Peugeot 208 review

The cheapest 208 you can buy, the 1.2-litre petrol with a five-speed manual, will set you back from £19,080. Next up, the 99bhp and six-speed manual, starts from £20,180, or £21,610 in auto guise. The range-topping 128bhp and eight-speed auto starts from £24,080.

Monthly payments start at around £265, rising to around £360 for the range-topper in top-spec trim, on a four-year agreement with a six-month initial payment. An entry-level VW Polo will set you back slightly less at around £225 a month, and a Ford Fiesta slightly more at around £270. There’s little in it in terms of running costs, with all three averaging around 50mpg and CO2 emissions near the 120g/km mark.

Speaking of trims…

The old Allure trim variant has been ditched, meaning your remaining options are Active Premium, Allure Premium, GT and GT Premium.

Highlights? Active Premium trim features 16-inch alloys, LED running lights, a 7in touchscreen, electric heated door mirrors and in the e-208, automatic climate control. But getting one of those would be like booking a hotel in Vegas then staying in the airport. You can do better. So, next up is Allure Premium, which adds different style alloy wheels, a 3D head-up instrument panel, 180-degree colour reversing camera, plus nattier LED taillights. Well worth it. 

GT variants add 17-inch alloy wheels, gloss black wheel arches, diamond black roof, full LED headlights with ‘Tooth’ design and a 10in colour touchscreen, while top-of-the-tree GT Premium features slightly different style alloy wheels, keyless entry, adaptive cruise control and Alcantara seats.

Which would you choose?

Our pick would be the 1.2-litre, 99bhp petrol with the eight-speed box, in Allure Premium trim, which will set you back just shy of £23k, or around £300 on lease.

There’s more than enough oomph there for most folk, while the Allure Premium spec offers the best ride thanks to its standard sized wheels, plus plenty of luxuries.