part. Peugeot rolled the dice on its design, inside and out, and while this might deter the more conservative elements of the customer base, the rest of us should applaud its emboldened approach.

On top of that there’s quality of execution, lots of tech, and more than competent dynamics, even with the added weight of plug-in versions. It's not exactly a 205 GTI successor, but it's more fun than you might imagine. And the perfect antidote to all those taller, heavier crossovers that have ebbed away at the hatchback market. Keep with tradition and the 308 rewards you with a warm glow inside.