• Cramped rear seats considering its size
• Boot a decent volume but awkward to access
• Plentiful storage throughout the interior

How much space is there?

Cars in this class are predominantly bought by families, where space, practicality and everyday usability are paramount. Unfortunately, it seems like Peugeot’s designers didn’t get the memo, as despite being larger than the previous-generation Peugeot 3008, it somehow seems less spacious. 

Rear-seat space is particularly compromised, as despite the 3008’s fairly bulky dimensions, adults won’t have all that much room. The sweeping roofline eats into available headroom, while if a front-seat occupant has their seat far back, room in the rear is minimal. It’s made worse if the optional panoramic sunroof is fitted. A reverse Tardis is the best description for it.

There is the larger seven-seat 5008 available if you need more space, which is also being sold as an EV for the first time. 

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The middle rear seat doesn’t contain any central cupholders, which are commonplace for a car of this type, and the Isofix sockets for fitting child seats are also not the easiest to access, as they’re tucked away within the seating upholstery. If you regularly carry rear passengers or have a small family, there are much more suitable options – the Skoda Karoq and Volkswagen Tiguan, for example. 

Space upfront is much better, however, with the use of light materials and a range of textures aiding the feel of spaciousness. Peugeot’s trademark small steering wheel helps to free up more room, while the centre console area is primarily used for storage, as we’ll explore later. 

Boot space and storage

On a more positive note, the Peugeot 3008’s boot is a much better size. Measuring 588 litres with the rear seats upright, or 1,663 litres with them folded, it’s one of the larger boots you’ll find in this class. Though it does have individually folding rear seats, which is a big bonus, they don’t do anything clever to increase the boot volume – they can’t recline or slide in various positions like plenty of its rivals’ can. 

A height-adjustable floor is included as standard, though in the highest position the boot is quite shallow. We’d instead put it in its lowest setting, leaving only space for a puncture repair kit below. Though it looks like there’s space to fit a spare tyre in the boot’s floor, it’s not listed on the options list. 

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Opening the boot is also done via a small gap between the boot edge and bumper, but it’s quite a sharp edge and in winter we imagine it will get very grubby. It’s not pleasant to open at all and the manual boot latch also fell out on our test car (which had only done 500 miles!), suggesting more quality control is needed. You’ll also need the top-spec GT model before you get an electric tailgate. 

One area where we can’t knock the 3008, however, is for its interior storage. The cupholders are big throughout and there are two large boxes in the centre console for keeping odds and ends out of the way – the one at the front has a metal buckle to open and close it, which is a particularly high-end touch. 

Is it easy to park?

The Peugeot 3008 has quite large dimensions for a car in this class, and does seem that way to drive. That said, parking is quite easy thanks to a standard-fit reversing camera and rear parking sensors, while the 3008’s light steering makes it simple to manoeuvre. There’s quite a big gap in visibility at the C-pillar because of the coupe-like shape, though. 

Front parking sensors are included with the top-spec GT trim, but you’ll need to head to the options list if you want a 360-degree camera, which is included as part of the £700 ‘Drive Assist Pack’. 

Safety 

• Yet to be tested by Euro NCAP
• Decent standard safety kit
• But we think more could be included

At the time of writing in September 2024, the Peugeot 3008 was yet to be tested by safety organisation Euro NCAP. While we can often draw comparisons from similar cars’ results, given this Peugeot 3008 is the first to be built on these new underpinnings, we’re not in a position to predict. 

It does get a decent level of standard features, including driver attention alert, lane keep assist and radar-controlled autonomous emergency braking. You need the top-spec GT model to get adaptive cruise control, though, while features such as blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert are only available via the options list.