Used Peugeot 408 2023-present review

Is it a saloon? Is it an SUV? No, it's the Peugeot 408.

Like the mechanically related Citroën C5 X, the 408's design blurs the lines between a few different car classes – although it best fits into the coupé SUV group – making it hard to pigeonhole. But, whether you like the mishmash or not, it's hard to deny that the 408 stands out.

Engines & Performance: The 408’s engine line-up kicks off with the Puretech 130, a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with 129bhp.

There are also two plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) – the Hybrid 180 and the Hybrid 225 – each with a 1.6-litre petrol engine and an electric motor. The main difference between the two PHEVs is that the Hybrid 225's engine produces a bit more power.

You might expect the entry-level 1.2-litre engine to struggle to propel a car of this size along with any kind of vigour, but acceleration is decent and the unit feels strong enough, even from low down in the rev range.

The Hybrid 180 is punchier, with its electric assistance helping it feel even stronger upon a swift jab of the accelerator. It's still not lightning fast, but it's got enough shove to the point where we weren't left craving the Hybrid 225's extra poke – there's only a 0.3sec gap between their official 0-60mph times, actually.

The PHEVs have an official electric-only range of 40 miles on the standard-from-new wheels, but that drops to 39 miles – the same as the C5 X Hybrid 225 PHEV – if you go for an example sporting the 20in wheels.

Ride & Handling: There are notable differences in what the 408 and the C5 X feel like to drive, and the biggest is in the ride. The 408 is firmer and transmits more road imperfections to occupants than the impressively cushioned C5 X, but thanks to the extra stiffness it’s better tied down on undulating roads.

That gives an added benefit when it comes to cornering. Unlike with the soft and sometimes wallowy C5 X, the body lean is comparatively well controlled. What’s more, the steering is smooth and direct, making it easy to tell what the front end is up to through a corner. It’s not the engaging experience you’ll get from the sportier Cupra Formentor but you’ll still make easy progress.

At motorway speeds, it's quite hushed inside, with hardly any wind noise and minimal road noise, and the engines don’t drone loudly when worked hard. When the PHEVs are running on electricity, there’s no engine noise and just a little bit of motor whine.

The eight-speed automatic gearbox can be a bit hesitant when setting off (something that’s less noticeable on PHEV models), but it shifts smoothly once you're moving. The brakes are a little grabby and the non-PHEVs' stop-start system is not that smooth, although it's less clunky than in some Peugeots.

Interior & Practicality: You wouldn’t describe the 408’s driving position as lofty when compared to the Peugeot 3008 and other SUVs, but it’s higher than that of the VW Arteon Shooting Brake, giving it more of an SUV feel. Manual lumbar support adjustment for the driver comes with all trims but electrically adjustable lumbar support is available on the top GT trim – you'll have to find a 408 that's had the ‘Seat Pack’ fitted from new.

While the C5 X has physical dials and buttons to control the air-con, on the 408 you have to dive into the touchscreen to adjust it – a process that's much more distracting while you’re driving. That aside, their interiors feel similarly upmarket and plush, with the 408’s materials proving pleasingly squidgy and well-constructed.

The 408 is a long car, so back-seat leg room is better than you’ll find in the Formentor and similar to what’s on offer in the Arteon Shooting Brake. There’s also space to tuck your feet under the front seats.

Unfortunately, the outstanding leg room isn’t matched by equally generous head room. If you’re six feet tall and sitting in the back, the top of your head will just touch the roof, and with the sunroof fitted it’s even more restricted.

The boot has 536 litres of space, which drops to 471 litres if you go for a PHEV variant. The reduction in space for the PHEV is in the underfloor storage, but you’re still left with just about enough room to stuff in a charging cable. Overall, the boot is a tiny bit smaller than in the Citroën C5 X but not by enough to make much difference.

The boot should be big enough for most families’ needs – with the non-hybrid giving you more space than the Audi Q3 Sportback – but can’t match the best estate cars for practicality (the Arteon Shooting Brake offers 590 litres and the Skoda Octavia Estate a mighty 650 litres).

Trims & Equipment: There are three trim levels to choose from. Entry-level Allure covers the basics but mid-spec Allure Premium trim adds useful extras including adaptive cruise control, 19in alloy wheels, laminated front side windows, blind-spot monitoring and front parking sensors.

If you want lots of luxuries, the top GT trim adds niceties including a heated steering wheel, a power-assisted tailgate, matrix LED headlights, fancier materials inside and ambient interior lighting.

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You can buy a used Peugeot 408 for around £24,000. For the money, expect a 2023 PureTech 130 in Allure Premium trim – strangely, entry-level Allure will cost you around a grand more to buy used!

The Hybrid 225 hit the market earlier than the Hybrid 180 did, so it'll actually cost you less money. The 225 starts at around £26,000, while the 180 goes for around £30,000.

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MPG: If you're gentle, expect to average around 45mpg to 50mpg in the PureTech 130. Official figures say the PHEVs can manage up to 270mpg – you’ll need to keep the battery fully charged if you want to get anywhere near that.

Both PHEVs have a 3.7kW on-board charger for a charging time of less than three and a half hours using a 7.4kW home wall box. If you pay for the optional 7.4kW on-board charger, the time drops to one hour and 40 minutes.

Road tax: The PureTech 130 will set you back £180 each year in road tax, while the hybrids drop that to £170 per year. If your 408 cost more than £40,000 when new – the hybrids – then you'll also have to pay £390 per year for year's two to five of the car's life.

Insurance and servicing: Insurance groups waver a fair bit, with the PureTech 130 Allure being in group 19 and the Hybrid 225 GT being in group 31. That lower figure is roughly average for the kind of car the 408 is, but the latter one is on the higher side.

For three services via Peugeot, we were quoted £787 for three services of a Hybrid 225.

Seeing as the Hybrid 225 asks a reasonable premium over the PureTech 130, yet gets more performance and the benefit of being able to travel on electric power alone (and for a decent distance), it's a very compelling option. However, if you go for a hybrid 408, you'll be stung by the £390 per year luxury car tax, so we're not sure it's the right call just yet.

The PureTech 130, as we've said, still offers good performance and reasonable running costs.

As for trims, Allure Premium, despite being mid-spec, is actually your cheapest option. It's the one we'd go for – we don't feel GT is worth forking out the few grand extra for.

Our favourite Peugeot 408: PureTech 130 Allure Premium

The Cupra Formentor offers a great driving experience, a smart interior and a good kit list. With used prices of around £20,000, it's reasonably priced, too. Watch out for reliability, though: it ranked 33rd out of 34 cars in the family car category of our 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey. Its reliability score of 81.5% is poor.

As we've referenced, the Citroën C5 X is mechanically related to the 408. Its suspension is noticeably softer, creating a more comfortable ride – and handling that isn't as sharp. Used prices start at around £20,000.

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Interested in buying a used Peugeot 408? Visit our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.