Peugeot 308 Review 2025: Price, specs & boot space

The Peugeot 308 is a good car to choose if you want a family hatchback that doesn't look or feel ordinary. It'll stand out in the office car park next to some of the more unexciting offerings, that's for sure. 

It'll also be great for long journeys thanks to good comfort and refinement, yet its relatively compact size means it's easy to park and manoeuvre around town. However, it might not suit family buyers due to its mediocre rear seat space: something like a SEAT Leon or Skoda Octavia is much better in that respect. 

The Volkswagen Golf and SEAT Leon are both solid competitors for the Peugeot 308, as are the Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus and Honda Civic. There's also the Vauxhall Astra which shares much with the 308, but at a more affordable price. 

The 308 is arguably more desirable than some of those, so if style matters the Mazda 3 is a great buy. There's also the Renault Megane with similar French flair, while at the other end of the scale the Kia Ceed and Hyundai i30 are solid if unexciting choices. 

We'd also look towards other Peugeot siblings from Citroen and DS. The Citroen C4 is likeable, comfortable and affordable, while the DS 4 has a classy look and upmarket cabin with loads of kit. 

Peugeot really upped its game in perceived quality in the cabin in recent years, and that began with the last- generation 308. 

Indeed, it's right up there with the latest VW Golf for fit and finish, and the materials used actually feel better in some areas. We really like the solid-feeling door grab handles, abundance of soft plastics, suede-like trim or leather on the dash and doors, and the overall feeling that you're in something a bit higher-end than your typical family hatch. 

Granted, poke around lower reaches of the cabin (such as the door pockets and glovebox lid) and you will find harder, less tactile plastics. But accepting what the Peugeot 308 costs, this really isn't a big deal. 

Every version of the Peugeot 308 gets a 10in central touchscreen. Its paired with a 10in digital dial display (again standard on all models), with basic voice control on all versions. 

The basic Active model is the only one that does without the second screen for the i-Toggles (yes, it's really called that... ) below the main touchscreen for the shortcut widgets. It also misses out on sat-nav, which on all other models also brings live traffic updates and speed camera alerts. All other trims get a more advanced voice control system (activated by saying 'OK Peugeot).

Step up to Allure trim and above, though, and you get all of these things, plus USB sockets in the rear as well as the front. Wireless phone charging is an option, though it's standard on the GT, as is wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (it's wired on the two base trims). 

Aside from that, the only further upgrade is to the stereo. All models get a six-speaker sound system, but a premium Focal system with extra speakers and better sound is available as an option on the GT trim. 

Get your tape measure out and you'll see that the Peugeot 308 is about par for the course in terms of exterior dimensions, at 4367mm long, 1852mm wide and 1441mm tall. That's over 100mm longer than the old 308, and nearly 50mm wider.

Up front, there's plenty of headroom and lots of cabin width, meaning no banging elbows as you fight over the centre armrest. The i-Cockpit driving position isn't suitable for everyone, though - the very tall will find they have to fix the wheel unnaturally close to their legs to fully see the dial display. We wish Peugeot wouldn't mount the pedals so close to the driver, as it would allow long legs to stretch out better. 

There's a lot more to complain about for tall adults in the back, though. If a six-footer is sat behind a similarly-sized driver they'll have their knees dug firmly into the seatback, and if they're even taller than that they'll have to splay their legs either side of the seat. What's more, the bulky front seats don't allow you to really slide your feet underneath, while headroom isn't particularly brilliant either. Most hatchback rivals are roomier.

That's a pity, because the same issues afflicted the old 308, and it doesn't feel like a huge improvement has been made. The rear seats themselves are comfortable, though, so smaller adults and children will be fine, while there isn't a big lump in the floor so the middle seat is fairly usable. Of course there are ISOFIX points back there for mounting child seats, too. 

Thankfully, the Peugeot 308's boot is a much more competitive size. At 412 litres it's actually smaller than the old model, but that's still a greater figure than in the VW Golf and Ford Focus. It's worth noting, though, that in the plug-in hybrid and EV models the boot space drops to 361 litres because the battery pack is under the boot floor. 

Storage within the cabin is decent, with deep door bins in the front, smaller ones in the back and a cubby below the centre armrest. The 308 is also the first Peugeot in decades that doesn't have the fuse box taking up space in the glovebox in right-hand drive cars, meaning there's a much more useable space. 

Peugeot has most of the bases covered with engines in the 308, with one (rather decent) petrol engine, a diesel, a pair of plug-in hybrids, and an EV for the full house. All that's missing is a hot GTI model...

The cheapest available 308 is powered by the 1.2-litre Puretech 130 petrol engine, which makes 130PS and 230Nm. It's actually our favourite version to drive out of the range. 0-62mph comes around in 9.7 seconds, but it feels a bit faster than that thanks to a punchy mid-range, while the rorty engine note encourages you to give it the beans. The Puretech 130 is easily the lightest 308, too, which helps handling. 

We've also driven the 1.5-litre BlueHDI diesel engine. It has the same power as the petrol but more torque (up to 300Nm), yet is actually slower from 0-60mph because of the gearing - it takes 10.6 seconds. We've no complaints regarding the performance, though, and it's actually pretty refined overall for a diesel. It's a shame that the fuel is falling out of favour and it won't be a popular choice. 

Then come the two plug-in models - the Hybrid 180 and Hybrid 225 - both of which remain front wheel drive and combined a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine with a 110PS electric motor. All that changes between the two is the petrol engine gets a higher state of tune in the 225PS variant. 

We've driven the 225PS model, which is pretty good but not perfect. For starters it's usefully punchy in electric-only mode, meaning you can pull smartly out of a junction and easily get up to motorway speeds without waking the petrol engine. Combine the two power sources and it's fairly brisk, too, while it's refined when you're cruising around.

However, it suffers from the same problem that afflicts many PHEVs, namely that when you stab the throttle to overtake or quickly get up to speed you have to wait for what feels like an age before the gearbox, engine, and electric motor have decided between themselves what's needed and deliver full power. 

Similarly, another common problem is that by having to blend regenerative braking and normal friction braking in the same pedal, the brakes can be grabby, making it tricky to come to a stop smoothly. It's not a deal-breaker, but it takes some getting used to. 

All 308s use the same eight-speed automatic gearbox with paddleshifts to manually select gears. The changes are smooth, and while it's a bit slow to react in the hybrid it delivers fairly swift kickdown in the petrol and diesel models. The manual response is nowhere near as fast as a dual-clutch gearbox, however. 

The 308 is good at isolating you from wind and road noise, and while really rough roads do bring some thumping from the suspension it's pretty quiet overall. 

The three-cylinder Puretech 130 doesn't vibrate through the controls like three-pot engines of old, either. And while it starts to get noisy when you rev it out, the willing growl is quite a pleasant and endearing one. The diesel, too, doesn't grumble too much even when you rev it out. 

The hybrids and EV are, of course, the smoothest of the lot, particularly when in electric mode with no gearchanges or engine noise to worry about. Once the engine kicks in with the hybrids it's pretty quiet under normal throttle inputs, but keep your foot pinned into the top of the rev range and they are a bit boomy. 

There’s plenty of safety kit and driver aids on the Peugeot 308. All cars get automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, but you'll need Allure trim and above for the more advanced system that detects cyclists and works well at night. 

Lane keeping assistance is standard across the range, as is speed limit recognition, a driver attention warning and cruise control with a speed limiter. Adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality comes with the top two trims. GT  models also have SOS Assistance as part of their standard kit. 

Despite all of this equipment, the latest 308 only managed a four-star score when tested by Euro NCAP, which is something of a surprise and mainly due to the car not coming with an eCall system when assessed. 

The engines are all familiar as they have been used elsewhere in Peugeot, Citroen, DS and Vauxhall models. As a result, the 308 should be a sound bet.

Peugeot didn't finish particularly highly in the latest Honest John Satisfaction Index, so long-term reliability is difficult to determine. Having said that, modern cars don't generally cause as many issues as they used to. 

The 1.2-litre petrol model of the Peugeot 308 is the cheapest to insure - no surprise there. It sits in group 19, while the petrol and diesel range don't stretch any further than group 21 out of 50.

The all-electric E-308 comes in with group 25 and 26 rankings, which makes it easier on insurance rankings than the hybrid models with their group 26 to 30 ratings.

The Peugeot 308's range of efficient engines mean it won't break the bank when it comes to road tax. 

The first year rate for the 1.2-litre Puretech petrol is £210, and £180 for the flat rate in the years that follow. The diesel model costs the same. 

The plug-in hybrids are noticeably cheaper in the first year, with both commanding a £10 annual rate, rising to the £170 flat rate after - they get a £10 reduction for their PHEV low emissions. Handily, Peugeot has managed to keep even high-end versions of the 308 below the £40,000 'premium car' tax threshold, avoiding a clobbering from the taxman for the first five years.

Equipment levels are pretty good across the range, but we reckon the Allure model makes the most sense for most buyers. 

At its launch the base-level 308 was the Active Premium with power-folding mirrors, 16-inch alloys, 'EcoLED' headlights and LED rear lights, auto lights and wipers, rear parking sensors, the full infotainment suite and auto emergency braking. 

Allure trim upgrades the wheel size to 17-inches, and introduces various other styling detail upgrades. You also get an AQS 3 air quality system, front parking sensors, tinted windows, a reversing camera, a drive mode selector, part faux leather trim, ambient lighting, high beam assist, upgraded LED running lights and sat-nav with live traffic updates. PHEV models get remote pre-heating and cooling, too. 

Allure Premium trim adds the Drive Assist Pack with adaptive cruise control, rear-cross traffic alert and blind spot detection, while keyless entry and start, wireless phone charging ansd wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto also features.

Step up to GT trim for an enhanced air quality system, 3D digital instruments, a heated steering wheel, the Driver Sport Pack, a green stitched leather steering wheel, Alcantara and faux-leather trim, black headlining, aluminium door sills, exterior styling upgrades, 18-inch alloys, full Matrix LED headlights and upgraded 'Claw Effect' LED rear lights. 

Flagship GT Premium trim gets Lane Positioning Assist, two-tone 18-inch alloys, a 360-degree parking camera and self-parking aid, an electric tailgate, upgraded front seats with electric adjustment on the driver's side and heating and massaging for both front seats, electric lumbar adjustment and a Focal Premium sound system.

Peugeot has since refined the 308 range to the simpler Active, Allure, and GT trims, which come with the same kit count as detailed above.