why it might not be enough compared to the R5

If the year 2024 has not been very good for the automobile industry, and in particular for sales of electric cars, certain models have nevertheless managed to do well in a turbulent and rapidly changing market. This is particularly the case for the Tesla Model Y, which remained the sales leader in France despite a complicated start to the year.

A new price drop

But another model has also been very strong and has established itself in the hearts of the French and on the roads. This is the Renault 5 E-Tech, which was the 2nd best-selling electric car in our country last December. And obviously, that doesn’t just make people happy. If the diamond brand should have a good year in 2025, after a drop in sales in 2024, Peugeot is looking a little gloomy in the face of the success of its rival.

To go further
I drove 1000 km in a Peugeot E-208 to find out if the best-selling electric car in France deserved its title

Because before its arrival, the e-208 was a hit, even placing itself on the top step of the podium for a good part of 2024 – well helped, it is true, by social leasing. And the lion manufacturer would like this to become the case again. So this is how he operated a significant price drop on its city car star, which had the right to a small mid-career restyling in 2023. On its online configurator, the Sochaux firm now displays the electric 208 from just 28,000 euros all round for the entry-level version, excluding ecological bonus.

For the record, the latter was until now accessible from 34,100 euros, which corresponds to a particularly generous discount of 6,100 euros. And as you can well imagine, this price was not chosen at random, since it allows get dangerously close to the 27,990 euros of the Renault 5 E-Tech in its Evolution finish. This is the cheapest version, which has a 120 horsepower electric motor and has a 40 kWh battery.

Only problem: the price drop for the city car with the lion only concerns the entry-level finish Styleand that the rest of the catalog does not have the right to it at the moment. This discount is also valid on the 136 horsepower variant, while the 156 horsepower e-208 costs 35,400 euros minimum. The small French car is obviously still eligible for the ecological bonus, between 2,000 and 4,000 euros depending on household income.

A close duel

The Peugeot e-208 displays a torque of 260 Nm and carries a 50 kWh batterywhich allows it to travel up to 363 kilometers according to the WLTP cycle. What about the R5? The latter displays fairly similar performances, since their maximum speed is limited to 150 km/h while 0 to 100 km/h is achieved in around nine seconds. The R5 has the right to a smaller battery, as explained earlier, which limits its autonomy to approximately 310 kilometers.

And terms of equipment? The Peugeot e-208 Style comes standard with a 10-inch touch screenassociated with a 3.5-inch instrument cluster, where its rival offers 7-inch instrumentation. Note that the city car with the lion has the right to a route planner via a dedicated application, of which its competitor is deprived in this version. However, this one has another card to play, since it comes standard with a heat pump, as well as keyless access and start.

Finally, note that the Peugeot e-208 is covered by the Allure Care program, which offers a warranty for 8 years or 160,000 kilometers. If the duel between the two stars promises to be close on this “first price” version, it’s a shame that Peugeot was not as generous across the entire range. It now remains to be seen how long the firm’s offer to the lion will last.