Overview

Peugeot beat its competitors to the punch with the E-5008 as, when it was first launched, there weren’t many seven-seat electric cars on the market. But its rival brands haven’t been standing still – and with competitors such as the Hyundai Ioniq 9, Volkswagen ID.Buzz LWB and (identically priced for cash!) Mercedes EQB on the scene, I’m struggling to find a reason to recommend it.

I appreciate that’s quite a harsh way of opening a review, but the sheer strength of Peugeot’s rivals makes it difficult to take the E-5008 seriously – even if some of them are more expensive. And while the E-5008 has certainly come a long way from its humble roots as a purely functional MPV, if you’re desperate for a seven-seat electric Peugeot, I’d sooner steer you towards the van-based e-Rifter. It’s cheaper and more practical.

Prices for the E-5008 start from a little under £50,000. For the money, you get a massive 21-inch infotainment system, seven seats, three-zone climate control, a rear parking camera, wireless phone mirroring and a wireless phone charger and a 73kWh battery pack which Peugeot says provides a maximum driving range of 339 miles. It’s far less than that in reality, though, as I’ll explain later in this review.

Laying those stats over our favourite seven-seater, the Kia EV9, makes for interesting reading. The Kia might be more expensive at £65,000, but it’s better value for money if you’re buying with cash. It has a longer standard kit list that includes electrically operated, heated and air-conditioned front seats, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, a head-up display and enough USB ports to keep an Apple Store’s worth of iPhones charged. Plus, it’s more practical, more fun to drive and more comfortable.

The Peugeot claws back some ground on its rivals with its leasing deals. At the time of writing, the cheapest EV9 I could find cost more than £500 per month, while the cheapest seven-seat ID. Buzz commanded more than £600 per month. But the entry-point to the E-5008 range was less than £300 per month.

Keep reading to find out whether that attractive finance deal is enough to allow the E-5008 to redeem itself, or whether the irrepressible technological might of its rivals has pushed it off the podium before its even got out of the starting blocks. Alternatively, if you’d like to learn more about how I formed my opinions on this car, check out our how we test cars explainer page.