Peugeot 2008 Review 2024

If you're looking for a relatively small but practical family car that'll cost buttons to run, but will also stand out in a car park full of Volkswagen, Skoda and SEAT SUV crossovers, the Peugeot 2008 is a great choice for you.

The Peugeot 2008 has plenty of competitors including the Volkswagen T-Cross, Skoda Kamiq and SEAT Arona, all of which are well designed and spacious. The Renault Captur is another stylish option, while the Ford Puma looks great and is nice to drive, too. Also worth considering are the Nissan Juke and the Citroen C3 Aircross.

It's easy to mistake the Peugeot 2008's cabin with one of a much more expensive SUV. Its two-layer dashboard design is made of soft-touch plastics and you get classy stitching and carbon-fibre look trim. Sure, there are harder plastics lower down in the cabin but nothing that feels out of place in a car at this price point. We expect it'll wear well, too.

In early 2008s, you got a 7.0-inch touchscreen display as standard with most trims including the entry-level car, while the screen increased in size to a 10-inch item on GT Line models. The systems featured TomTom-based navigation on some models as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which mirror your phone’s display and allows you to use many of its features on the car’s big screen. The infotainment is easy enough to use, although responses can be a little slow compared to slicker systems used in Volkswagens, Skodas and SEATs. During the 2023 facelift, the bigger 10-inch screen was made standard across all trim levels.

The Peugeot 2008 is quite a practical choice. At 434-litres the Peugeot 2008's boot space is a good size, and with little in the way of a lip, it makes loading bulky items easy. If you need more space, the rear seats drop to provide 1467 litres of room – pretty good for a SUV crossover of this size, and slightly better than the latest Nissan Juke and Skoda Kamiq. And sticking with size for a moment, the Peugeot 2008 measures 4.3m long and is just under 1.8m wide. That makes it a touch longer than the likes of the Skoda Kamiq, but the width is about the same. 

With the seats left up, there’s a generous amount of room for rear passengers, including ISOFIX points for two child seats. Access to the rear is good, too, thanks to wide-opening rear doors. Our only complaint is that taller passengers will want for more knee room if someone tall is sitting in front of them.

Up front and there's loads of room in the Peugeot 2008. Two adults will get comfortable very easily, without any awkward elbow bashing or head-hitting on bumpy roads. There's plenty of storage space for your odds and ends – including fairly big door pockets, generous cup holders and a deep cubby box in the middle of the cabin.

In terms of exterior dimensions, the Peugeot 2008 measures 4300mm long, 1987mm wide and 1530mm in height.

The 2008 shares a platform with the 208 and it's available with the same 100, 130 and 155PS PureTech petrol engines, as well as a 1.5 diesel with 100PS or 110PS. There's also an all-electric version in the form of the e-2008.

The mid-range PureTech 130 is the most popular. Like all the petrol engines in the range, it’s a 1.2-litre three-cylinder unit, and it’s very good – quieter than most small-capacity turbocharged engines and punchy enough for the majority of drivers. It almost makes the more powerful PureTech 155 seem redundant (and you can only buy that in top-spec trim, anyway). 

Buyers can choose from a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic gearbox. The manual isn’t the slickest gearbox on the market – a long throw means it feels quite stodgy to use. As such, we’d recommend the EAT8 automatic gearbox. This is a torque-converter gearbox that responds quickly and adds to the premium feel of the Peugeot 2008.

The Peugeot 2008's refinement levels are just as impressive as a much bigger or more expensive SUV. You won't notice a great deal of engine noise in the cabin, even less in the all-electric e-2008, while road noise is well-hushed (even with the bigger 18-inch alloy wheels and rubber band tyres).

Like most crossover SUVs, you will notice a bit more wind noise in the 2008 than the equivalent hatchback. It's not too annoying, though – it soon turns into background noise that can easily be drowned out by the radio.

The Peugeot 2008 scored four stars when it was crash-tested by Euro NCAP in 2019, although it’s worth noting that the Nissan Juke scored five stars in the same test thanks to its superior pedestrian protection. 

The Peugeot’s safety can be boosted by finding one with the optional Drive Assist Pack, which means the 2008 can accelerate, brake and steer itself on the motorway.

It's fair to say that Peugeot does not have the best reputation for reliability and the brand is working hard to rectify this. It has its work cut out, in the 2020 HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index, Peugeot finished near the bottom for reliability, behind the likes of Fiat. Things got even worse in the 2022 study, with Peugeot finishing second-bottom, with only Land Rover performing worse. Most complaints were about the bigger 3008, though, so we'd hope that the 2008 might be a bit more dependable.

The Peugeot 2008 ranges from Group 13 insurance for a basic 2008 Active model with the entry-level 100PS petrol engine, to Group 23 for a 155PS petrol model in sporty GT trim.

We were quoted £273 to insure a Peugeot 2008 1.2 PureTech GT Line. That's for a 40-year-old teacher based in Lincolnshire. Insurance prices are very dependent on your personal circumstances but, compared to rivals, the Peugeot 2008 shouldn't be particularly expensive to insure.

As the second-generation 2008 was released after 2017, you pay a flat rate of annual VED tax on all versions with a combustion engine. That means an annual bill of £180. If you're after free car tax, meanwhile, look at the electric Peugeot e-2008. 

Peugeot has messed about with the Peugeot 2008's trim levels on a fairly regular basis throughout the time it's been on sale. They've always been centred around the words Active, Allure and GT as the central equipment grades, but there have been other minor variations in the kit levels on top of those basic grades, which have been signified with either the word 'Premium', or a plus sign, or some other key indicator. Aside from those few minor fluctuations, though, kit levels have stayed broadly consistent.

Standard equipment on the Peugeot 2008 Active Premium includes 16-inch alloy wheels, auto lights and wipers, a seven-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, built-in sat-nav, automatic emergency brakes and rear parking sensors. 

2008 Allure models get gloss-black exterior highlights and 17-inch alloy wheels, along with Peugeot’s cool-looking digital dashboard, front parking sensors and passenger seat height adjustment. Allure Premium models upgrade the car’s central touchscreen from seven to 10 inches in size. 

The Peugeot 2008 GT Line adds to Allure specification and looks more striking on the outside. It gets sporty front and rear bumpers, a contrast black-painted roof and 17-inch alloys, plus LED exterior lights all round. Inside, there’s wireless phone charging and selectable ambient lighting. 

Peugeot 2008 GT Premium models are based on GT Line cars, but stand out thanks to their larger 18-inch alloy wheels. They also get active cruise control and lane positioning assist so the car can accelerate, brake and steer itself on the motorway. Blind-spot monitoring is another system fitted as standard that’ll warn you if you try to pull out in front of another car hidden in your blind spot. Peugeot 2008 GT models feel posher thanks to their Alcantara interior and glass roof, which floods the cabin with light.