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Peugeot 308 2023 review: GT Sport Hatch Plug-in Hybrid

The freshly launched Peugeot 308 hatchback is now available as a plug-in hybrid.
  • DrivetrainPetrol-electric
  • Battery capacity12.4kWh
  • Battery typeLithium ion
  • Electric range60km WLPT
  • Combined Range1000km
  • Plug TypeType 2
  • DC charge rateN/A
  • AC charge rate3.7kWh
  • Electric motor output81kW
  • Combustion engine output320Nm
  • Combined output165kW/360Nm
  • Petrol efficiency1.3L/100km
  • Electric efficiencyN/A
Complete Guide to Peugeot 308

Ah, now you can have your Peugeot 308 and plug it into a power point as well. Yes, the new petrol version of the 308 arrived late last year and now the 308 GT Sport Hatch plug-in hybrid is here, too.

We've just driven the 308 GT Sport plug-in hybrid (PHEV) at its Australian launch and we can now answer all of your questions, such as how much it costs over a regular petrol 308, what's its electric range, what features come standard, what's it like to drive and is there a fully electric Peugeot coming soon?

Ready? Let's go.

Price and features – Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with?

The 308 GT Sport plug-in hybrid lists for $64,990 before on-road costs. The ‘GT Sport' part of the name is the grade and the hybrid only comes in this grade. In comparison the priciest petrol 308 hatch is the GT Premium for $48,990. The 308 GT Premium also comes in wagon form and that's $50,490. Alas the wagon doesn't come as a hybrid.

Is it good value? Nope. A charge of $16,000 over the cost of the GT Premium petrol version with almost identical standard features is pretty unreasonable. It's also not good value when you could buy a fully electric car about the same size such as a new Tesla Model 3 for $64,300, or a Polestar 2 for even less at $63,900.

It comes with 18-inch alloy wheels. It comes with 18-inch alloy wheels.

However if your heart is set on a PHEV, the main competitor is another Euro hatch - the Cupra Leon VZe from $59,990.

The 308 GT Sport plug-in hybrid standard features include LED matrix headlights, 18-inch alloy wheels and a panoramic sunroof, while inside there are two 10-inch displays - one for the media system and one for the driver's gauges.

It also has black full-grain Nappa leather seats (heated and massaging for the driver and front passenger), a 10-speaker Focal stereo system, proximity unlocking, dual-zone climate control, sat nav, wireless phone charging, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The cabin is sporty, lavish and minimalist. The cabin is sporty, lavish and minimalist.

Design – Is there anything interesting about its design?

There hasn't been a Peugeot in the last five years that wasn't stunning. There's the high quality feel in their build, and premium yet unique look - like a new Volvo but with more flair. And the 308 hatch and this hybrid version has all of that.

From the sinister looking LED tail-lights to the wide mesh grille, you really get the feeling that Peugeot is hitting its design stride.

There hasn’t been a Peugeot in the last five years that wasn’t stunning. There hasn’t been a Peugeot in the last five years that wasn’t stunning.

This 308 GT Sport plug-in hybrid looks identical to the petrol version with its low, wide stance, and big dark alloy wheels that fill up its arches.

The cabin is sporty, lavish and minimalist with quilted leather upholstery seats, the digital driver display and media screen, and avant garde small angular steering wheel.

This 308 GT Sport plug-in hybrid looks identical to the petrol version with its low, wide stance, and big dark alloy wheels that fill up its arches. This 308 GT Sport plug-in hybrid looks identical to the petrol version with its low, wide stance, and big dark alloy wheels that fill up its arches.

Practicality – How practical is its space and tech inside?

Peugeot's 308 is a small hatch, think Toyota Corolla, only beautiful and more spacious.

So, the 308 can carry five people with just enough head and legroom for a semi-giant like me (I'm 191cm) to sit behind his driving position.

There's good cabin storage with large door pockets, a long and deep storage box under the centre armrest up front along with two cupholders up there, too.

Peugeot’s 308 is a small hatch, think Toyota Corolla, only beautiful and more spacious. Peugeot’s 308 is a small hatch, think Toyota Corolla, only beautiful and more spacious.

The boot has a cargo capacity of 361 litres, which isn't bad for this class.

To power devices there's a wireless phone charger under the dash, and USB ports for front and rear passengers.

A quirky Peugeot design feature is the low-placed angular steering wheel. I found had to squeeze my knees past to sit in the driver's seat. I'm not sure what size human was used as the test case for this but it wasn't somebody with stilts like mine, I can tell you that.

The 308 can carry five people with just enough head and legroom for a semi-giant like me (I’m 191cm) to sit behind his driving position. The 308 can carry five people with just enough head and legroom for a semi-giant like me (I’m 191cm) to sit behind his driving position.

Under the bonnet – What are the key stats for its engine and transmission?

The 308 GT Sport plug-in hybrid has a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine making 132kW and 250Nm combined with an electric motor at the front wheels making 81kW and 320Nm.

The combined output of the engine and motor working together is 165kW and 360Nm, and sending that grunt to the front wheels only is an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Acceleration is good. We're talking 0-100km/h in 7.4 seconds which is more than two seconds quicker than the petrol-only variant.

Efficiency – What is its fuel consumption? What is its driving range?

This is what it's all about right? Well, Peugeot says that after a combination of open and urban roads the 308 GT Sport plug-in hybrid will use 1.3L/100km.

At the launch I did a 34km test loop through Sydney's Northern Beaches with a good mix of morning traffic and hilly terrain. At the end of my journey the trip computer reported an average fuel consumption of 2.4L/100km.

I drove the entire loop in Hybrid mode, but there is a Sport mode, a Battery Save mode and EV mode.

If you were to drive in EV mode Peugeot says the electric driving range with a full battery is 60km.

At the start of my drive the battery was about three-quarters charged with the gauges displaying 38km of range.

Peugeot says that after a combination of open and urban roads the 308 GT Sport plug-in hybrid will use 1.3L/100km. Peugeot says that after a combination of open and urban roads the 308 GT Sport plug-in hybrid will use 1.3L/100km.

A mileage of 2.4L/100km is still excellent fuel economy and from experience I can tell you a petrol-only variant would be up around the 8.0 or 9.0L/100km mark for the same trip.

There is a catch, and that is you'll need to plug in your hybrid 308 daily to charge the battery if you plan to achieve the fuel economy I did.

Charging will be slow, however, because Peugeot has fitted this hybrid with a small 3.7kW on-board charger. So, even using a fast charger you'll be looking at more than four hours to fully charge the 12.4kWh lithium-ion battery.

This charging time and small electric driving range in return could be a deal breaker for some and it's the reason why I've given the 308 GT Sport plug-in hybrid a lower mark. If you aren't always charging this car your fuel usage will rocket. New buyers unaware of this could end up using more petrol than ever.

A fully electric vehicle may be a better solution for city dwellers.

Driving – What's it like to drive?

Once you've become accustomed to the strange, low steering wheel with its angular design the 308 GT Sport plug-in hybrid is superb to drive. The suspension is composed and comfortable, the handling is excellent, the steering is light and with the combination of both the electric motor and petrol engine, acceleration is good.

For those of you who haven't driven a plug-in hybrid before I think you'll like the quiet electric power at low speeds and the feeling of ‘instant' acceleration the electric motor adds, but compared to driving a regular petrol car the experience is much the same, just less noisy and smoother.

  • From the sinister looking LED tail-lights to the wide mesh grille, you really get the feeling that Peugeot is hitting its design stride. From the sinister looking LED tail-lights to the wide mesh grille, you really get the feeling that Peugeot is hitting its design stride.
  • From the sinister looking LED tail-lights to the wide mesh grille, you really get the feeling that Peugeot is hitting its design stride. From the sinister looking LED tail-lights to the wide mesh grille, you really get the feeling that Peugeot is hitting its design stride.

Safety – What safety equipment is fitted? What is its safety rating?

The petrol variant of the Peugeot 308 achieved low scores when it came to protecting its front passengers in ANCAP's frontal off-set crash test and it was for mainly this reason that the vehicle scored four out of  the maximum five stars in its ANCAP and equivalent European safety rating.

That said, Peugeot Australia has added more safety technology to the 308 than the European version of this car, such as a more comprehensive autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system as standard.

Along with AEB that can also detect cyclists and pedestrians, other standard safety tech includes lane keeping assistance, blind spot warning and rear cross traffic alert.

For child seats there are three top tether anchor mounts across the second row and two ISOFIX points on the outside rear seats.

There are front and side airbags for the driver and co-pilot, while curtain airbags cover the first and second rows.

Ownership – What warranty is offered? What are its service intervals? What are its running costs?

The 308 GT Sport plug-in hybrid is covered by Peugeot's five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty.

Peugeot will cover the hybrid battery with an eight-year/160,000km warranty.

Servicing is recommended at 15,000km or 12 month intervals and it can be expensive. Peugeot says the first service will be $425, then second is $771, the next is $425, then at 60,000km the costs will be $900, then $439 for the following.

  • DrivetrainPetrol-electric
  • Battery capacity12.4kWh
  • Battery typeLithium ion
  • Electric range60km WLPT
  • Combined Range1000km
  • Plug TypeType 2
  • DC charge rateN/A
  • AC charge rate3.7kWh
  • Electric motor output81kW
  • Combustion engine output320Nm
  • Combined output165kW/360Nm
  • Petrol efficiency1.3L/100km
  • Electric efficiencyN/A
Complete Guide to Peugeot 308

The 308 GT Sport plug-in hybrid is a beautifully designed small hatch that is comfortable, enjoyable and easy to drive. The electric motor gives this hatch good acceleration and the equally impressive handling makes for a fun car to drive too. There's good storage, a decent boot and room for even tall people like me in those back seats.

There are two clear drawbacks, however: the price is steep compared to the petrol version; and you'll need to plug the vehicle into a power supply each night if you drive the car daily and want to achieve the 2.4L/100km fuel economy we did in this test.

Last, but probably the most important thing you'll read is that Peugeot will bring fully electric cars to Australia from the second half of 2023, from SUVs to (hopefully) the battery electric version of this very 308 hatch.

If it was my money, I'd hold on - you're going to have your next car for quite a long time so it's worth waiting for the fully electric versions.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

$64,990

Based on new car retail price

VIEW PRICING & SPECS

Score

3.7/5
Price Guide

$64,990

Based on new car retail price

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