Peugeot E-2008 Review

Practicality and Boot Space

The E-2008 may be based on the small E-208 supermini, but there’s actually a lot more room inside and it’s one of the better small SUVs for space overall. As it was designed to be an electric car from scratch, the batteries are neatly positioned under the seats meaning there’s no impact on rear legroom and boot room, and it’s quite roomy for a small SUV. 

Mind you, the rear seats are ideally suited for two adults rather than three and there’s no armrest to get comfortable, but headroom is pretty good. Every model gets a moveable boot floor too – with it in the highest position there’s some neat underfloor storage for the charging cables and no lip when the seats are folded down, or when it’s lowered there’s more room to carry taller items. Space in the front is particularly good and the driver’s seat can be set very low which means tall drivers can get comfortable.   

Tech

The E-2008 certainly isn’t the cheapest small electric SUV on the market but the bonus is you get a lot of equipment for your money. Even the entry-level Active gets a new 10-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and sat-nav with charging point search functionality, LED headlights and safety kit like automatic city braking. 

You’ll have to go for the mid-spec Allure to get a digital display for the dials and alloy wheels, and GT for a cool looking 3D digital dial display. The infotainment system has new software for 2023 and it's slicker and easier to use than before, but most people will likely bypass many of the now improved menus for the Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Speaking of which, beneath the touchscreen, a cubby hold can act as rest to place your smartphone at an angle, which is rather neat. 

Safety

The entry-level Active gets a four-star safety rating from independent crash testers EuroNCAP, but all other models get a five-star score. The extra star is awarded because the other models get an Active Safety Brake system (essentially a system that monitors objects at town speeds and applies the brakes if the driver doesn’t react) that detects objects at night and cyclists, whereas the basic system only detects pedestrians. Active cars are still very safe, though, and get Lane Keep Assist, Speed Sign Recognition, an emergency SOS button, adaptive cruise control and lane positioning assist as standard. GT models get Blind Spot detection.  

In everyday use though we have a couple of concerns. The windscreen pillars are very thick and block vision at junctions and roundabouts. The cruise control buttons are also mounted on the steering column in a place where it is difficult to see them, meaning you need to take a good look to see which switch does what. That's not ideal when you are travelling at speed.  ​