Peugeot 5008 review – sharp styling, seven seats and a big boot

Verdict – is the Peugeot 5008 a good car?

The seven-seat Peugeot 5008 is a clear upgrade on the outgoing car in most respects, with desirable looks, a modern and tech-filled interior and lots of rear cabin space. Diesel makes way for a choice of mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid or pure electric power, with an option to suit most buyers. The 5008 Hybrid is by far the most affordable, but it’s not perfect – 134bhp isn’t much in a three-row SUV once filled with passengers and luggage, and it has a paltry 750kg towing limit. 

Peugeot 5008 models, specs and alternatives

The Peugeot 5008 was one of the first examples of a model that morphed from a family MPV into a seven-seat SUV to keep up with buyers’ habits. That happened back when the second-generation launched in 2017, but this 2024 third-generation model also represents a major shift. It’s available as an all-electric E-5008 for the first time, and while diesel is now out, there’s also the choice of mild hybrid or plug-in hybrid petrol versions.

It’s the latter we’re focusing on here – we’ve got an in-depth review for the Peugeot E-5008 if you’d like more information on the electric model – and the mild hybrid brings down the price of entry for the 5008 to just over £37,000. It’s a busy field nowadays, and the 5008 has to be seriously impressive to tempt buyers away from the likes of the Skoda Kodiaq, Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia EV9.

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Just like the smaller five-seat Peugeot 3008, there are just the two aforementioned engines available in the regular 5008, spanning two trim levels, so the days of studying a matrix of engines and trim variations are thankfully gone here. Stick with the entry-level Allure and the 5008 is hardly lacking kit, with features like a 21-inch ‘Panoramic Curved Display’ set of touchscreens, reversing camera, keyless entry, 19-inch alloy wheels and wireless smartphone connectivity and charging all thrown in. 

For many people, then, upgrading to GT trim is a “nice to have” rather than essential. Do so and you gain features like adaptive cruise control that can stop and start the car in traffic, a ‘Smart’ electric hatchback, heated front seats and steering wheel, 20-inch alloy wheels, a Black Diamond roof and upgraded exterior lighting.

There is a bigger difference between the engines on offer, which will fundamentally change your 5008 ownership experience. The mild hybrid only gets a tiny 0.9kWh battery and 22bhp electric motor, so the car rarely moves using electricity alone. Instead, the electrification is mainly there to give the 1.2-litre petrol motor a helping hand, and 134bhp isn’t a huge amount for an SUV capable of hauling seven people, their luggage and potentially even a trailer. 

The 5008 Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) gets a 1.6-litre petrol engine, a much larger 21kWh battery and a more potent electric motor, for a combined 192bhp. We haven’t tested it yet, but it cuts three seconds from the mild-hybrid’s 0-62mph benchmark. It’s also capable of up to 48 miles using just its electric motor, which isn’t class-leading, but still has the potential to drastically reduce running costs.

Walk into a Peugeot showroom, and the salesperson could effectively ask you if you want a “small, medium or large” battery and electric motor, because in both the Peugeot 3008 and 5008 range, that’s now the choice you are really making.

Go with small (0.9kWh to be precise), and the electric motor just gives the small 1.2-litre petrol engine a helping hand, and you’ll never need to plug into the mains because its energy is recouped whilst you drive around. On paper it gives the 5008 diesel-like economy of up to 52.5mpg, but you’ll only be able to drive with the engine off for short bursts during low-speed manoeuvres and in stop and start traffic. It’s by far the most affordable and lightest 5008 on sale, costing from just over £37,000.

Pick medium and you’ll get a much bigger 22kWh battery pack and a beefier petrol engine and electric motor, so performance is quite a bit more grown up. From a full charge, the 5008 also has an electric driving range of up to 48 miles, which is considerably more than the average daily commute, but quite a way behind the Skoda Kodiaq iV’s 75-mile figure. You’ll also need to plug the 5008 PHEV into the mains to benefit from its full potential, and it costs from £43,000. It’s a shame charging speed is limited to 3.7kW, because while a 5.5 hour recharge time isn’t much of an issue overnight on your drive, some PHEVs now get 50kW DC fast-charging so you can quickly add electric miles at a public charger.

Large gets you the 73kWh battery in the E-5008, but there’s no petrol engine at all here of course, instead you get the relative simplicity of just a 210bhp electric motor. An even-bigger 98kWh is on its way too. The E-5008 is priced from over £48,000, but has potentially even cheaper running costs for private buyers with a cheap overnight electricity tariff and business drivers looking to reduce their Benefit-in-Kind liability.

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How efficient is the Peugeot 5008 in the real world

During our testing of the 5008 Hybrid so far, we only managed 40.8mpg, which is quite far off Peugeot’s claimed figure of around 50mpg. This was with only two adults and no luggage in the car, over a wide variety of roads.

How much will the Peugeot 5008 cost in tax?

The only 5008 that avoids the VED (road tax) surcharge levied against cars costing more than £40,000 is the entry-level Hybrid in Allure trim, which costs £180 a year from the second year onwards at current rates. All other versions cost closer to £600 in years two to six, before dropping down to the reduced rate for hybrids.

When it comes to BiK bands, the Hybrid has a fairly high 31% rating, so it’s unlikely to appeal to company car choosers, while the PHEV cuts this to 8%. With zero tailpipe emissions, the E-5008 sits in the lowest 2% bracket.

What will the Peugeot 5008 cost to insure?

The 5008’s insurance groups haven’t been confirmed yet, but we do know that the slightly smaller Peugeot 3008 Hybrid sits in groups 22 to 24 with exactly the same mild-hybrid powertrain and very similar safety equipment, so expect groups 20-30 out of 50 for the 5008.

One of our main criticisms of Peugeot’s latest crop of SUVs has been overly firm suspension, resulting in a rough ride. The petrol versions of the 5008 are a bit better in this respect, soaking up the sort of bumps and imperfections adorning British roads reasonably well. The 5008 still isn’t as calm or settled as some rivals, but this could improve with more passengers and luggage onboard. 

Refinement is more impressive, with only small amounts of tyre roar and wind noise making their way into the cabin on the motorway. Despite its size, the 5008 is also pretty easy to get along with around town, where its light steering and commanding view out make it easy to position on the road and in car parks.

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Petrol models

The 5008 Hybrid comes with a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine, a 21bhp electric motor and a six-speed automatic gearbox – a setup that’s becoming ubiquitous across cars from Stellantis-owned manufacturers, and can be bought in everything from a Vauxhall Corsa to this £40k, seven-seat Peugeot. 

Its electric motor doesn’t feel quite powerful enough to get the big SUV going off the line without the petrol engine chiming in, but once up and running, it does feel a bit quicker than its sluggish 0-62mph time would suggest. There’s a fairly gruff engine note under heavy acceleration, though, and of all the engines offered in the 5008 we’d be most worried the Hybrid could suffer if all seven seats are occupied and the car is loaded with luggage.

Plug-in hybrid models

We haven’t tested the PHEV version of the 5008 yet, but it has significantly more potent components. For a start, there’s now a 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine, backed up by an electric motor that itself makes 124bhp. Combined, the PHEV is rated at 192bhp and it can tick off the acceleration benchmark three seconds quicker than the Hybrid, so it should feel quite a bit more confident when you need to make an overtake and when fully loaded up.

Electric models 

We’ve spent time behind the wheel of the E-5008, and Peugeot has done a good job of giving its electric motor smooth responses. While it’s not as quick as some electric SUVs, its lack of gearchanges and instant response should make it feel plenty fast enough for most family SUV drivers.

Traditionally, the 5008 has looked rather like an elongated version of the Peugeot 3008, making it possible to squeeze an extra row of seats in the back. While that’s still not too far from reality, the two models are now further apart in design, with the smaller SUV adopting a coupe-style roofline and the 5008 committing to a boxier, more upright stance.

Peugeot’s interiors have forged their own path in recent years, with the somewhat polarising i-Cockpit layout placing a compact steering wheel ahead of the driver, so that they look over it at the instruments instead of through it. This has led to issues with some drivers being both comfortable and being able to see all the instruments at the same time, but the latest evolution in the 5008 is the best yet. Thanks to the giant swathe of digital screens sitting high up on the dashboard, finding a good driving position shouldn’t be as difficult, but it’s still worth trying it out first.

The French brand has also pushed upmarket with its interior quality, and lots of soft finishes and textiles work well to give the 5008 an attractive design. All the parts of the cabin you touch and rest your arms on feel soft, but it’s not difficult to find harder plastics elsewhere.

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Is the Peugeot 5008 infotainment and sat-nav system easy to use?

There’s certainly a wow-factor when you first see the 21-inch array of screens dominating the dashboard, but the software powering the show isn’t always the fastest to respond. We also didn’t find the menus quite as intuitive as the latest infotainment in Hyundai models or Renaults with Google-based software. It’s easy to switch to using wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto in the 5008 instead, though, and it fills the screen nicely rather than being shown in a small window.

A row of ‘i-Toggles’ are found on a touch-sensitive panel near the central air vent, and these can be customised to make shortcuts more user friendly, but you’ll still need to prod the main touchscreen or use voice commands to alter things like the climate control and driver aids.

The 5008 comes with seven seats as standard from launch, but we expect a five-seat version to arrive in due course, for owners who don’t need to carry more than a couple of passengers. 

First the good news: getting access to the third row of seats is nice and simple, thanks to a single handle and slide/tip motion for the middle seats. There’s also generous legroom and headroom for passengers, enough space under the seats for feet and only a small hump in the floor. As a result of owner feedback, Peugeot has also made the outer middle seats larger and more comfortable for adults, as it found that in the previous model (with three individual rear seats) the middle one was rarely occupied.

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Adults can fit in the third row, especially if the middle seats are slid forwards by up to 15cm to provide more space, but taller people will still find kneeroom a limiting factor. 

The bad news is that there are just two ISOFIX child-seat mounting points in the outer positions of the middle row. While for many parents this shouldn’t be an issue, the Skoda Kodiaq also offers an ISOFIX point in the front passenger seat, while the Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe both have four ISOFIX points in total. 

Does the Peugeot 5008 have a big boot?

Even with all seven seats in use there’s still about the same boot space available as you’d find in a smaller family hatchback, while folding the third row flat into the floor liberates a whopping 916 litres. With only the front seats in use, there’s an even more impressive 2,232 litres of space, so there’s not much limit to the DIY projects you can tackle, or you could pack in enough flat-pack furniture to deck out a small apartment.

If you plan on towing with the Peugeot 5008, it’s worth noting that the entry-level Hybrid can only pull a 750kg trailer, which will rule it out for some buyers. The E-5008 manages 1,000kg, while the PHEV adds another 300kg to this. In other words, even the most capable 5008 can only tow a small trailer or caravan. The Kodiaq and Santa Fe can haul around two tonnes, while the diesel Kia Sorento boasts a 2,500kg towing capacity.

While it will be some time until we have a full picture of how reliable the latest Peugeot 5008 will be, the French carmaker has impressed owners in recent years. After a strong ninth-place ranking in our 2023 Driver Power satisfaction survey, Peugeot climbed to sixth out of 32 manufacturers in our latest results.

It received solid scores across the board, with running costs voted into seventh spot, along with its engines, ride comfort and handling all ranked eighth. Peugeot’s only misstep was for infotainment, where user friendliness could only manage 22nd.

The 3008 comes with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty, which isn’t as long as some of its rivals from Kia and Hyundai. The E-5008’s powertrain warranty can be increased to eight-years/100,000 miles by having the car serviced at an approved location.

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How safe is the Peugeot 5008?

The Peugeot 5008 hasn’t been given an independent safety rating from Euro NCAP yet, but Peugeot has a good reputation for building five-star cars.

The 5008 certainly looks to be equipped with all the necessary safety technology, from automatic braking if an imminent collision is detected, to lane keeping assist and drowsiness detection. It also comes with SOS & Assistance that can automatically alert the emergency services if an accident is detected.

Should you buy a Peugeot 5008?

Anyone looking to upgrade from the outgoing Peugeot 5008 should find a lot to smile about. The new car looks sharper inside and out, gets the latest tech and comes with the choice of clean and efficient mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid or all-electric powertrains. They may baulk at the price of the latter, but we expect tempting leasing and finance deals will help level the playing field.

What about non-loyal buyers who are shopping across brands? The 5008 still has a lot going for it, with impressive space in the back and that eye-catching design. Compared directly against rivals, though, the Hybrid powertrain looks somewhat lacking in performance for a big SUV and the PHEV doesn’t offer class-leading electric range.

What is the best Peugeot 5008 for low running costs?

Aside from the all-electric E-5008, it’s the 5008 PHEV that takes the victory here. So long as you are able to charge its battery pack overnight, its electric range of 48 miles should be enough to cover off most local driving. This gives the 5008 PHEV its official range figure of more than 300mpg and CO2 emissions from just 18g/km. 

What is the best Peugeot 5008 for families?

If you plan on loading the car up with passengers and luggage frequently, the Hybrid’s lack of grunt could become an issue. For that reason we’d suggest the PHEV or E-3008 are both a better bet. The GT also adds some nice features for families, such as a powered ‘Handsfree’ boot, front parking sensors and rear side window blinds. GT also adds an upgraded front centre console storage cubby and twin cupholders, while rear seat passengers get a central armrest with a smartphone holder and two cupholders.  

What is the Carbuyer pick of the Peugeot 5008 range?

It’s possible to make a strong case for the PHEV and E-5008 depending on your circumstances and driving habits, but for the average private buyer with a low to medium mileage, we’d keep it simple and opt for the entry-level 5008 Hybrid in Allure trim. It’s the best value, and the only 5008 that dodges a £600 tax bill in years two to six.

Peugeot 5008 alternatives

While the crop of seven-seat SUVs isn’t quite as large as the number of mid-size SUVs on offer, there’s still plenty of choice. Far from being generic-looking silver boxes, they all have distinctive styling and attributes too.

Large family SUVs:

• Skoda Kodiaq
• Hyundai Santa Fe
• Kia Sorento
• SEAT Tarraco
• Land Rover Discovery Sport

Large electric family cars:

• Kia EV9
• Volkswagen ID. Buzz
• Mercedes EQB
• Volvo EX90

How we tested the Peugeot 5008 

We drove the Peugeot 5008 Hybrid on a mixture of British roads in September 2024