Peugeot 508

At the end of this century's second decade, stricter emissions regulations forced every brand to invest in electrified engine tech and it was interesting to see how different manufacturers prioritised the different technology options the industry had to offer.

The European Stellantis Group chose to initially ignore the two self-charging options (mild and full-hybrids) and instead install full-EV powertrains in its smaller models and Plug-in Hybrid engines in its larger ones, cars like this Peugeot 508 Hybrid, first launched in 2020. The same set-up was offered in this period in the Lion brand's 3008 mid-sized SUV, but with the 508, it couldn't be had in 300hp AWD form.

With the 508 Hybrid, the idea was to address a primarily business-orientated clientele attracted by the low taxation opportunity that models of this kind could offer.

People who back in 2018 were considering cars in this class like the Volkswagen Passat GTE, the Skoda Superb iV and the BMW 330e. The 508 Hybrid was sold with a choice of two body shapes, the stylish five-door Fastback Coupe model and its sleeker SW estate showroom stablemate.

A faster 'Peugeot Sport Engineered' version was introduced in 2021, two years before the 508 line-up was significantly facelifted. The 2023 package of mid-term updates probably didn't go far enough but brought a sharper look and improved cabin screen tech.

By then, diesels were no more for 508 buyers, the Hybrid version's PHEV powertrains were prioritised and the potent 'Peugeot Sport Engineered' model continued as the range flagship.

In this form, the car sold until late-2025, when it was discontinued and not replaced.

Unless you happen to be a Peugeot dealer or an ardent fan of the brand, you're unlikely to be able to tell a 508 Hybrid apart from a conventional variant at a glance.

There's a special dichroic version of the Peugeot lion brand logo, some additional Hybrid badges stuck on the front wings, an extra left-hand filler flap for voltage charging and a cyan light that shines from the interior mirror when the car is in all-electric motion. If the 508 formula appeals, you don't have to have the standard Fastback hatch body shape: there's an alternative SW estate version that looks equally avant garde.

Either way, there was a clear desire here from the designers to do something different - which we really like. As part of the 2023 update, all 508s got a redesigned more distinctive front grille integrated lower into the bumper and flanked on each side by redesigned '3-claw' LED daytime running lights.

These flow up towards ultra-thin LED Matrix headlamps and the redesigned Basalt Grey-coloured central brand badge sits proudly above the numberplate.

There were far fewer changes made at the rear with its elegantly raked-back tailgate, though an original owner of an earlier MK2 508 Hybrid would notice that the brand shield was replaced by spaced-out 'Peugeot' lettering across the central black strip that emphasises the 1.86-metre body width. Inside up front, the screen tech was changed as part of the 2023 update, but not a lot else, which means that with all MK2 508s, the first thing you'll initially notice is the so-called 'i-Cockpit' ergonomic layout, Peugeot's term for interior design that positions you so that you're looking at the instruments over the top of the steering wheel rather than viewing them through it.

That wheel is small and low-set, facilitating a wrist-flick quality of steering feel that Peugeot always reckoned its owners really liked. The hybrid model changes are subtle in the very high quality cabin.

There's a little 'lightning bolt' piano key button just below the centre-dash infotainment screen which accesses various hybrid-specific functions.

There's an extra 'Energy' display option for the instrument binnacle screen and the auto gearbox lever gains an extra 'B' option so that regenerative braking force can be altered.

That's about it. As you'd hope for a car tilting at premium prices, it all feels satisfyingly high end, particularly in the 'GT' form you'll want with its Aikinite-stitched dash and door panels, perforated Mistral leather steering wheel, blue ambient lighting, silver pedals and aluminium door sills.

All the trim levels feature part-leather upholstery and if you avoid base trim, you get particularly comfortable multi-power-adjustable front seats, approved by the AGR organisation who campaign for healthy backs.

True, the build quality doesn't feel quite as 'hewn from granite' as it would in, say, an Audi, but by 2023 Peugeot was certainly getting there and its approach to design was vastly more interesting. The redesigned instrument display in this updated MK2 508 was as in the original version, so as before a fully configurable and customisable 12.3-inch colour screen, though as part of this update it gained new generation dials with a crisper resolution - and additional display modes.

Just about anything else you might want to know can be found on the 10-inch 'i-Connect Advanced' central screen (also redesigned as part of this update), which offered a wireless connection for 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto', over-the-air updates and a supposedly advanced “OK Peugeot” natural language voice recognition system. To get to the rear, you pull back the long door and as usual with 'Fastback'-style designs, try to avoid spearing yourself in the stomach with the acutely-angled trailing edge of the frameless rear window.

And find yourself on a rear seat with just about enough leg room for a couple of adults, provided the journey isn't too long.

It's not terrible - there's actually 3cms more legroom and 5cms more elbow room than you'd get in a comparable Audi A5 Sportback from this era for instance.

The bigger problem is head space, which will be even more restricted if you get a car whose original owner specified the optional panoramic glass roof.

Compensations come with the plush cabin ambiance - the intricate stitching on the seats and door cards - and little touches like the illuminated central USB-A ports: all of it delivers an elegant feel. A powered tailgate (which can work with a wave of your foot beneath the bumper) remained only optional on most models as part of this update - annoyingly so because the huge hatch is rather heavy.

Once it raises, a 487-litre space is revealed, which impressively, isn't at all affected if you opt for this PHEV variant.

A ski hatch is provided, but if you need to flatten everything, pulling on the toggles behind the head rests allows you to push everything forward.

You'll find that the seats don't fold quite flat, but a very reasonable 1,537-litres of space is opened up.

Of course, if you're going to be doing that very often, then you ought really to have opted instead for the SW estate body style.

This delivers a 530-litre boot (thanks to the extra length of the load area) and a 'Magic Flat' button which, when prodded, folds everything to reveal a 1,780-litre space. What To Look For

We'll quote values based on the Fastback body shape; you'll need to add a premium of around £1,500 more for the SW estate version.

Prices for the earliest 508 Hybrid in base 'Allure' form on a '20-plate start from around £11,400 (around £14,100 retail).

Prices for the updated post-2023-era MK2 508 model in Hybrid PHEV form begin at around £16,850 (around £19,550 retail) for the earliest '23-plate 'Allure'-spec models, with around £2,000 more needed if you want plusher 'GT' trim.

Prices for the updated post-2023-era MK2 508 model in top PSE ('Peugeot Sport Engineered') PHEV form begin at around £21,500 (around £24,250 retail) for the earliest '23-plate models.

All quoted values are sourced through industry experts cap hpi.

Click here for a free valuation.

Most MK2 508 Hybrid buyers we came across seemed satisfied.

But inevitably there were a few issues.

We've heard of defective parking sensors.

And thoroughly check the functionality of the centre screen, which has a reputation for freezing and glitches, plus navigation failures and software issues. The wheel bearings on higher mileage models can make noise - look out for this on your test drive.

There are also problems with the steering rack: it can knock and leak.

Though the body is not prone to corrosion, red spots can sometimes be found in the wheel arches.

Check the junction of the wings to the bumper for peeling paintwork.

With the Fastback, water can get inside the boot when the rear hatch is raised, so inspect the inside of the trunk carefully for dampness and mould.

Older cars can exhibit problems with the keyless entry system - usually caused through water getting into the door handles.

Make sure that the charging lead functions properly and hasn't been run over and damaged.

Otherwise, it's just the usual things; check the interior for child scrapes - and the wheels and rear bumpers for parking scratches.

And insist on a fully stamped-up service history.

(approx based on a 2023 508 1.6 Hybrid PHEV excl.

VAT - autodoc) Expect to pay around £5-£10 bracket for an oil filter, in the £6-£11 bracket for an air filter and around £4-£8 for a fuel filter.

Front brake pads vary in price from £28-£63.

For front brake discs, think in around the £38-£92 bracket.

A timing belt and water pump kit costs in the £80-£150 bracket.

A starter motor costs in the £112-£26 bracket.

An alternator is in the £790-£930 bracket.

A radiator is in the £66-£175 bracket.

From this MK2 508's original launch in 2018, this Hybrid model's combined 225hp system output was matched by the top version of the conventional 1.6-litre PureTech petrol turbo model, but this electrified variant, not surprisingly, produces more pulling power (360Nm).

That goes on to be blunted though, by the fact that the hybrid tech adds a portly 280kgs to the kerb weight.

This actually wasn't the first time we'd seen a Hybrid 508 model.

The first generation design was available in electrified form too, but that was a self-charging set-up mated to a diesel engine.

For this second generation model, a 180hp 1.6-litre turbo petrol powerplant combined with an 8-speed auto gearbox was mated to a 110hp electric motor on the front axle powered in the pre-facelift model by a 11.8kWh lithium-ion battery.

When fully charged, this allowed for 32 miles of WLTP-rated all-electric driving range.

By the time of the 2023 facelift, Peugeot had uprated this battery to 12.4kWh in size, which increased EV range to 42.3 miles. You get four driving modes, with the ones you'll be using most of the time being the 'Hybrid' and 'Comfort' settings that choose the best mix of electric and petrol propulsion to suit the driving style whilst optimising efficiency, the latter softening the standard adaptive damping.

The alternative settings are either 'Sport' (where the car combines the power of the electric and petrol motors to offer livelier performance).

And 'Electric' (battery power only), in which guise the car is apparently able to run at up to 84mph.

With the engine chiming in, 62mph from rest occupies 8.3s and top speed is limited to 155mph.

The hybrid system's extra weight slightly blunts the handling but refinement is exemplary (even with the PureTech engine working) and the ride is superb.

If you want to go fast in a 508 Hybrid, you'll need the pricey 'Peugeot Sport Engineered' 360hp AWD version, which trims the 0-62mph time to just 5.2s.

But that 'PSE' version's not our focus here. 

Peugeot had to produce cars like this MK2 508 Hybrid.

It didn't necessarily have to sell a lot of them - and didn't.

Most of the brand's profit in this era came from small cars and LCVs: the management of the period took the view that if larger models like the 508 could also sell, then so much the better.

But those bigger cars couldn't be seen to drag down the brand's across-range collective CO2 performance in a way that would deliver eye-wateringly high EU fines.

So Plug-in Hybrid tech needed to be offered in this 508 model, even if high pricing meant that the market for it was quite small. As with a 3008 Hybrid PHEV from this period, we think that you need to stick with base 'Allure' trim for the financials to really make sense.

And in the case of this 508, we'd opt for the practicality of the alternative SW estate body style.

With those caveats in place and a competitive asking price deal on the table, this car starts to make some sort of sense on the used market.