Peugeot 508 SW review

The 508 SW commands a premium of around £1600 over the 508 saloon. That means it isn’t exactly a bargain and costs a bit more to buy outright than equivalent versions of the Skoda Superb Estate and Ford Mondeo Estate, but it undercuts premium rivals such as the BMW 3 Series Touring.

Sadly, high-looking PCP costs don't help the 508 SW's case, but the plug-in hybrid version makes plenty of sense as a company car; low emissions help it to cost around half as much in benefit-in-kind tax as an equivalent petrol or diesel rival, despite its rather high list price.. However, other plug-in rivals – like the bigger Superb Estate iV and the more comfortable Passat Estate GTE – cost a similar amount and are better all-round options.

The plug-in hybrid should also be very economical – but only if you regularly drive it with plenty of battery power to reduce its dependence on fossil fuel. The other non-hybrid engines are decently efficient compared to rivals, too. The 1.6-litre Puretech 180 petrol is especially competitive for a car of its type when it comes to fuel-efficiency.

A long list of standard safety equipment adds appeal; lane-keeping assistance, automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection and driver attention monitoring are all fitted across the range. Indeed, Euro NCAP awards the 508 SW five stars for safety, with very high ratings for adult and child occupant protection.

In terms of overall equipment levels, the second of the four rungs on the spec ladder, Allure, strikes the best balance between affordability and luxuries.

In the 2019 What Car? Reliability Survey, Peugeot finished a middling 18th out of 31 in the manufacturers’ table. Its three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty is also only average for the class. The battery in the plug-in hybrid is covered by an eight-year or 100,000-mile warranty, which also guarantees it to keep at least 70% of its capacity during that time.