• Plenty of boot space
• Third row is a little tight for adults
• Second row is quite modular

How much space is there?

The Peugeot E-5008 is a generous five-seater. Space in the second row is plentiful – and the missing central tunnel means whoever’s relegated to the middle seat won’t be fighting those either side for foot space. The floor is quite high because of the battery beneath it, so your thighs will hover above the seat squab if you’re tall. But I suppose that’s the price we pay for saving the planet.

The third seating row is quite cramped for adults. You can alleviate that slightly by sliding the second row forward – but then you’re moving the problem around the cabin by robbing space from those ahead. That means, rather than having three comfortable passengers and two squished ones, you’ll end up with five mildly irritated ones.

35

Peugeot does deserve some praise for the E-5008’s doors, however. They’re big and they open wide which makes it easy to load passengers into the rear once you’ve flipped the second seating row forwards.

Still, if you need an electric car that can transport seven adults in comfort, I reckon you’ll be better served by the Kia EV9 or Volkswagen ID. Buzz. Yes, they’re more expensive, but they’re bigger and have more comfortable seats everywhere.

35

Alternatively, if you can’t stretch your budget that far, the stripped-back, nine-seat version of the Ford e-Transit Custom van will give you all the space you’ll ever need (and more) plus around £2,000 change to spend on a natty home charging setup.

Boot space and storage

The new E-5008’s boot is longer and larger than the old 5008’s regardless of how many seats you’re using. You get 348 litres of space with all three rows in place, 916 if you fold the third row flat and 2,232 litres once the second row is stowed.

In fairness, those first two figures are more than you get from the rear of Kia EV9 or a Volkswagen ID. Buzz. The Kia offers 333 litres with all seven seats in place and 828 litres with the third row stowed. The Volkswagen, meanwhile, only has 306 litres behind the rearmost seats.

35

Saying that, the cheapest rear-wheel drive EV9 Air has an extra 90-litre storage compartment under the bonnet that Peugeot does without. And if you take the rearmost seats out of the Buzz, you’re left with a space big enough to hold a couple of mountain bikes. If you’re the lifestyle-y sort, the Buzz is probably the one to go for. But if you just need a car that’s good at carrying shopping, the E-5008 will get the job done fine.

Is it easy to park?

Relatively. You get a rear-view camera and parking sensors as standard, meaning you’ve no excuse for reversing into a bollard. Plus, you can specify a 360-degree camera as an optional extra. This is a big car, though – and squeezing it into a standard-size car park is quite difficult. Once parked, you also might struggle to unload your kids.

Safety

• Not yet tested by Euro NCAP
• But it has plenty of safety tech
• Only two Isofix mounts

Euro NCAP hasn’t yet battered the E-5008 around its testing facility, but it should prove to be a safe companion in an accident. Peugeot’s standard safety kit includes curtain airbags for the first, second and third rows, along with automatic emergency braking, lane assist and a post-collision braking system that helps to prevent secondary accidents.

For something with seven seats, though, it isn’t very good at carrying lots of children. It only has enough Isofix mount for two child seats, compared to four in the Kia EV9 and five in the plusher Ford e-Tourneo Custom. We’ll update you with more info the second Euro NCAP has tested it.