Used Peugeot e-208 cars for sale

Used Peugeot e-208 pros and cons

Is a second hand Peugeot e-208 a good car?

The Peugeot e-208 might just be the best all-round electric starter car, and is an ideal second-hand EV purchase for anyone wanting to get a first rung on the electric car ladder. It’s as sharp looking and pretty much as good to drive as the Mini Electric, but it’s far more practical and has better range than the first-generation battery-powered Mini.
Underneath, the e-208 actually shares all of its mechanical and electrical bits with the Vauxhall Corsa Electric, but the Peugeot gets a body and interior that are way more stylish. 

In fact, the Peugeot e-208 is a former winner of Carwow’s Best Small Electric Car award (back in 2021). Back then, its 44kWh (net) battery and 100kW DC fast charging were cutting edge. Those have been eclipsed by more recent rivals, but a battery upgrade to a 51kWh (net) pack has stretched the e-208’s range quite usefully. It’s like a smartphone on wheels — just keep updating the software and you’ll barely know you’re driving a used car.

The e-208 gets very angular, very distinctive styling on the outside, with lights that appear to have come from a cat and ‘three-claw’ LED daytime running lights for the updated version (the older e-208s have a single ‘fang’ style LED daytime running light). There are subtle ‘e’ badges and a trick Peugeot badge that reflects different colours depending on the light, but otherwise the e-208 looks the same — and just as good — as its petrol brother. 

Inside, the more recent e-208 models get a 10.0-inch infotainment screen, but older versions made do with 7.0 inches. There is standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but the menu system is awkward and frequently annoying, in spite of shortcut buttons underneath the screen. 

GT models get the ‘3D’ digital dials which look good, even if the actual display area is quite small. As with all Peugeots, the e-208 gets the tiny hexagonal steering wheel which sits almost in your lap, while the instruments are up high, and not everyone can get comfy with this layout so definitely try before you buy. The e-208’s digital displays are slightly different from standard, as they include electric range and battery-specific data. 

Up front, space is good and the driver’s seat gets plenty of adjustment and an adjustable steering wheel. There’s reasonable storage space too but in the back, things are much tighter and any adults sitting in the back seats will find their knees crammed up against the back of the front seats. At least the e-208’s boot is okay, although at 309 litres it is slightly smaller than that of the petrol or hybrid models. 

There’s a choice of both battery and electric motor. Cheaper versions of the e-208, in Active and Allure specification, get what Peugeot calls a 50kWh battery but which actually has 46kWh of useable capacity available to the driver. That’s paired with a 136hp electric motor driving the front wheels, and it’s a pretty brisk combo, bringing up 62mph from rest in 8.1 seconds. That’s actually faster than the original 1980s Peugeot 205 1.6 GTI, fact fans. 

If you’re upgrading to an e-208 GT model, then you also get the option of a new 51kWh (net) battery and a more powerful 156hp electric motor, which oddly is actually slightly slower to 62mph — 8.2 seconds. 

So why upgrade? Simple, the bigger battery gives you better range. Peugeot claims 225 miles on one charge for the 136hp version, which in real-world conditions when Carwow tested it meant 160 miles — not bad but perhaps not great. For the 156hp model with the bigger battery, Peugeot claims 258 miles, and you should be able to manage at least 200 miles in real-world conditions. 

Both batteries charge at a maximum of 100kW on a DC fast charger, which is okay but not quite as fast as some alternatives can manage. Still, you can charge from flat to 80% in 30 minutes, which is decent. At home, the e-208 charges at 7.4kW on AC power, so a full charge takes up to eight hours. You can control the e-208’s charging via a handy smartphone app, and that means you can pre-heat or pre-cool the car while it’s plugged in, which helps to save on energy when you’re driving. 

The e-208 is even good fun to drive. Peugeot has stiffened up the suspension to cope with the extra weight of the battery, relative to the petrol and hybrid models, but while that’s not so good over bumps, it’s really good around corners and the e-208 proves truly rewarding to drive. 

Depending on the model you’re buying, the e-208 also comes with plenty of electronic driver aids, including radar-guided cruise control and lane-keeping steering. It’s not the longest-ranged electric car you can buy, but with EV used values currently weak, the Peugeot e-208 represents a terrific and affordable way to start your electric driving journey. 

What to look for when buying a used Peugeot e-208

Peugeot, as with most other car makers, offers an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty for the battery pack, so there ought to be no major concerns about that. It’s worth asking if the battery has been given a health check and how much of its original charging capacity is still working. If the dealer selling the car hasn’t done that already, it can be done before you buy, with the seller’s permission. 

More recent models may be covered by Peugeot’s Allure Care warranty, which stretches to eight years and 100,000 miles for the entire car, so it’s worth seeking out e-208s which are covered by that, as it’s an optional warranty. 

The e-208 was affected by a software recall in 2022, which if not rectified can result in a loss of power when driving, so check to make sure that work has been done. There seem to be few significant issues plaguing the e-208, but some owners have mentioned recurring warning lights that turn out to be sensor issues. 

Peugeot did well in the most recent Driver Power ownership survey, finishing sixth overall in the best brands to own list, with only 20% of owners reporting a fault with their cars. The 208 itself was rated as the sixth-best car to own of all, with an overall score of 89.89% from owners.

Peugeot e-208 FAQs