Peugeot 308 review

Prices start at £28k for the 1.2-litre petrol, £29k for the mild hybrid, and just shy of £38k for the PHEV (note the steep climb is partially due to being forced up a trim level to get there).

Monthly payments sart at around £280, £330 and £490 respectively: that's on a four-year agreement with a £5k down payment and 10,000 yearly mileage allowance, through Peugeot’s own finance scheme.

Rivals? An entry-level VW Golf will set you back a couple of grand less, a Ford Focus and BMW 1 Series around the same figure, and an Audi A3 and Mercedes A-Class a couple of grand more.

What are my trim options?

There are three: Active, Allure, and GT. It used to be more, but Peugeot decided that was too complicated.

Standard equipment includes 16-inch alloys, LED head- and tail-lights, 10-inch touchscreen, voice recognition (for radio, navigation and phone), electronic heated and folding door mirrors and rear parking sensors.

One up Allure brings 17-inch alloy wheels, tinted rear windows, 3D navigation, customisable ‘i-Toggles’, 180-degree reversing camera, and an air quality system.

Top of the range GT trim gets 18-inch alloys, Matrix LED headlights, 3D digital instrument cluster, eight-colour ambient lighting, aluminium door sills and pedals, front parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, and a frameless rearview mirror.

What's the best spec?

It’s hard to look past the entry 1.2-litre petrol, unless you’re able to home charge, stick to short journeys and can recoup the extra expenditure. Or you’re a fleet or business user and can take advantage of the PHEV’s 12 per cent Benefit-in-Kind (BIK) rate. Fitted with the optional 7.4kW on-board charger, it takes 1hr 55mins to fully replenish the 12.4kW battery using a wallbox; otherwise it’s 3hr 50mins.

Either way we wouldn’t look below Allure trim (your entry point for the PHEV) for those handy ‘i-Toggle’ shortcut buttons. At the time of writing you’re looking at £29,770 or £37,960 respectively.