Peugeot 108 (2014-2022) review

Although the Peugeot 108 was designed as a city car, it has sufficient breadth of abilities to be a genuine option for a few different kinds of buyer. If you are looking for a low-cost but modern small car just for short journeys, the ease of use, the frugal engine and the strong specification makes the 108 a sensible choice. 

At the same time, if you are looking for a first car for you or a family member, the Peugeot108 is thoroughly unintimidating to drive and has a good set of safety equipment too. If you have a small family the 108 could do a job, but ultimately the lack of rear space and luggage capacity may cause issues.

The 108 has some strong rivals, notably the Skoda Citigo and SEAT Mii, that feel a little more up to date and of higher quality, but there’s little to separate them overall.

Because they are so closely related it is worth considering the Toyota Aygo and Peugeot 108, both of which drive in a very similar manner. There’s not much to choose between them on price either, other than the Citroen C1 is available in a low-spec Touch trim.

The SEAT Mii and Skoda Citigo are spin-offs of the Volkswagen Up, and bring the solid engineering and efficiency you usually get, just with a smaller price tag than the Volkswagen version. Smart-looking and good to drive, both the Mii and Citigo are attractive options.

The Hyundai i10 is also a strong contender, and although the cheapest model is some way from the cheapest C1, it brings a quality feel and good specification.

The Peugeot 108 does a good job of illustrating the difference between quality and finish. It is certainly built to a good quality standard, with all the interior fixtures feeling well screwed together, and that they will survive thousands of miles of wear and tear. There’s also the added reassurance that Toyota had a hand in the design and construction of this cabin, as they know a thing or two about producing solid interiors that can stand the test of time.

The materials themselves may not be luxurious to the touch, so the level of finish is respectable rather than outstanding, but ultimately this is much less of an issue on a car at this price point. Crucially the main touch points for the driver feel sturdy to the touch, and the buttons and switches operate with reassuring solidity. Venture higher up the model range and the Collection trim gives you flashes of colour on the seats, the gear lever and around the air vents. It helps to break up the areas of grey, whether it makes the cabin feel any smarter is down to the person signing on the dotted line.

Unlike its Citroen C1 relative, the Peugeot 108 has a single specification infotainment system across the range, which is another reason to plump for the cheapest model. As standard, the 108 comes with a 7-inch touchscreen system that is pretty feature-packed; you get DAB radio, Bluetooth, 3.5mm jack and USB inputs as well as Mirror Screen, so you can operate a number of functions on a compatible smartphone directly through the screen.

The only audio option on the range is the addition of sat-nav, but since that removes the Mirror Screen function from the system you end up paying more to arguably get less. Stick with the standard setup and you can use the native app on your phone for navigation instead.

The system works well too, with a screen that feels more sturdy than some of the more delicate-looking offerings you get from other manufacturers. The downside of this is that it might not be 100 percent accurate all of the time, but for the most part it responds well to inputs. Steering wheel controls are also standard, giving the 108 a setup that wouldn’t look out of place on a more expensive car.

Anyone buying a city car knows that you’re not going to be overburdened with space, but it must be able to carry some combination of passengers and luggage to be worth buying in the first place. 

At 3475mm long the Peugeot 108 is certainly short, but it sensibly places the emphasis on room for those in the front seats. It's 1884mm wide (with the mirrors out) and 1460mm tall so it'll be a doddle to park. Getting installed up front is particularly easy on the three-door version, as the long door on each side gives a large aperture for climbing aboard, helped by the height of the roof.

Five-door versions have to pack a pair of doors onto each side on a pretty short car, and in particular getting into the rear isn’t as easy as it could be. If anything it’s a little more awkward than on the three-door, just because you have to step into a footwell that is relatively small, especially if the front seats are pushed well back.

Tall adults up front enjoy good legroom and plenty of headroom, although the 108’s relative narrowness means elbow room is a less generous. Inevitably it is less impressive for those in the rear seats, with legroom in short supply even if you happen to be still in short pants. It’s not much better if you’re small enough to be in a car seat either, because the extra bulk will put you even closer to the back of the front seats.

Head for the boot and the Peugeot 108 offers 243 litres of space, significantly more than the Citroen C1 and Toyota Ago and very close to that of the Skoda Citigo and SEAT Mii. An adjustable boot floor gives you a little lower space to play with if need be, while the 50/50 split rear bench means you can have up 868 litres of cargo storage if required.

Storage space within the cabin is useful too, with a decent-sized glovebox and door pockets that are big enough to swallow a reasonable amount of your detritus.

With just one engine and two gearboxes, there’s not much to choose from, although if you are looking at a used Peugeot 108 you should be able to track down the larger capacity engine option.

All new models and the majority of used ones feature a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder engine offering 72PS and 93Nm of torque. While many modern downsized engines feature a turbocharger for extra pulling power, the 108’s unit does without, but thanks to the low kerbweight it doesn't feel too underpowered. If anything, the little 1.0-litre punches above its size, and the three-cylinder arrangement means it revs with enthusiasm and sounds more pleasant than similarly-sized four-cylinder alternatives.

The bigger 1.2-litre offers 81PS and more importantly 118Nm of torque, and while the numbers don’t suggest a huge difference the extra torque helps move the 108 along more smartly, and is particularly beneficial on motorways. The difference in fuel consumption is small too, so if you’re buying used you might want to consider seeking out the bigger engine, although it is not available on the basic Active model.

The standard manual gearbox has five speeds and offers a reliably accurate shift, even if the action itself feels a little disconnected. The ratios are well-chosen though, and gives the Peugeot 108 the ability to cruise at sensible motorway speeds. The automatic gearbox option is an automated manual, and the dawdling gear-changes make the 108 feel slower than it really is.

A low price tag normally means less in the way of refinement and the size of city cars means there is less bodywork to absorb unwanted noises, but the Peugeot 108 manages to keep its occupants insulated from the worst noises and vibrations. The 1.0-litre engine is relatively vocal, but because it has three cylinders it revs smoothly and doesn’t suffer from any nasty vibrations. It also settles into a distant thrum at motorway speeds, so long journeys don’t become tiresome. The 1.2-litre engine offers similar noise levels, although the fact that it has a little extra performance means you don’t have to work it has hard.

The same goes for external noises. With modestly-sized 15-inch wheels and skinny tyres there’s little road noise at normal speeds, although this does increase somewhat on the motorway. Wind noise is well managed - the 108 is relatively aerodynamic for a car so tall, but the compact nose is a big help here, and again it is only at motorway speeds that it is particularly noticeable. The capability of the infotainment system is a help here, as you can always turn up the stereo...

Like its Toyota and Citroen relations the Peugeot 108 was tested by Euro NCAP at its launch in 2014, and for a car of this size it scored an impressive four stars overall. It achieved an 80 percent score for both adult and child protection, a strong performance in any category, while it was awarded 62 percent for pedestrian mitigation and 56 per cent for safety assist.

The standard safety equipment provision is strong, with even the basic Active model getting ESP, ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution and six airbags. It also comes with Hill Assist, a useful feature uncommon on cars of this size and twin Isofix mounting points on the rear seats. It’s also worth noting that the rear seat only has two seat belts, so it is not possible to carry three passengers in the back and have them all safely belted in. A speed limiter is also standard across the range.

Move up to the Allure or Collection models and you also get a reversing camera and automatic headlights, both of which are a small but useful safety boost, while the options list includes Active City Brake with lane departure warning and traffic sign recognition. Although these features are only available on Allure and Collection models it is a sensible upgrade for a small fee.

Allure and Collection models are fitted with a space saver spare wheel as standard, while it is a cost option on the Active model that gets a tyre inflation kit as standard.

Peugeot ranked 24th out of 30 manufacturers in the latest HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index. For overall satisfaction Peugeot scored 85.9% and had an average of 8.82 out of 10 for reliability. 

True to the city car rulebook the Peugeot 108 is right at the lower end of the scale when it comes to insurance costs. All versions of the 108 fall into group 9E, making them one of the cheapest cars to insure. Standard security equipment includes a Thatcham approved immobiliser across the range, while remote central locking on all models is also included.

New drivers will find the Peugeot 108 one of the easier cars to insure, helped by the high level of standard safety equipment and repair costs which should be relatively low. Meanwhile more experience drivers with plenty of no-claims bonus should find their premiums are very low indeed.

The impressive fuel consumption and emissions performance of the Peugeot 108 translates into low VED costs, although the actual rate you pay depends a great deal on how old your 108 is. All new versions will pay £155 per year, with £175 payable in the first year. However, if you go for a secondhand example you can end up paying nothing at all.

Whether it’s the 1.0-litre or 1.2-litre version, 108s first registered before 1st April 2017 are under 100g/km and therefore qualify for zero VED under the rules at the time. That doesn’t guarantee those rules won’t change in future, but at present it represents a substantial saving every year.

Peugeot has kept the Peugeot 108 range relatively simple, and by loading up the entry-level model with a ton of equipment it makes it a bit of a no-brainer too. The basic Active model comes with more kit than you might expect, with the key items being air conditioning, the 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system and LED daytime running lights. Adding Active City Brake is a worthwhile consideration give it only costs £480 but skip adding sat-nav, as this means you can use Apple Car Play or Android Auto.