2017 Carbuyer Car of the Year - Peugeot 3008

• Price when new: £21,795 - £32,995 (2017); £26,905 - £41,750 (2020)
• Price now: £12,000 - £44,500

What we said at the time: “Repositioning the 3008 as a more conventional SUV was a masterstroke, meaning Peugeot has introduced a brilliant car at a time when the SUV market is booming. There’s so much for 3008 owners to enjoy, from that gorgeous interior, to a smooth driving experience and Peugeot’s clever i-Cockpit digital instrument display.”

It’s hard to think of a car that blossomed quite as much as the Peugeot 3008. The first model was gawky and bloated, while its successor is chiselled and handsome; it’s like seeing the nerdy kid from school become a handsome movie star. You’re more likely to see the 3008 on the school run rather than as the star of an Avengers film but it has been our favourite family SUV from the moment it launched. Its practicality is one reason it’s so well-suited; the 520-litre boot is nearly 100 litres bigger than the Nissan Qashqai, and the car’s size and height make it easy to get young children - or adults - in and out. The 3008 also impresses with its all-round driving ability and stylish design; we particularly like the piano-key buttons and the i-Cockpit digital instrument cluster, which you look at over the unusually shaped wheel. Material quality and comfort are both excellent, and Peugeot has gained a reputation in the last few years for providing impressive levels of standard equipment.

Besides the i-Cockpit dials, even the base-spec Active model gets features like two-zone air con, rear parking sensors, auto lights and wipers, and an eight-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and DAB radio. Allure adds sat nav, a reversing camera, high-beam assist, bigger wheels and nice chrome touches. GT Line adds LED headlights and styling tweaks, while GT Line Premium (introduced in early 2018) gets keyless entry, a powered tailgate, a panoramic sunroof and even massaging front seats. Top-spec GT has an equipment list more in keeping with a luxury SUV but it’s only available with selected engines and it makes the 3008 more expensive than it should be. The most popular engines are 128bhp petrol and diesel units; more powerful engines, and now hybrid versions, are also available but are rarer and more expensive.

This generation of 3008 is still too new to have really cheap used examples, with even high-mileage cars seeming to keep their value well. Buyers seem to love the car, judging from the feedback on our 2020 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey; the car enjoyed a stellar second-place finish overall, and a below average percentage of cars picked up faults in the first year.

Read about the facelifted Peugeot 3008 here, or check out great deals on used Peugeot 3008 models on Buyacar.

Our other winners in 2017:

Click to see our 2018 Carbuyer Car Of The Year