I’ve had my Peugeot 208 for one month and it’s making me question the price tag

When my new Peugeot 208 was first delivered a month ago, I was excited to see if this great-looking small car could cut the mustard as a daily driver. This being the top-spec hybrid model with a £30,000 price tag, I had high hopes.

It’s a lot of money for a small hatchback, and I wasn’t sure it would be justified, until I got to know the car a bit better.

Living with a Peugeot 208: first impressions after one month

I’m not going to talk about how awesome the 208 looks, because it’s pretty well-established that this is one of the most stylish small cars on sale. I wanted to know if it’s more than just a pretty face.

Well on first impressions, yes it is. The first thing I noticed was just how lovely it is to drive. The 1.2-litre petrol hybrid system is powerful enough, and you can waft along in traffic without the engine disturbing the peace.

It’s also comfortable. Small cars like this when I was growing up were really compromised on the motorway, but the 208 feels like a much bigger car than it actually is in terms of refinement. It’s quiet at speed, and the adaptive cruise control takes the stress out of long journeys.

This hybrid may be expensive to buy, but so far it’s been easy on my wallet at the petrol station. I’m averaging close to 60mpg after around 1,000 miles of mixed driving, which comes as a relief after my last long-term test car – the KGM Actyon. That car would struggle to get 30mpg.

But it’s not all perfect though, because even by small car standards the 208 isn’t the most practical. The rear seats are a tight squeeze for adults, although the 311-litre boot easily holds all the kit I need for video shoots.

I’m also struggling a bit with the driving position. I’ve been fiddling with it for a while now, but I can’t seem to get the balance right between having enough legroom and being close enough to the steering wheel.

That said, I can’t really fault the rest of the interior. Not only does it look great, the material quality can match cars from the class above. It feels really posh inside, which goes some way to justifying the price tag.

Speaking of price, I was comparing this car to some alternatives the other day. My car is the top-spec GT Premium costing just over £30,000, but you can get a hybrid 208 for £24,450 if you go for the slightly less sporty-looking Allure model.

If you’re in the market for a small hybrid hatchback, the most obvious alternative is the Toyota Yaris. That car starts from just under £24,000, but if you want it to look anywhere near as smart as my Peugeot you’ll need to go for the GR Sport model at £30,300. So in the grand scheme of things the 208 isn’t actually that expensive.

The only real thorn in the 208’s side is the Renault Clio. That car is also really stylish, and the excellent hybrid model can be yours for less than £22,000. Even the range-topping Esprit Alpine with its sporty styling upgrades costs just under £25,000.

The Clio is also one of our favourite small cars on sale, but despite this I’m still smitten with my 208. You can save an average of £6,000 on a new Peugeot 208 through Carwow to make the price more tempting, and it’s really comfortable to drive. Stay tuned for more updates on this car as I continue to test it over the coming months.

Living with a Peugeot 208: introduction

My Peugeot 208 is a GT Premium, which is the top spec version. This means it has 360-degree cameras, 17-inch alloy wheels, a contrasting black roof, Alcantara sports seats, adaptive cruise control and LED lights with auto high beams.

That’s a lot of kit for such a small car, and it also has an impressive engine for something this size. It uses a 1.2-litre petrol hybrid with 145hp, and it’s actually the same engine we had in our old Peugeot 5008 long term test car – which was a massive SUV.

This means it feels pretty quick, and it should return good fuel economy. Peugeot claims it’ll return just over 60mpg, and I’m keen to see how close it gets in reality. Seeing as the huge Peugeot 5008 averaged 50mpg over our six months with it, I’m hopeful that the little 208 will be even more efficient.

The only fly in the ointment is the price. With the £950 Vertigo Blue paint scheme, this car costs just over £30,000. That’s quite a lot for something this small, especially when you compare it to the slew of Chinese SUVs going on sale in the UK. A top-spec Chery Tiggo 7 costs about the same, and that’s a much bigger SUV with even more kit.

If you want to save yourself some cash, you can currently save around £4,000 on a 208 just like mine through Carwow.

The Peugeot is much cooler looking than the Chery though, but is it more than just a pretty face? I’ll find out over the next six months, but after a few weeks I do have some initial thoughts.

First impressions of my Peugeot 208

Climbing into my new 208 for the first time I was impressed by the cabin quality. It feels much posher than other small hatchbacks, and the dashboard looks really cool. The driving position might take some getting used to though, because I’m finding the small steering wheel blocks the driver’s display in my seating position.

At 311 litres, the boot isn’t the biggest on paper. A Skoda Fabia offers about 10% more space, but I’ve still managed to fit all my kit in without too much issue. Sometimes I do have to put stuff on the back seats though, and while I haven’t tried putting people back there yet, it does look a tad cramped.

Stay tuned for my full first impressions on this car after I’ve had it for a month, and we also have an exciting twin test planned for the 208 which you won’t want to miss, either.

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