The e-2008 is not the fastest or the roomiest car in its class, and it is still the one we would take home.
Peugeot’s electric crossover has never been the obvious pick in a segment that now includes the BYD Atto 3, the Kia Niro EV and the Hyundai Kona Electric. It is smaller inside than all three, and on paper its 54kWh battery looks unremarkable.
Then you sit in it. The i-Cockpit layout, with its tiny steering wheel and high-set instruments, still divides opinion, but the material quality in the current car is a class above what the price suggests, and the driving position is the most car-like in the class.
Peugeot quotes 406km on the WLTP cycle. Over a week of mixed driving with the air-conditioning working hard, the trip computer settled at 14.8kWh/100km, which works out to about 350km of usable range. On a 100kW DC charger, 20 to 80 per cent takes a little under half an hour.
Local cars come in a single well-equipped trim, which removes most of the decisions. The kit list covers the things that matter in this climate.
Rear legroom is tight behind a tall driver, and the 434-litre boot is average rather than generous. The ride is firm at low speed over patched tarmac, though it settles once you are moving. None of these are dealbreakers, but they are the reasons a family of five should look at something larger.
The e-2008 is a car bought with the heart, which is an odd thing to say about a compact electric crossover. It looks better than its rivals, it feels better inside, and it drives with a lightness most of the class has lost.
If your priority is maximum space per dollar, buy the Atto 3. If you would rather enjoy the twenty minutes you spend in the car each morning, this is the one.
