Peugeot 508 (2023 - ) review

Peugeot has chosen not to make a fully electric version of the 508, unlike the 208, 2008 and 308, which do have EV variants. That's almost certainly because this is a car at its best during a long, comfortable motorway run. Although that said, there is a ‘Peugeot Sport Engineered’ (PSE) version with 360 horsepower, firmer suspension and a £55,000 price tag. Still, most versions are priced far more sensibly, with a three-cylinder 1.2-litre petrol version at the base. It has 130 horsepower, is automatic only, returns 40-50mpg and costs £34,000. The 1.5-litre diesel that was available before the 2023 update has been discontinued. On paper, the 225 horsepower plug-in hybrid version looks by far the most appealing, given its 256mpg average consumption rating, an electric-only range up to 40 miles, and just 2 per cent benefit-in-kind tax. It’s almost £10,000 more to buy though, which means it really does make much more sense as a company car, rather than a personal purchase. As ever, you’ll get nowhere near the claimed mpg rating in real life; a 508 plug-in hybrid will probably get you closer to 50mpg on a long stretch.

Because the 508 has already been around for a few years, we can get a good picture of how reliable it’s been. It’s largely positive, with owners reporting a lower-than-average number of faults in a national reliability survey. Certainly, Peugeot is steadily overturning any negativity aimed at French manufacturers for historical unreliability. The 508 is built using a common chassis and parts set (including engines and gearboxes) shared with other cars from Peugeot owner Stellantis, including the DS9, the Citroen C5 Aircross and the Vauxhall Astra. It cost hundreds of millions of pounds to develop and it has ensured consistent quality control. The 508 has had 4 recalls since 2019, only one of which was a possible mechanical issue – a rear suspension part. This is actually a low number. The BMW 3 Series has had 13 recalls since 2019, for instance. In short, the 508 should prove reliable.

The 508 was crash tested by Euro NCAP in 2018, shortly after it was released, and achieved a five-star safety rating. It has especially high scores for adult occupant protection (96 per cent) and for child occupants (86 per cent), which means its fundamentally rigid and secure in a collision. That's of course an especially important issue for the family buyers that the 508 will appeal to. In addition, it’s fitted as standard with a host of active safety systems, including automatic emergency braking, pedestrian and cyclist detection, speed limit recognition, lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control. It has three Isofix mounting points, two on the outer rear seats and one on the front passenger seat.

Peugeot’s styling language, which it’s fair to say is fairly aggressive and screams “sporty”, is a little at odds with the driving experience itself. It feels very relaxed on the road, with suspension on the soft side and a general feeling of calmness. Even the basic petrol version, which has a three-cylinder engine of the sort you’d normally find in a much smaller car, has a distinct smoothness and quiet nature. It’s just a lovely thing to do lots of miles in. There are a couple of caveats though. The sportiness of the design extends to the seats and the driving position itself, and it won’t suit everyone. The seats are quite heavily (and needlessly) bolstered, even in basic Allure cars, and some might want them to be a little flatter, a little less ‘huggy’. But more fundamentally, Peugeot’s so-called i-Cockpit driving position, which places the speedometer above an unusually small steering wheel, can feel unsuitable for taller people. Both the steering and your hands can partially block the instrument panel, and it can be…well… annoying. Like when someone comes into the living room and walks past the telly at the wrong moment. Most people will probably enjoy how different it is, though.

Peugeot has simplified the trim levels with the 2023 update of the car. It now comes with two main levels called Allure and GT, plus a specific Peugeot Sport Engineered (PSE) variant only available with the high-performance plug-in hybrid. Allure and GT are available with either the basic 1.2-litre petrol engine or the standard plug-in hybrid drivetrain – more details in the next section. All engines and trim levels are available as a hatchback or an SW estate. On which, the difference between those is that the SW has a 530-litre boot space, compared to 487 in the hatchback. Both substantial, basically, but the upright tailgate and taller roofline of the SW will make a massive difference if you need to transport, say, a chest of drawers. Standard equipment is very generous, with every 508 getting a 3D digital instrument panel, navigation, keyless entry, a reversing camera, and dual-zone climate control. GT cars largely get styling upgrades insiede and out, but they do come with heated seats, and a lane position assistant they gently steers the car on course if you drift out of lane.

The 508’s engine range is lean, comprising a 1.2-litre petrol with 130 horsepower, a plug-in hybrid with 225 horsepower, and the PSE plug-in with 355. The emphasis is on being cheap to run and easy to drive, so every version gets an automatic gearbox, and even the petrol version (which is the cheapest to buy) returns 50mpg. It’s not especially quick, but it’s a much smoother engine than you’d expect for such a small thing powering such a big car. The 225 plug-in hybrid is a sensible company car choice because it emits 23g/km of CO2 and returns 275mpg… officially. That makes company car tax very low, and because the electric-only range is 40-odd miles, you could save a fortune on fuel if your daily commute is short. As ever, though, get it on a long motorway stretch with an empty battery and efficiency will tank. It’s quite quick (0-62mph in 7.9 seconds) and when using the battery only it’s extremely quiet. The PSE model is worth a look for a low-tax high-performance car - a well-specced and unusual one, at that - but it’s not as much fun to drive as a BMW 3-Series, say.