Peugeot 308 SW review

We reckon someone involved in the creation of the Peugeot 308 SW estate car is a fan of the hit film School of Rock. Why? Well, in the movie, Jack Black plays a guitarist who discovers it's possible to embrace practicality while still having fun. And that ethos has gone into the 308 SW too: it’s aiming to be sensible and useful but with a hint of fun, thanks to its low, sporty driving position. 

As you might expect, the SW (short for station wagon) is based on the Peugeot 308 hatchback, and it shares that car's eye-catching looks. It's also available as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), unlike the Volkswagen Golf Estate, which is good news if you’re looking for a company car. Oh, and there’s even a fully-electric version of the SW (like there is with the hatchback), which you can read about in our Peugeot e-308 review. 

So is the 308 SW good enough to compete with the best estate cars out there or should you pick a rival model such as the Skoda Octavia Estate or Toyota Corolla Touring Sports? Read on to find out…

What’s new?

- November 2025 – We publish our review of the updated 308 SW after driving it in Lisbon, Portugal

- August 2025 – Facelifted version of the 308 SW is revealed, with refreshed styling inside and out, revised engines, a bigger battery for the PHEV, and more

- September 2021 – We publish our first review of the 308 SW after driving it in Cannes, France

- June 2021 – Estate version of the third-generation 308 – called the 308 SW – is revealed

How fast is it and which engine is best?

The entry-level engine for the Peugeot 308 SW is the Hybrid 145 – a 143bhp 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol with mild-hybrid (MHEV) tech. It can travel on electric power for short distances, but it won't match the electric range of the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports, which is a regular hybrid.

The Hybrid 145 manages the 0-62mph sprint in 9.0secs officially, which is respectable, beating the Corolla Touring Sports 1.8 Hybrid (9.4sec), but falling short of the Octavia Estate e-TSI (8.6sec). To get more performance, you'll want the 308 SW Plug-in Hybrid 195, which nudges the 0-62mph time down to 7.7secs. There's also a 1.5-litre diesel engine. Performance figures for this are yet to be confirmed, but it’s not far behind the Hybrid 145 in terms of power with 127bhp.

Oddly, the gearbox you get with each engine is different. In the Hybrid 145, the six-speed automatic gearbox changes gears quickly and smoothly enough. With the PHEV and diesel, you get a seven-speed and eight-speed gearbox, but we’re yet to drive these versions. There's no manual gearbox option.

Is it agile and is the ride comfortable?

The 308 SW has a soft suspension setup and displays more body lean than the Seat Leon Estate, so it’s not remarkably agile. Still, it’s composed and grippy enough, feeling planted and predictable in corners.

Peugeot’s i-Cockpit interior design means it has a small steering wheel, which helps the car to feel quick through turns. It weighs up nicely at speed, but it has an artificial, almost elastic feel to it. The steering in the Leon Estate feels more natural.

The 308 SW rides well over most surfaces and does a reasonable job of cushioning you. The low-speed ride can get busy over patchy surfaces but things smoothen out as you pick up the pace. The Octavia Estate and Corolla Touring Sports are comfier still, while the Leon Estate stay a little flatter over bumps.

With most car models, it's best to go for smaller wheels if comfort is a priority, and the same is true here. Alloys up to 18in are available, but the entry-level Allure trim’s 17in wheels will give you the most comfortable ride. We’ve yet to try the PHEV, but it’s likely to have the firmest ride because of the battery weight. Still, no 308 SW we've driven is uncomfortable, and you won’t find yourself wincing every time you go over a drain cover or pothole.

Is it quiet and how easy is it to drive smoothly?

The 308 SW isolates you from the outside world reasonably well around town but there's a noticeable amount of tyre roar once you reach motorway speeds. That's accompanied by some wind noise around the door mirrors.

The Hybrid 145 only becomes vocal if you put your foot down and the noise is never too overbearing. It’s generally quite smooth once up to speed, but the default setting for the regenerative braking system causes the car to slow quite suddenly when you lift off the accelerator pedal, causing a jerky driving experience in town. 

What’s the range and efficiency like and how quickly can it charge?

The PHEV's 14.6kWh (usable) battery pack provides an official electric-only range of 53 miles. That’s not bad, but the Leon Estate PHEV can offer closer to 81 miles of clean green driving, which is a fairly big gulf for cars in this class. 

Where recharging is concerned, the PHEV’s standard 3.4kW charging rate means a full 0-100% top-up on a typical 7.4kW home wallbox takes roughly four hours and 20 minutes. Peugeot does offer an optional 7.4kW onboard charger for the 308 PHEV, though; choose that, and a compatible charger can cut the time to about two hours and five minutes.

“I’m glad Peugeot has replaced the hesitant eight-speed automatic gearbox with the snappier six-speed unit in the mild hybrid, but it’s disappointing that the strong regenerative braking system counterbalances this fix. It’s not very smooth to drive around town.” – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

What does the interior look like and is it well made?

The 308 SW’s dashboard is pleasing to look at, with multiple layers, sharp creases and an appealing mix of materials. The surfaces you touch regularly all feel relatively premium, too, with lots of squidgy plastics and soft-touch materials.

You don’t need to search far to find some harder, cheaper-feeling materials lower down, particularly around the door cards and central tunnel. The Skoda Octavia Estate is better here, because while it too features harder plastics lower down, its materials feel more pleasant. The 308 SW is about on a par with the Seat Leon Estate, though everything does feel like it’s built to last.

Is the driving position comfortable and is it easy to see out?

The driving position in the Peugeot 308 SW is comfortable and easily configurable, with plenty of adjustment available for the seat and wheel. So it shouldn’t take long to find your preferred driving position, but the slightly offset pedals might hamper comfort on longer drives. What’s more, the i-Cockpit design is set up so you look over – rather than through – the small steering wheel at the standard 10in digital driver's display. It takes some getting used to, and if you're particularly tall or short, the wheel can obscure your view.

Higher-spec GT Premium trim models have a 3D effect on the driver’s display but the graphics are not super-slick. The colour contrast isn't as good as in the Volkswagen Golf Estate with the full digital display. The 308 SW also follows the trend for having minimal physical buttons on its dashboard, but it does have toggles to let you adjust the temperature and other vehicle settings without delving too far into the 10in infotainment touchscreen.

If you choose GT trim or above, you get a row of large touch-sensitive icons that you can set up to take you to commonly used features – the sat-nav or your favourite radio station, for example.

Forward visibility in the 308 SW is good, with a low dashboard and slim windscreen pillars that save you from constantly checking your sides at junctions.

The sizable wing mirrors mean rear visibility is better than in the Peugeot 308 hatchback, since the SW has a larger rear windscreen but slightly slimmer pillars. What’s more, every 308 SW comes with rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera. Front parking sensors are available as part of an optional package on Allure trim and standard with GT models, while a 360-degree camera is also optional but standard with the top-spec GT Premium. 

Eco LED headlights come as standard on Allure 308s. GT models have matrix LED lights, which automatically adapt their pattern to provide maximum visibility without dazzling other drivers.

Are the dashboard and infotainment system easy to use?

The infotainment screen is helpfully angled towards the driver, has clear, crisp graphics and is packed with features and customisation options. The screen can be a little slow to respond when you touch it though, and a lack of physical buttons or haptic feedback means that using it is inherently more distracting than systems with a rotary controller. Some of the icons are on the smaller side, making them hard to prod while driving.

You can bypass the Peugeot system since wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring are standard, or you can just tell the car what to do using the voice-recognition software. It worked well when we tested it, allowing us to ask the car to alter the temperature, change the radio station or set a new sat-nav destination merely by saying "Okay Peugeot…" then a command.

Need to charge up your phone? There are two USB Type C ports in the front of the 308 SW and two more in the rear, so everyone will be able to get enough juice for their devices.

“I like the sharp, classy design of the interior, and actually I got on well with the unusual driving position.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

How much space does it have for people?

Even for those who are both broad and tall, there will be plenty of space around them in the front of the 308 SW. There’s very little chance of you rubbing shoulders with the person sitting beside you. 

You’ll also find plenty of areas to stow your keys, wallet or whatever else you might want to bring with you. Spaces range from a wide door bin to a deep cubby underneath the central arm rest, while your phone will slide neatly into a recess at the front of the centre console. A wireless phone-charging pad is available as an option.

A six-footer sitting behind someone that’s equally tall won’t want to be in the back of the 308 SW for very long, however. Their head will be close to brushing the roof-lining and their knees will be pressed into the seatback in front of them. There’s also less space for feet under the seats than in a Seat Leon Estate. 

Smaller adults and children will be fine, but if you plan to carry tall passengers frequently, the Skoda Octavia Estate is definitely a better bet. Anyone in the middle back seat will be rubbing shoulders with the person next to them, and has to straddle a central tunnel, although for short journeys it should be fine.

There’s more storage in the rear, with wide door bins and a cubby for coins (if you still use them) on the back of the centre console. The centre armrest folds down to reveal two cupholders, and a tray for pens and other slim items.

How much room does it have for luggage?

Non-PHEV versions of the 308 SW have 608 litres of boot space (or 1634 litres with the back seats folded down). That's not quite up there with a Leon or Octavia estate, but beats the Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer. Be aware that if you spec the spare wheel, you lose most of the underfloor storage area. Meanwhile, PHEV versions don't get that area at all, leaving 548 litres of storage – although that should still be more than big enough for the needs of most families.

The 308 SW's boot is a usefully square shape, with a minimal lip at the entrance when the adjustable floor is set to its highest setting. It comes with a 12V power socket, a side-mounted hook and luggage nets on either side.

The 308 SW’s rear seats split and fold in a 40/20/40 arrangement, which is more versatile than the Peugeot 308 hatchback’s 60/40 set-up. The seatbacks can be dropped using handy grab handles in the boot. That’s useful, because if you’re loading up larger items and realise you need more space, you don’t need to venture around the side of the car to drop the rear bench.

“If you need a lot of rear leg room, I’d suggest paying a bit more and getting a Skoda Superb Estate instead” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

How much does it cost and what equipment do you get?

The 308 SW starts at a higher price point than both the Seat Leon Estate and Skoda Octavia Estate, and at a similar amount to the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports. It is considerably cheaper to buy than bigger estate cars like the Volkswagen Passat, and premium-brand models such as the BMW 3 Series Touring.

We’d recommend the Hybrid 145 engine since it returns a handy 62.6mpg on fuel. The official economy figures for the diesel BlueHDi 130 are yet to be confirmed, but we do know the PHEV 195 can manage an all-electric range of up to 53 miles. That means it’ll cost more as a company car than the PHEV Leon Estate, since it offers 81 miles of range, and longer ranges reduce the BIK tax rate. 

The 308 SW line-up is divided into three trims: Allure, GT and GT Premium. Standard kit on Allure includes 17in alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, LED headlights and touchscreen infotainment. It’s our pick of the bunch. 

GT then comes with 18in alloys, front parking sensors, an illuminated front grille, ambient interior lighting, a rear centre armrest and a ski hatch. The range-topping GT Premium adds Alcantara upholstery, a 360-degree reversing camera, heated front seats (with massage function) and a heated steering wheel, but none of these justify the extra cost. 

Is it reliable and how long is the warranty?

The 308 did quite well in our latest What Car? Reliability Survey, finishing in 11th place out of 30 family cars, with a score of 94.6%. This places it above the Golf and Leon, but below the Corolla. As a brand, Peugeot came 11th out of 30 manufacturers, placing it above Seat and Volkswagen, but below Kia and Toyota.

Every 308 comes with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty, which is similar to the cover from Seat and Volkswagen, but short of Kia’s seven-year offering and Toyota’s service-activated 10-year/100,000-mile cover. The battery in the PHEV is covered for up to eight years or 100,000 miles. 

How safe is it and is it easy to steal?

The 308 SW was given four stars out of five for safety by Euro NCAP in 2022. Testers noted a weak level of chest protection for the driver in a front impact. The closely related Vauxhall Astra achieved a similar score but most rivals, including the Golf, scored five stars.

We do like how much safety technology you get from standard though, with a driver monitoring system, lane-keep assist and traffic sign recognition among the inclusions, along with an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system that can recognise pedestrians and cyclists. Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert are optional on GT and standard on the range-topping GT Premium trim. 

“I don’t think the 308 SW fully justifies its price premium over direct rivals, such as the Seat Leon Estate.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Buy it if…

-You value an estate with a high-quality interior

-You want an estate car that’s not enormous

-You do lots of motorway driving

Don’t buy it if…

-You regularly carry passengers in the back

-You need an estate car with a really big boot

-You want the cheapest company car

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