Electric Car Awards 2024: Best electric 7-seater

The arrival of the new Peugeot e-5008 is as momentous as Taylor Swift announcing a new tour. You see, while the e-5008 isn’t the first 7-seat electric SUV, it is the first to be offered at a relatively affordable price. Its main SUV rivals, the Kia EV9 and Mercedes EQB, are vastly more expensive, while the cheaper Citroën e-Spacetourer and Vauxhall Vivaro Life Electric aren’t especially well suited to family life, being based on vans.

So, what do you get for your money? Well, the entry-level model’s 73kWh (usable capacity) battery provides an official range of 311 miles – less than the EV9 gets from its bigger, 96kWh battery but enough for the needs of most families – while its 0-62mph sprint time of 9.7sec is on a par with the Kia. Indeed, with 211bhp available, the e-5008 has a bit more grunt than rear-wheel-drive versions of the EV9. The EV9 can charge its battery at a higher maximum rate (210kW), but the e-5008’s maximum of 160kW is still enough to ensure a 10-80% top-up in as little as 30 minutes.

The e-5008 does a good job of taking the sting out of ruts and bumps around town, yet it feels pleasantly planted at motorway speeds. And like the EV9, the e-5008 keeps wind and road noise to a minimum, so you won’t need to raise your voice to hold
a conversation – even with third-row passengers.

Speaking of that third row, access is easy, thanks to wide door openings and the ability to slide and tilt the middle row of seats forwards. While taller passengers will find they have more space to stretch out in the cavernous EV9, adults will be more comfortable in the e-5008’s rearmost seats than they would be in the EQB’s.

Elsewhere, the quality of the materials used inside the e-5008 impresses, beating the EV9 in this respect, with soft-touch plastics and tactile fabric in the areas you’re likely to touch regularly. The infotainment system is easy enough to get along with, too, and although the e-5008 misses out on the physical air-con controls that the EV9 has, its touch-sensitive and customisable iToggle shortcut keys are easy to hit on the move.

Not only is the e-5008 cheaper than its rivals, but you don’t need to spend a lot on a range-topping trim, with entry-level Allure coming with keyless entry and start, plus a rear-view camera.

With the e-5008, a new era of cheaper electric 7-seaters has begun. That’s pretty momentous.

Best used electric 7-seater

Mercedes EQB (2022-present)

Price from £26,000

Great value used, and the fact that it has seven seats almost comes second to the EQB’s luxury car credentials.

Used Mercedes EQB buying guide >>

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