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The start point for the best source of fleet information |
Despite the name staying the same for the first time in a Peugeot, the new 308 is a very different machine to the 308 it replaces.
Peugeot admits the outgoing car is maybe not its finest hour, but is bullish about a return to form with the new lower medium hatchback, which it claims is the biggest change from one model to the next that it has had.
The French firm is aiming for best-in-class status across the board, with an interior quality pitched at matching the premium brands.
The car is 30mm shorter than its predecessor, with the front overhang 63mm shorter, so Peugeot has been able to increase the boot size by 22% to make the 308 one of the most cavernous in its class.
Emissions will eventually fall to a class-leading 82g/km for the 120hp 1.6 Blue HDI car, although the launch line-up starts with a 95g/km offering with both 92hp and 115hp versions of the 1.6 diesel.
Peugeot is confident the specification of the new 308 will help attract fleets back to the brand, with every model bar the entry Access trim getting alloys, satnav, dual-zone air-conditioning and rear parking sensors, while the top two trims also benefit from full LED headlamps and reversing camera.
The 115hp diesel analysed here is likely to vie for top-seller honours with the most efficient 82g/km model, and in the Active trim that's the second of four on offer.
We've put the 308 up against four rivals, the main one being the car that Peugeot has most firmly focussed on because it's perceived to be the vehicle to aim for - Volkswagen's Golf.
We've also picked premium and budget rivals in the form of the Volvo V40 and Kia Ceed respectively, while for something a little different we've also thrown Honda's Civic, complete with its 120hp 1.6 diesel, into the mix.
The Peugeot's lack of real weaknesses from a costs perspective combines with a comparatively low P11D price to come out with the best overall cost per mile. Although the residual value prediction can't match the more premium brands here, it's good enough to give the 308 the lowest depreciation figure, and it's also the fastest to 62mph.
That extra 22% of boot space means the 308 is beaten only by the Honda Civic, and then only by seven litres, while none of the other cars here can get within less than 90 litres.
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£12,340/33.8% Loses the least in cash terms despite RV below the best |
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£4930 Middling efficiency beats two, but is behind Volvo and Honda |
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£1348 Just £23 away from having the best SMR results |
Core Rival: Volkswagen Golf
Although the Golf only comes fourth of five for the overall cost per mile figure, it was just 0.4p off the second-placed Civic and showed the traditional residual value strengths that come with a desirability level that rivals can only dream of.
Certainly not a cheap car any more, there's almost nothing in P11D terms between this model and an Audi A3 Sportback SE with the same engine.
That higher price combines with emissions that can't match the class best to leave the VW with the highest benefit-in-kind payments of the five cars here, while it also has the joint-worst fuel consumption despite having the lowest power.
The good: Surprisingly, the Golf has the lowest insurance and SMR
The bad: Basic warranty, highest BIK payments, lowest mpg
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£12,960/38.1% Just 0.1 percentage point off the V40 at the top |
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£5063 Joint-worst fuel cost with the Kia despite lowest power |
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£1325 For a semi-premium brand, VW's SMR cost impresses |
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