The current Peugeot E-3008, an electric fastback medium SUV, made its debut in 2023, when it turned heads with its stylish design. Now, a new performance range-topper is being added to the line-up.
Performance and drive
As the name suggests, the E-3008 Dual Motor offers an increased power output by virtue of a second electric motor, which produces 112hp, driving the rear axle. This joins the 213hp front motor (as we’re familiar with from the entry-level E-3008) for a combined output of 325hp.
The Dual Motor gets the same 73kWh battery as the entry-level E-3008 (rather than the 96.9kWh Long Range version), meaning a range of 304 miles on the WLTP combined cycle – 23 miles down on the entry-level car, and more than 100 miles down on the Long Range.
With a motor on each axle, the powertrain offers all-wheel drive. Normally this is only deployed when traction is lost, but it becomes full-time when the Sport driving mode is selected. An AWD mode, designed for slippery surfaces, delivers a 50/50 power split between the two axles.
To go with the increased power, Peugeot has made other changes designed to produce a more sporty drive, including a stiffer suspension set-up and more responsive steering.
On the road, much about the changes is commendable. The two motors provide exactly the sort of impressive performance you’d expect from the headline output, the steering is sportily responsive, and the handling is good too, with the car flowing nicely between corners – there is some body roll but not to the detriment of the driving experience. The quality of the ride is also good, meaning the sporty chassis tweaks haven’t come at the expense of comfort.
Sadly, however, everything is let down by the brakes. These have next to no feel, and when this is combined with a long pedal travel, it makes braking very difficult to judge, the result of which is the driver having no confidence to press on down a twisty road for fear of not slowing down in time for the next corner. You could argue that a conservative braking approach is generally sensible on the road – but the problem undermines the whole point of the Dual Motor, since without the driver having the confidence to exploit the extra power and dynamic chassis changes, they are effectively rendered pointless.
At least the E-3008 benefits from good refinement, with very little wind or road noise making its way into the cabin even at motorway speeds.
Interior and practicality
Our test car on the international launch came with the Launch Edition equipment grade option. In terms of interior trim, this brings some interesting fabrics and soft-touch materials.
The E-3008’s interior design is quite funky generally, with an angular centre console, sloping window control panels, and a swooping floating combined screen featuring the driver display and infotainment – although it is annoying to have to go into the touchscreen to adjust the cabin temperature. Big, obvious shortcut icons are useful for other functions.
Rear legroom is OK – taller adults might be tight for headroom. The boot has a near-flat load lip but a slightly high floor – capacity is reduced by 50 litres compared with other E-3008s because of the need to accommodate the rear electric motor.
UK pricing for the E-3008 Dual Motor is yet to be announced, so it’s not yet clear how much of a premium the powertrain will incur over the other options in the range. However, since the braking issue makes it so hard to exploit the Dual Motor’s performance, we expect there will be little reason to choose it over the other available powertrains, especially since they also offer a greater EV range and bigger boot.
Positive: Handles well, high quality ride and refinement.
Negative: Brakes sap confidence, EV range and boot size down on other powertrains.
Standard equipment: TBC for Dual Motor
Engines Petrol mild hybrid: 136hp 1.2 Plug-in hybrid: 195hp 1.2; Electric: 213hp, 231hp, 325hp
Equipment grades: Allure, GT (TBC for Dual Motor)
Transmissions: Six-speed automatic, seven-speed automatic, single-speed automatic
| Model | Peugeot E-3008 325 Dual Motor Launch Edition |
| P11D | TBC |
| Residual value | TBC |
| Depreciation | TBC |
| Fuel | TBC |
| Service, maintenance and repair | TBC |
| Cost per mile | TBC |
| Range | 304 miles |
| CO2 (BIK%) | 0g/km (3%) |
| BIK 20/40% a month | TBC/TBC |
| Luggage capacity | 470 litres |
| Battery size/power | 73kWh/325hp |
| Score | 6/10 |
