Peugeot 308 SW vs Peugeot 3008: we’ve lived with both, but should you buy the estate car or the SUV? 

The Peugeot 308 SW is a cracking estate car, as video editor George Peel has been finding out after living with one for six months. It’s stylish, comfortable to drive and it has a massive boot for its size, but there is also another option to consider.

For around £3,000 more, you could have the Peugeot 3008. This is a more posh-feeling SUV, and we also spent six months living with one last year.

Which is best? Well I’m going to compare our experiences with both cars to find out.

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Peugeot 308 SW vs Peugeot 3008: prices and specs

Our Peugeot 308 SW is the mid-spec GT version with the plug-in hybrid engine, and it costs just under £38,000, or £33,100 when you buy through Carwow at the time of writing.

It has adaptive cruise control, heated seats, a heated steering wheel, LED headlights, a reversing camera and keyless entry.

We also had the plug-in hybrid Peugeot 3008 in GT trim, and it costs a smidge over £41,900. You can get it through Carwow for £36,700 through Carwow at the time of writing, so there’s only £3,600 between the two cars.

That said, the 3008 doesn’t really have any extra equipment over the 308 SW. The GT comes with all the same features as the estate car, although it does have a larger central touchscreen.

And the 308 SW makes even more sense when you lease one. It costs £445 per month over four years and 20,000 miles, whereas the 3008 costs £560 per month on the same terms.

So in terms of value for money, the Peugeot 308 SW comes out on top.

Peugeot 308 SW vs Peugeot 3008: interior and technology

These two cars look very different inside because the 308 SW is based on Peugeot’s older dashboard design. That said, it still looks smart compared to something like a Skoda Octavia Estate.

The small steering wheel feels sporty, and the digital dials sit above it. You also get a 10.0-inch central touchscreen with what Peugeot calls i-Toggles beneath it. These are customisable shortcut keys which can be used to set controls such as the temperature or sat nav.

You get this feature in the 3008 as well, but it has its main infotainment screen mounted atop the dashboard in a single panel with the digital driver’s display. The dashboard design is also even cooler than the 308 SW’s thanks to the funky fabrics and heavily-contoured dashboard.

The 3008’s infotainment system is also slightly brighter, clearer and easier to use than the 308’s, and material quality is better as well. It feels like it’s worth the extra cash inside.

Peugeot 308 SW vs Peugeot 3008: space and practicality

The Peugeot 3008 may look like it’s much bigger than the 308 SW, but it’s actually a tad shorter and only marginally wider. This makes it better-suited for carrying three people in the back thanks to the added shoulder room, and it’s also got a tad more rear legroom as well.

The 308 SW has an impressive boot for a small car. This PHEV model has 548 litres of space, however the plug-in hybrid 3008 has 588 litres on offer. The bigger number isn’t necessarily better though.

The 3008’s sloping roofline and tall boot lip make it awkward to pack the boot full, whereas the 308 SW has a nice, square load area and a low lip to lift things over. We found we could actually get more in the 308 SW as a result.

Peugeot 308 SW vs Peugeot 3008: running costs

Both of these cars use a 1.6-litre petrol engine paired to an electric motor, and they both offer around 52 miles of electric-only range. The 3008’s battery is bigger though, meaning it’s less efficient than the 308 SW. We found that both could get pretty close to the claimed figure.

So far our 308 SW has been averaging around 50mpg. That’s some way off the 148mpg Peugeot claims it can do, but we’ve not been able to plug it in all that much to make the most of the electric range.

We also saw 50mpg from our 3008 over the six months we had it, and that was with a similar charging situation. It’s impressive from a heavy SUV, but there’s another cost to consider as well.

Because, in the spec we had, the Peugeot 3008 has a list price of over £40,000, it attracts the £440 luxury car tax in year two to six of the car’s life. The 308 SW avoids this, which is certainly worth considering.

Peugeot 308 SW vs Peugeot 3008: final verdict

The Peugeot 308 SW is a cracking small estate car, and it’s been a pleasure to live with. It looks smart, comes with plenty of kit and it’s practical, but the 3008 just feels that bit posher inside and looks a bit more modern. That’s why it just takes a win in this test.

However, we’d opt for the standard hybrid over the PHEV because it avoids that luxury car tax supplement, and it’ll still return 50mpg in the real world.

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