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By Jonathan Crouch

Peugeot's third generation 308 offers an interesting but pricey alternative in plug-in HYBRID form. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 73

Peugeot's 308 family hatch looks pricey but appealing in this plug-in HYBRID form. You can also have a full-EV version, but the PHEV variant probably makes more sense as an all-round proposition with its 37 mile EV range capability, claimed three-figure fuel cycle reading and notably efficient CO2 return, which offers low BiK tax status. Other brands offer this kind of capability too, but this 308 delivers it with a bit more flair.

Backgroundword count: 109

There's quite a premium to pay if you want your next family hatch equipped with Plug-in Hybrid technology. Is it worth it? That's a difficult question to answer and a lot will depend on the type of driving you do and how frequently you're going to remember the plug your car in. What we do know is that the Stellantis Group of brands offer some of the best PHEV options in this segment, the same technology used with Vauxhall's latest Astra and with this car, Peugeot's third generation 308. We tried the top HYBRID 225 variant to find out where PHEV power really adds up with this Gallic contender.

Driving Experienceword count: 291

You might wonder what you're going to get here. After all, the light, agile handling of the standard 308 has to be affected by adding an extra 344kgs of weight brought about by the Hybrid system - doesn't it? If you don't feel the need to weigh your 308 down with the weight of three baby Asian elephants, we'd understand completely; you can certainly feel the difference all that bulk makes when turning into tight corners at speed. But the attraction of being able to drive your 308 for up to 37 miles without troubling fossil fuel is certainly strong, providing you can stomach the substantial price premium the brand wants for its PHEV tech. As usual with the company's Plug-in models, there's the curious combination of frugal electrification tinselled around a 180hp 1.6-litre petrol turbo PureTech engine dropped from mainstream use because it wasn't economic enough. Here, it's embellished by a 109hp electric motor powered by a 12.4kWh battery and depending on model choice, two system outputs are available: 180hp or, for quite a bit more, the 225hp version we tried, a largely pointless extra spend because it has exactly the same torque output and only improves the lesser version's 7.6s 0-62mph sprint time by a tenth of a second. PHEV 308 motoring comes with its own three district driving modes, but in reality, you'll almost always use only one of them - 'Hybrid', which optimises alternation of electric and internal combustion power. The other two options are 'Electric' (which allows for 100% electric driving but uses up your EV range pretty quickly); and 'Sport' (which uses only engine power for maximum performance, but will nullify the reason why you paid so much for this variant in the first place).

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