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 and 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-litre petrol.

If you want a bit more punch, there's a mild hybrid version of the 1.2-litre petrol engine. It gets a boost in power to 134bhp, while a small electric motor helps deliver a slightly faster 0-62mph time of 9.3 seconds. It can occasionally cover very short distances on electric-only power to save fuel.

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 and 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 and 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 and equipment: The range is broken up into Active, 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 a popular trim and it's the entry-level option on the two plug-in hybrids. It adds 17in alloys and a useful rear-view camera. Allure Premium adds a few more goodies, including 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.

"The 129bhp petrol engine took me by surprise when I first experienced it in the 308. It's a punchy unit and it pulls the car along really well when the turbo kicks in." – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

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 £15,000 and that'll get you a 2022 or 2023 car with the petrol or diesel engine, in any trim up to GT. You can even get a PHEV for similar money if you like. Examples from 2024 go for upwards of £19,000, while a 2025 car will cost you 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.

Warranty

From new, every 308 comes with Peugeot's three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, which is considerably less than Toyota's 10-year cover if the car is serviced annually at an authorised dealer. The 12.4kWh battery pack of the PHEVs is covered for up to eight years or 100,000 miles.

Safety

When it comes to safety, the 308 scored four stars out of five when it was tested by Euro NCAP. It scored well in most areas, but Euro NCAP commented that protection for the driver's chest was fairly weak.

Better news is that the list of standard safety kit is comprehensive. Blind-spot detection, a speed limiter, cruise control, lane-keeping assistance and traffic-sign recognition are all included from new, as is an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system that can recognise pedestrians and cyclists.

Reliability

Peugeot 308 owners gave a mixed verdict in our latest Reliability Survey, citing problems with both the car and aftercare.

Some owners experienced repeated failures of the infotainment system and unexplained warning lights, shaking confidence in the car’s electronics. Diesel models were also affected by costly particulate filter issues, especially outside of warranty.

Several owners criticised dealership service, mentioning long waits for repairs due to slow parts supply, and poor communication when problems returned.

While not unreliable across the board, these findings suggest patchy dependability and support.

Read more about Peugeot 308 reliability on our dedicated page.

Allure and Allure Premium trims offer better standard equipment than the entry-level Active Premium, yet they typically don’t cost much more on the used market. The 1.2-litre petrol engine delivers enough performance for most needs and is economical to run. It’s also a popular choice, so you’ll find plenty of them on used forecourts. The diesel is a bit coarse, so we'd disregard that unless you do lots of motorway journeys.

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 current 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.

The hybrid-powered Toyota Corolla is certainly worth a look. It's well equipped, good to drive and cheap to run, plus it has a very good reliability record. Having been around for longer than the 308, there are plenty of examples available on the used market for less money, too.

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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.