Battery size: 73 - 98kWh
Max charge rate: 160kW
Range: 311 - 413 miles
The Peugeot E-5008 is a 4.8-metre long, seven-seat electric SUV that's a bit shorter (and much cheaper) than posher rivals like the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9, but which competes directly with the Mercedes GLB Electric. I suppose you could call the E-5008 a 'compact' seven-seater, given that there are bigger alternatives, but it's not a small car so that's probably a bit misleading! Nonetheless, we love the E-5008 as it's a really versatile, practical yet great value family EV.
Range, battery and charging
There are two battery options in the E-5008; a 73kWh with either single- or dual-motors, offering a WLTP range of 306 miles and 290 miles respectively. The 98kWh E-5008 arrived earlier this year with a WLTP range of up to 405 miles, making this one of the longest range family SUVs in this price range. Even the 73kWh E-5008 goes usefully further than the Mercedes EQB, or any of the van-based seven-seat electric cars, such as the Citroen e-Berlingo.
As for real-world range, we found that the E-5008 managed a very respectable 3.6 miles per kWh (m/kWh) over our warm, moderately fast test drive, which is good for a range of 263 miles. That'll eke up to 280 miles in slower, about-town driving, or it’ll drop to more like 210- to 240 miles per charge in winter, depending on how you’re driving.
Charging speeds are up to 160kW, which is good for an additional 62 mile top-up in around ten minutes, or a 20-80% charge in 30 minutes. That’s pretty good, and is on a par with the (five-seat only) Skoda Enyaq, if not as fast as the charging you enjoy in the Tesla Model Y and Hyundai Ioniq 5 that you may well consider against an E-5008 if the seven-seat layout is just a useful bonus for your lifestyle, rather than a strict necessity.
Plug in at a 7kW home wallbox and you’ll have a full charge in between 12- and 15-hours. There’s also 11kW AC charging as standard on the E-5008, which reduces that full charge time by a couple of hours. However, you need three-phase charging to benefit from that, which you often find in kerbside or lamp-post chargers in cities – the average home wallbox charger can normally only manage 7kW.
Practicality and boot space
The E-5008 gets 916 litres of boot space when it’s in five-seat mode with the third row folded flat into the boot floor, and 259 litres of space for luggage if you’ve got all seven seats in use. Enough for a lightweight buggy or a good few soft sports bags, then!
But it’s not just about sheer space in the big, electric Peugeot – although roominess is very impressive for a 4.8-metre long, 2.1-metre wide (with mirrors) car. It’s about usefulness, and the E-5008 is great for that! I love that there’s a useful amount of underfloor storage that’s accessible even with seven-seats up, and there are clips in that underfloor area to securely stow the loadbay cover when you don’t want it. So you don’t end up chucking it in the garage or loft, forever more…
More than that, the boot floor is designed to be flat and smooth even with the seats folded, so that you don’t end up with stray gaps that might swallow a loose tin that’s made a bid for freedom on the way home from the shops.
The middle row of seats is clever, too, and slides in a 60/40 split, or the seat backs recline and fold in a 40/20/40 split. The outer two middle seats rise and slide forwards in one easy motion for comparably decent access to the third row of seats, too, although it’s probably still best left for kids or more dexterous adults to clamber through the gap and into those fold-down ‘occasional’ seats.
It's really not bad back there, either. I’m a very average 5ft 7”, and I can sit comfortably in the third row behind another average-sized adult. Your knees feel raised, as the floor is quite high, and there are no air-con vents back there or USB chargers – just a couple of very tiny cupholders, armrests and a 12V charger. While that’s annoying, especially the air-con, these rearmost seats will be brilliant for kids, and are pretty comfortable and accommodating by class standards. The third row seats in the Mercedes GLB Electric are very similar in terms of how much room they offer, and you'll need the Kia EV9 or Hyundai Ioniq 9 to get much more space and comfort in the third row, but then you’ll need £15,000 or so extra for that, too.
Middle row passengers get their own climate control, a centre armrest and – if you go for the GT trim – built-in roller blinds for the rear windows. There’s tons of legroom, and headroom is very good, although the panoramic roof eats into headroom a bit, and might have anyone over six-foot feeling like their heads are almost grazing the roof.
Basically – it’s really roomy, and you’ll get loads of people in it, and we love it! Hurrah, finally a proper electric seven-seater that doesn’t cost £70k.
Interior, design and technology
Predictably, the E-5008 gets the same interior and tech as the E-3008, which means that you get a smart, quite sculptural dashboard that curves around the driver and front passenger, with a high central tunnel bisecting them. It makes you feel cocooned but not claustrophobic. The materials are classy, and it all feels well-built and finished, although you can certainly get a much posher interior in the Mercedes GLB.
You sit fairly high up in a ‘proper’ SUV driving position, too, with a good view down the road and decent view out to the rear, although the standard reversing camera will help with those perilously tiny multi-storey car parks.
A ‘floating’ 21-inch, curved display is a real standout feature, and houses the central touchscreen infotainment system as well as the digital display behind the small steering wheel. I find it way easier to get a comfortable driving position with this new dash layout, than with the annoying layout of the previous 5008, and I don’t even mind the tiny steering wheel. Even taller drivers can see the speedo properly, too, although while we’re talking about the driving position it’s a shame that lumbar adjustment happens via a clunky, rotary controller. In a car that’s been tweaked and buffed to feel impressively premium, the fact that electric seat adjustment is optional even on top-spec GT seems irritating.
The infotainment system gets in-built nav, over-the-air software updates, plus wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you’ve got all the features you want. It’s not bad to use, either. The shortcut button to the driver assist systems is useful, as it makes it a doddle to turn the lane-keep assist and speed limit warning on- or off.
Sure, I prefer the Google maps system that you get in Renault, Volvo and Polestar, but the Peugeot’s touchscreen is pretty easy to use.
Motors, performance and handling
Most buyers will go for the 73kWh Peugeot E-5008 with the 211bhp motor, which delivers an easy-going and unflustered driving experience. It’s not fast, as the 0-62mph of 9.7sec shows, but it feels perfectly confident in a fast motorway merge or quick junction getaway, and that’s all that a big family car like this needs. Plus, you can always go for the 325bhp dual-motor, all-wheel drive E-5008 if you want punchy performance, as that manages 0-62mph in usefully under 7.0 seconds.
Ride comfort on the 20-inch alloy wheels of our test car was good, but we’d also like to congratulate Sweden and Denmark on particularly excellent road maintenance that didn’t provide us with anything like the challenge that the UK’s patchwork roads provides. When we could find a speed bump, the E-5008 soaks it up well, with decent damping and well controlled body movement, but scruffy, coarse surfaces do make it feel choppy. Nothing terrible, but I suspect the E-5008’s suspension will feel a bit busy around the typical bumpy British town roads.
Running costs and pricing
When it was introduced, the Peugeot E-5008 was very decent value for a practical, well equipped seven-seat electric SUV. But since then, and with more and more competition from brands like Chery, Jaecoo and BYD, Peugeot cut the price of the E-5008 by some £10,000, which makes it phenomenally good value. UK pricing starts at under £41,000 for the single motor, 78kWh model, or the big battery model with a range of over 400 miles starts from under £44,000, which is a seriously good price. That's for entry level Allure trim, of course, but most buyers will opt for the top-spec GT trim that costs around £3,500 more.
And we'd definitely say that you shouldn't overlook the Allure trim. I know it's the basic one, but it still gets adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist, 19-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry, powered bootlid and more, so it's actually not very basic at all. Top-spec GT adds 20-inch wheels, part-alcantara upholstery, heated front seats, adaptive LED headlights and various style tweaks, but you will still have to pay extra for electric seat adjustment or a panoramic sunroof.
Not only that, but the eight year, 100,000 mile warranty that Peugeot has introduced on all of its electric cars covers the vehicle and the battery provided you keep the car serviced every couple of years at an official Peugeot dealer. Finance deals are very good, too, so even if you're paying on monthly finance or leasing, the E-5008 is good value.
Verdict
We criticised the Peugeot E-3008 for being expensive next to many of its key rivals, and not quite justifying the sporting character that the French maker claims of it. That smaller car’s shortcomings only serve to highlight the strengths of the E-5008, which makes so much sense; For an extra £2,000-ish over the E-3008, you’re getting a far more practical car that’s just as nice to drive, if not nicer, and that looks decent value next to its (granted, rather limited) direct rivals. Yes, the Mercedes GLB Electric is nicer inside, has a much more modern and tech-heavy interior, and has far more brand kudos than the Peugeot - despite also being very reasonable value for a premium seven-seat EV. But the E-5008 really is fantastic value, yet is still lovely inside, good to drive and super practical. It's our favourite affordable electric seven-seat SUV, so far.
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