Used Peugeot 308 2022-present review

The Peugeot 308 is the Primark of family cars, offering sharp style at relatively affordable prices – especially on the used market.

This is the latest-generation model, following on from the 2013-2021 Peugeot 308, and you can have it as a petrol, diesel or plug-in hybrid (PHEV). An electric version, the Peugeot e-308, has just been released. We'll be providing a bespoke used review on this version when more become available on the used market.

Engines & Performance: The entry-level engine (badged 1.2 PureTech 130) is a 1.2-litre petrol with 129bhp. Acceleration is respectable, with 0-60mph taking around 9.5sec. This unit, like all current 308 engines, is solely available with an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

The 1.5-litre diesel (badged 1.5 BlueHDI 130) pumps out an identical 129bhp. It pulls well from low revs, although doesn't rev as smoothly as the 1.2 petrol.

Finally, there are two PHEV options, starting with the Hybrid 180. It mates a 1.6-litre petrol engine with an electric motor for a combined 178bhp – enough for 0-62mph in 7.6sec. The 12.4kWh battery pack offers an official pure electric range of more than 40 miles, although you'll struggle to do more than 30 miles in the real world (before the petrol engine is forced to cut in).

Meanwhile, the Hybrid 225 – available only on the top two trim levels – adds more power, but acceleration is only marginally quicker.

Ride & Handling: The suspension is noticeably softer than the Ford Focus and Seat Leon's, hence the 308 lacks the precision and body control of those cars when the road gets twisty.

We could somewhat forgive that if ride comfort was stellar, but, while it deals with small bumps well, larger abrasions reveal a lack of refinement. The suspension often thunks over potholes, sending judders through the rest of the car.

To minimise this, you'll want to stick with the smaller alloys. Wheels of up to 18in are available, but the 16in rims will give you better cushioning. The ride in the PHEV versions is slightly firmer than in the regular petrol and diesel, because their hefty batteries make for more weight that needs dealing with.

Interior & Practicality: As with other modern Peugeots, their interior features a high-set digital instrument panel that you’re supposed to view above (rather than through) a tiny steering wheel. It could very well suit your ideal position, but if not, you'll find the top of the steering wheel impairs your view of the instruments.

The infotainment system, presented on a 10.0in touchscreen, features clear, crisp graphics and is packed with features and customisation options. The screen can be a little slow to respond to your inputs, though.

The areas of the interior you touch regularly feel premium enough and are covered with squidgy plastics and soft-touch materials. You don’t need to search far to find some harder, scratchier plastics lower down, mind you, particularly around the lower door cards and central tunnel.

Even those who are both big and tall will have no problems with space in the front of the 308: there’s plenty of head and leg room. In the rear, a six-footer sitting behind someone else the same height won’t want to be in the back of the 308 for very long. Their head is likely to be brushing the roof-lining and their knees will be pressed into the seatback in front of them. There’s little space for their feet, too, so they’ll feel quite restricted overall.

The 308 beats most rivals (not including the vast Skoda Octavia) for boot space. It’s worth noting that, if you go for a 308 PHEV, the boot shrinks a little to accommodate the battery pack that sits under the boot floor. We could only fit five carry-on suitcases, which is typical for a plug-in hybrid family car.

Trims & Equipment: The range is broken up into Active Premium, Allure, Allure Premium, GT and GT Premium trims, and no version is poorly equipped. Standard kit includes 16in alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, LED headlights, and the 10in infotainment screen and full Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring.

Allure is the first trim available on the two plug-in hybrid models. It adds 17in alloys and a useful rear-view camera. Allure Premium is expected to be the trim level most buyers go for and comes with adaptive cruise control, wireless smartphone mirroring and wireless phone charging. GT and GT Premium add luxuries including larger alloy wheels and Alcantara leather trim inside.

Interested in buying a used Peugeot 308? Visit our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.

Your starting point is roughly £18,000 and that'll get you 2022 Active Premium with the petrol engine – the diesel is around £1000 more. If you want a PHEV, have around £25,000 to spend. Examples from 2023 go for upwards of £21,000. This represents a useful saving on the price of a brand-new car.

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MPG: On paper, the 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel are fairly frugal with official economy of more than 50mpg for the petrol and 60mpg for the diesel. On our real-world test route, the petrol returned 43.4mpg, which is a little disappointing (the 1.8 Toyota Corolla managed 55.5mpg).

The Hybrid 180 will officially average 281.1mpg and the 225 version 266.2mpg, but remember that you'll only see figures anywhere close to those ones if you keep the battery topped up and do lots of town driving.

Road tax: Petrol and diesel cars attract a fee of £180 per year in road tax, while the hybrids are £170 per year. If your 308 came in at more than £40,000 when new, it'll cost you £390 per year extra, although that only lasts from years two to six of the car's life.

Insurance and servicing: Insurance groups range from the late teens to group 30 (out of 50), depending on your chosen specification. This is about average for the class, albeit leaning on the higher side for a non-premium-badged model.

Regarding a 2022 petrol 308, we were quoted £787 for two interim services and a major service via Peugeot.

Allure Premium trim gets some desirable kit over entry-level Active Premium, as well as Allure, and only asks around £1000 more from you when used. That's much less than the £7000 needed to go from the 1.2-litre petrol to the Hybrid 180 – we'd save some money and stick with the former engine option. The diesel is a bit coarse, so we'd disregard that as well.

Our favourite Peugeot 308: 1.2 PureTech 130 Allure

You can buy an 2022 Audi A3 for similar money to the 308, but expect a more basic specification and less power. It's a similar story with the Mercedes A-Class, minus the power part. Both of those options are more refined than the 308.

The latest Ford Focus has been around for longer than the latest 308 has, so, unsurprisingly, there are many more examples out there, not to mention at cheaper prices. That car is much better to drive, too. The catch is the interior is much less posh, both from a visual and feel stance.

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Interested in buying a used Peugeot 308? Visit our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.