Peugeot 3008 Review & Prices

Peugeot’s 3008 has shot up the ranks since the first one was launched more than a decade ago. It may have started as a tall (and somewhat ugly) crossover, but now it’s a fully-fledged SUV-coupe, with really stylish looks and much more high-tech kit. It’s like someone who used to be a bit podgy, but has hit the gym and overhauled their wardrobe.

While the all-electric version, the E-3008, might get all the headlines, a big chunk of the 3008’s sales in the UK will be taken by this, the hybrid model — not least because, in spite of all the new on-board technology, it’s a fairly handy £10,000 less expensive than the E-3008…

That being said, there are plenty of compelling alternatives to the Peugeot 3008, many of which are a bit more affordable. Some of the best all-rounders include the Nissan Qashqai, Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson. Then there's the practical, great value Citroen C5 Aircross and stylish but impractical Toyota C-HR to consider, too.

Power for the 3008 Hybrid comes from a 134bhp 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine — that’s the same one that Peugeot has been making for donkey’s years, but it’s been upgraded for life as a hybrid. The system sort of sits between a ‘traditional’ Toyota-style full hybrid and a mild-hybrid. So, the 3008 Hybrid can drive itself on electric power alone, but only for very short bursts at very low speeds. It’s good for around town, but less useful on long motorway hauls. Peugeot reckons you’ll get 51mpg out of it, and CO2 emissions are kept to a trim 124g/km.

Inside, there’s a huge, sweeping all-digital 21.0-inch screen that dominates the cabin. It sits up and away from the driver, almost resting against the windscreen. As is Peugeot’s recent tradition, the steering wheel is small, hexagonal, and sits more or less in your lap. We've tried it in the E-3008 and it's much easier to find a comfortable driving position where the wheel doesn't block the instrument display than ever before, but it's probably still worth trying before you buy.

To the right of the steering wheel is a slim touchpad which has configurable shortcut buttons for the big screen so that you can access the menus you need more easily, but sadly Peugeot insists on putting all of the climate control functions on the screen, which makes it more fiddly than it needs to be. 

The gear lever is now a chunky toggle switch behind the steering wheel, so that leaves the centre console free for cupholders and storage spaces, of which there are loads, and the 3008’s mixture of back-lighting and soft fabric surfaces on the dashboard make for a cabin that’s almost good enough to challenge the mighty Germans on quality, and surpass them on design.

In spite of that rakish roof, there’s good space in the back seats, even for grown-ups, although those with longer legs will find that their feet and knees sit up a bit too high, as the floor has been raised up to make space for the electric version’s battery pack. The boot is a useful 520 litres, but that sloping roofline makes loading in really bulky items a bit of a challenge, and alternatives such as the Hyundai Tucson have a larger capacity.

Speaking of that roofline, the Peugeot 3008 is a really good-looking thing. It manages to be imposingly chunky while also sporting sleek lines and cool details such as Peugeot's signature three-claw light designs.

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If you’re looking at a Peugeot 3008, be aware that it’s one of the more expensive family SUVs, which is the price you pay for an interior that’s not far off premium German alternatives. Even when focusing on comparable hybrid versions only, the Nissan Qashqai is one of the more affordable options, followed by the Kia Sportage, while the Hyundai Tucson and Toyota C-HR are closer to the Peugeot in price. The Citroen C5 Aircross is the easy choice if you only care about practicality – it’s nowhere near as posh inside but it has a cavernous boot.

Equipment levels are pretty good on the Peugeot 3008. The massive widescreen display is a highlight, and you also get a textured dashboard and part-fabric upholstery inside. GT models are better equipped, with adaptive cruise control, Alcantara upholstery and Pixel LED headlights, which can maintain the full beam without blinding oncoming drivers.

Comfortable on the motorway but not as much fun as a Ford Kuga through the bends

In town

The 3008’s hybrid engine is a bit clunkier than the one you get on a Toyota RAV4 - you notice the transition between petrol and electric power more in the Peugeot, and its six-speed gearbox lurches around a bit more than Toyota’s continuously variable transmission.

However, there’s plenty of get-up-and-go from low speeds thanks to the electric assistance, and in normal driving the whole set-up fares reasonably well. It’s certainly smoother than the old 3008 was when it was fitted with the non-hybrid 1.2-litre petrol and an automatic gearbox.

The 3008 rides over bumps quite well too thanks to soft suspension. It has an easier job here than the much heavier E-3008 does, but it’s not so softly sprung that you’ll find your head bobbling about on rough road surfaces. A Skoda Karoq does feel more tied-down, though.

On the motorway

With just 136hp on tap the 3008 isn’t particularly rapid, and you will need to put your foot down quite a lot when you’re joining from a short sliproad or trying to rapidly overtake. There’s enough power that you don’t feel completely outclassed, but a Nissan Qashqai hybrid or Kia Sportage hybrid both feel more relaxed at high speeds.

The Peugeot does win some more points back with its suspension, though, which makes short work of lumps and bumps on the motorway. It’s also very refined, provided the engine’s settled down to low revs - wind and road noise are both well-contained.

Assisted driving features present in the 3008 are good but not flawless - the adaptive cruise control can get spooked and has some phantom braking, but the lane-keeping aids are good and unobtrusive. They’re also easy to engage from buttons on the steering wheel, where the previous 3008 had an awkward column stalk.

On a twisty road

The 3008’s modest power output and soft suspension mean that it’s not really the most satisfying car to drive down a winding B-road. It’s safe and unflustered, but it leans quite a lot in the bends and the super-light steering - while very quick - doesn’t really match up in terms of feedback and accuracy.

It feels quite remote, where a SEAT Ateca or Ford Kuga make you feel a bit more connected to the road and are therefore more satisfying to drive quickly.

There is a ‘Sport’ driving mode, but this is limited to the throttle and gearbox responses as well as the steering weight - the 3008 doesn’t get adjustable suspension, so it still leans just as much in Sport mode. And the heavier steering feels unnatural, while the hyperactive gearbox just gets in the way. Better to leave it in ‘Normal’ mode and just take things a bit more gently.

Cabin storage is excellent, but the boot isn’t as big as you’ll find in other cars

If cabin storage is key then the Peugeot 3008 will appeal. There are loads of places to put things. Starting with the door bins, they’re an okay size but items will rattle around a lot because there’s no soft lining. That’s where the complaints end though, because there’s a pair of cupholders for your morning coffee and a big area under the armrest that can be chilled. Look under the screens and you’ll find another cubby hole, this one having a lovely soft-close cover. There’s also a pair of USB-A slots for charging mobile phones.

It’s spacious for people too, even though the dashboard and centre console rather wrap around you – it’s cosy more than cramped. Finding a good driving position is pretty easy, because although the steering wheel doesn’t move much, the seat has a lot of adjustability to compensate. If you’ve encountered issues with the wheel blocking the instrument screen in other Peugeots, the 3008’s layout does a good job of minimising this issue.

Space in the back seats

There’s a lot of room in the back, too. You might expect headroom to be limited on account of that sloping roof, but even taller passengers will find it spacious, and their knees won’t be touching the seat in front. The floor is quite high though, meaning your thighs don’t rest on the seat cushion, which could be tiresome on long journeys.

You also get fewer storage areas in the back seats compared with up front. The door bins will hold a small bottle, and there are no USB slots at all.

On a positive note, it’s easy to fit a child seat in the back because it’s so roomy and the doors open nice and wide. It can be a bit tricky to find the ISOFIX mounting points though, because they’re hidden behind zips in the fabric.

Boot space

With a 520-litre boot, the Peugeot 3008 will be spacious enough for most, but it offers less space than some of its alternatives. The Hyundai Tucson is the biggest option, with 620 litres in non-hybrid versions, and even though this drops to 577 litres in the self-charging hybrid and 558 litres in the plug-in version, that’s still more than you get in the Peugeot.

Other options include the Kia Sportage with 591 litres, and Citroen C5 Aircross, which has 580 litres as standard, but you can slide the rear seats forward to open up 720 litres of boot space. The Nissan Qashqai and Mazda CX-5 are two potential alternatives, but both have smaller boots at just over 500 litres each. Then there’s the Toyota C-HR, which is miles behind at 388 litres.

It’s worth noting, though, that the 3008’s boot is quite deep but not very high, so it’s easy to fit a big shop in there, but larger items might hit the sloping bootlid. The bumper is quite high off the ground, which could make it tricky to lift heavy items, but at least there’s no lip to get in the way.

High-tech and high-quality, the 3008 has a lovely interior, but scratchy plastics can be found if you go looking

It’s the interior that goes a long way to justify the Peugeot 3008 being a little pricier than many alternatives you might consider. The design is fantastic, and a real breath of fresh air after the constant stream of plain cabins you’ll see in modern cars in the name of ‘minimalism’.

There’s an almost retro vibe to the design and materials, but this is shattered by the massive widescreen setup atop the dashboard. Paired with another slim screen for the shortcut buttons below this, it’s like walking into the TV section of your local John Lewis.

There are some buttons in the centre console, but most systems are controlled through the touchscreen. This is a pain for some features, such as the climate controls, but at least these are always visible at the sides of the screen, and the shortcut buttons are customisable so you can find what you regularly use quickly.

The main screen is a single 21.0-inch display that's split in two sections, with the one on the right being a touchscreen for your infotainment system. It’s incredibly quick to respond to your touch and feels more like a modern tablet than the sluggish systems you often find in cars. The other display sits directly ahead of you and shows your speed, range and other useful information. It’s crisp and clear but not quite as fancy to look at as Audi’s Virtual Cockpit setup. Between the two is a shortcut to the home and driver assistance systems, which is useful if you want to quickly turn any off on the move.

It’s hard to find much to fault inside, but despite the generally upmarket feel there are a few areas that don’t hold up to scrutiny. The door bins and the lower centre console have some cheap scratchy plastics, but they are fortunately largely out of sight.

There’s a single engine option in the Peugeot 3008. It’s a hybrid that pairs a 1.2-litre petrol engine with a small electric motor - it’s not a proper self-charging system like you’ll find in most hybrids, but it’s more than a mild hybrid. It means you can run on electricity for short periods to reduce fuel consumption, but you won’t be able to treat it like an electric car with a backup fuel tank like you can with a plug-in hybrid.

You get 136hp from the petrol engine, coupled with 22hp from the electric motor. First drive opportunities will arrive later in 2024 so check back for confirmation, but those figures – and the 10.2-second 0-62mph time – suggest it won’t be particularly sprightly.

With official testing recording up to 52.5mpg in mixed driving, its lack of get-up-and-go should be compensated for by pretty low running costs. Again, check back to see how achievable that is in the real world…

What you can know for sure is that its CO2 emissions figures mean car tax is relatively low, but company car drivers will get a better benefit-in-kind rate from a plug-in hybrid or electric car.

If this relates to you, there is the all-electric E-3008 to consider. It has more power at 210hp and gets to 62mph about two seconds quicker. You also benefit from the mega-low benefit-in-kind rate as well as lower running costs of electricity – though the advantage of this won’t be so obvious if you have to rely on expensive public charging.

The Peugeot 3008 has not been safety tested by Euro NCAP yet. However, it’s worth noting that the 408 and 308, the two most recent Peugeots to undergo the tests, have received four stars out of five. That's mildly disappointing compared with most alternatives, which typically score full marks.

You get some basic driver assistance kit as standard, including lane-keeping, emergency braking and a post-collision braking system. Basic cruise control comes as standard with Allure models, but upgrade to GT and you get adaptive cruise control to maintain your distance to the car in front. A 360-degree parking camera is also available for extra cost.

While you might be concerned about Peugeot’s reliability record, the French firm has largely turned this around recently, scoring highly with UK consumers in reliability and owner satisfaction surveys. It remains to be seen whether the 3008 will be reliable, but the signs are positive.

You get a fairly basic warranty, which at three years with unlimited mileage is about average. Hyundai, Kia and Toyota all offer longer warranties, which can be passed on to new owners and therefore helps with resale value.