Peugeot 508 running costs and reliability

Item: Peugeot 508 (2018 onwards)
Rating: 3.5
Author: Alan Taylor-Jones

2018 onwards (change model)

Running costs rating: 3.5 out of 53.5

Written by Alan Taylor-Jones Updated: 22 April 2024

Miles per pound (mpp) ⓘ

Low figures relate to the least economical version; high to the most economical. Based on WLTP combined fuel economy for versions of this car made since September 2017 only, and typical current fuel or electricity costs.

Petrol engines	5.3 - 7.4 mpp
Diesel engines	5.8 - 8.1 mpp
Plug-in hybrid petrol engines *	5.7 - 6.8 mpp

* Fuel economy of the engine when operating without assistance from the electric motor and battery.

What is miles per pound?

Fuel economy ⓘ

Low figures relate to the least economical version; high to the most economical. Based on WLTP combined fuel economy for versions of this car made since September 2017 only.

Petrol engines	36.3 - 50.4 mpg
Diesel engines	45 - 63.6 mpg
Plug-in hybrid petrol engines *	39.2 - 46.6 mpg

* Fuel economy of the engine when operating without assistance from the electric motor and battery.

View mpg & specs for any version

Impressive claimed economy figures
Should mean fuel bills are manageable
Finance costs are quite pricey

What are the running costs?

The Peugeot 508 is powered by a range of efficient petrol and hybrid powertrains and shares many components with the 3008 and 5008 SUVs, making it a cheap car to fuel and service.

There’s an wide range of claimed economy for the 1.2-litre petrol. Entry-level versions with small wheels and less equipment hit 50mpg in tests. Opt for a higher-spec model with large wheels and this drops to the low-40s. In our experience, high 30s to low 40s is what we’d expect.

Fuel economy figures for the Hybrid range from are in the high 100s to mid 200s. You’ll need a relatively short journey with a fully charged battery to reach those figures, though. With a flat battery, expect it to perform around the same as the 1.2 petrol. That’s disappointing as a Volkswagen Arteon PHEV is capable of 50mpg even with a flat battery.

The 508 is smaller than a number of rivals.

The 11.8kWh battery on the Hybrid can drive on electric power alone up to 33-39 miles before requiring a recharge, which can take less than two hours when using a more powerful 7kW charge point. Speaking of which, you can check, plan and control when to charge the plug-in hybrid via a smartphone app. Peugeot had also teamed up with Podpoint for providing a service for installing home chargers when the plug-in hybrid was launched.

Hybrid models offer the lowest company car tax, with some models performing better than others. Lower trim levels have an EV range of over 40 miles, making them cheaper than posher trims that do less.

Servicing and warranty

Peugeot has a large dealer network, and its image is rapidly improving. Customer service is rated highly, and in the JD Power Vehicle Dependability Study, Peugeot topped the table with 77 faults per 100 cars – beating Skoda, Hyundai and Nissan.

Peugeot doesn’t offer any fixed-term servicing or maintenance plans, but many of its larger dealer groups do. However the firm offers a selection of fixed price repairs on a two-tier system based on whether the dealer is using Peugeot or Peugeot-approved parts.

The battery for the plug-in hybrids comes with a stand-alone eight-year, 100,000 mile warranty. The rest of the car and petrol versions are covered by an unremarkable three year or 60,000 miles warranty. There have been no recalls so far since its launch at the end of 2018.

Reliability

A number of recalls
Shares a platform with 3008 and 5008
Peugeot’s reputation has improved lately

Like its predecessor, the Peugeot 508 has been subject to a number of recalls. While you’d hope a facelift would address some of these issues, we wouldn’t bet against a few more. Despite this, it’s rated highly in our owner’s review section.