New Peugeot 308 gets £25,270 price tag

• Plug-in hybrid offers 39-mile range
• Deliveries from mid-2022
• Priced from £25,270

The recently released Peugeot 308 hatchback is now priced from £25,270 and is available to order both online and in showrooms. A plug-in hybrid is available along with efficient petrol and diesel engines. As before, you can also pick a 308 SW estate, which costs £800 more than the hatchback. 

The new 308 features a sharp design to make it stand out from other family hatchbacks like the SEAT Leon and Ford Focus. Both 308 variants will receive the new badge from Peugeot, which is meant to look more premium than the outgoing logo. The latest i-Cockpit design from Peugeot is fitted, and all models have  a 10-inch touchscreen and a lot of interior technology, plus the latest safety features.

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Peugeot’s owners are aiming to move the brand upmarket and the 308 shows a sign of intent with an interior that was designed to take on the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series. More mainstream rivals include the Skoda Octavia, Kia Ceed and Mazda3.

2021 Peugeot 308: Trim levels, specifications and pricing

There are five trim levels for the new 308 with petrol, diesel, and hybrid engines available depending on the specification you choose. The diesel is not fitted to the top-of-the-line GT Premium model, which is either a petrol or hybrid only, and the entry-level Active Premium model misses out on a hybrid option but gets both of the new petrol and diesel engines. A fully electric Peugeot e-308 version is expected in 2023

The Active Premium trim starts from £25,270. It comes well-equipped as standard, with 16-inch alloy wheels and automatic LED headlights and LED daytime running lights. LED tail lights are also fitted, which are joined by a contrasting black trim piece mounted across the tailgate. Inside, there’s a new multi-function steering wheel, a frameless rear view mirror and comfort seats.

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Standard technology includes Peugeot’s i-Cockpit setup, with a 10-inch digital dial cluster and a 10-inch infotainment touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Safety features include cruise control, lane keep assist, traffic-sign recognition, driver attention monitoring and autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection.

Upgrading to the Allure model costs from £27,120. It adds 17-inch alloys and a front grille with horizontal chrome trim. You'll be able to spot Hybrid variants thanks to new ‘Hybrid’ exterior badging. Inside, the driver and passenger seats are trimmed in a combination of leather effect and cloth seat materials with a mint-coloured stitching, while door panels now feature ambient lighting. Technology upgrades include Peugeot’s Connected 3D Navigation, with live traffic updates and a voice-operated assistant. Touch-sensitive ‘i-Toggle’ replaces standard ventilation and stereo controls. Front and rear parking sensors and a 180-degree reversing camera are also standard to take the stress out of parking.

Allure Premium trim increases the price tag by almost £1,000, adding the Drive Assist Pack, which features rear cross traffic alert, adaptive cruise control with Stop & Go function, as well as long-range Active Blind Spot detection. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also standard, along with a wireless smartphone charging pad.

The sporty GT starts from £29,920, and adds 18-inch alloys with a two-tone finish, specific GT badging on petrol and diesel variants and a dark chrome chequered design for the front grille. It also gets different side sills making the car look wider. All GT models get upgraded Matrix LED headlights.

Peugeot’s new Clean Cabin Technology is also standard, and helps to reduce the amount of pollutants entering the cabin.. Other upgrades include a heated steering wheel and the Driver Sport Pack, which allows owners to customise the car’s accelerator and steering responses to their own driving style, along with adjustable colour schemes for the digital dials.

The range-topping GT Premium starts from £31,520, adding a premium stereo system and an AGR-certified driver’s seat for improved support with a massage function. The front seats are also heated and feature four-way electrical adjustment.

All GT Premium cars also come with the Drive Assist Pack Plus, which includes lane positioning assist technology, and Visio Park 3, which adds a 360-degree HD reversing camera and semi-autonomous parking assistance.

Engines and PHEV powertrains

The Peugeot 308 is available with a choice of plug-in hybrid powertrains from launch, which combine a 1.6-litre petrol engine, an electric motor and a 12.4kWh battery. Two power outputs are available, with a choice of 178bhp or 222bhp, and both are capable of up to 39 miles of pure-electric range. They are ideal choices for company-cars drivers, with low CO2 emissions of 25-27g/km placing them in a low Benefit-in-Kind banding.

Both PHEV powertrains come with a 3.7kW on-board charger as standard, with buyers able to add a faster 7.4kW charger as an option. A full charge using the standard home wallbox takes around four hours, while the optional 7.4kW charger reduces this to just under two hours.

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Buyers can still opt for a non-hybrid powertrain, with the choice of new and efficient petrol and diesel engines. The 1.2-litre PureTech petrol produces 128bhp, while the 1.5-litre BlueHDi diesel delivers the same power output. CO2 emissions for the petrol engine are 128-131g/km, with the diesel emitting 117-121g/km. All versions of the 308 get an eight-speed automatic gearbox as standard and front-wheel drive.

Design

Peugeot has given its family hatchback a striking redesign to help it stand out in a competitive field. The front end features thin headlamp units, sharp hook-like daytime running lights and a wide grille that features an intricate pattern. The number plate has been moved to the lower air intake, so as not to disrupt the main front end design. It’s the first model to wear the new Peugeot emblem, which also hides the radar sensors for the autonomous driving aids. The car is 20mm lower than the model it replaces and looks a lot leaner.

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Around the back, thin tail-light clusters create the familiar ‘claw-slash’ look, and a strip of black plastic makes it look like one full-width piece. The fog lights and reverse lights are integrated with the rear bumper, which is painted black for a sporty look. On GT and GT Premium trims, the 308’s bulky body kit is Peugeot’s equivalent to Ford’s ST-Line and SEAT’s FR specs.

Rumours suggest Peugeot is working on a more rugged-looking version, with plastic body cladding, roof bars and a slightly raised ride height. This would be in a similar vein to the Ford Focus Active and the newly launched DS 4 but, like those cars, four-wheel drive won’t be fitted.

Practicality

The previous Peugeot 308 had a large boot that came at the expense of rear legroom.

This time around, those in the back of the 308 should have much more space, as the wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear wheels) is 55mm longer than before. Rear-seat passengers get their own air vents now too. Boot space is 412 litres, which is much less than the current car but still more than a Volkswagen Golf or Ford Focus. There’s always the 308 SW estate if you need more boot space, with its huge 608-litre capacity. Plug-in hybrid models offer slightly less boot space due to the positioning of the battery; the hatchback and estate offer 361 litres and 548 litres respectively.

2022 Peugeot 308 SW estate

The new Peugeot 308 SW estate was released at the same time as the hatchback model and can also be ordered both online and in showrooms. It offers the same technology and trim levels as the hatchback version but with a much larger boot that’s one of the biggest in its class.

See our article on the soon to be released Peugeot e-308 here or where the Peugeot 308 SW features on our list of the best small estates.