Peugeot E-5008 first drive: seven-seat EV is a great all-rounder

Looking for a seven-seat electric car, but need more range than the Mercedes EQB and a bit less space than the absolutely massive Kia EV9? Well we have good news, because Peugeot is here with the E-5008.

Here is a practical but stylish seven-seater with space for adults across all three rows, a big boot and a claimed electric range of over 300 miles from even the smaller of two battery size options. It’s set to cost from around £50,000 (exact price tbc at the time for writing) and manages to perform the neat trick of looking smaller than it actually is. It also packs a design that is striking yet tasteful, a well-appointed interior and good efficiency.

The E-5008 might not be the most exciting car of 2024. But it could well be the perfect match for families who have hesitated over the leap to electric. Is the E-5008 the family EV you’ve been looking for? Read on to find out.

Price and availability

The E-5008 is available to order now, with the first deliveries set to arrive later in 2024. Prices have yet to be announced, but are expected to start at around £50,000. That may seem a lot for a Peugeot, but times have changed and we think this represents pretty good value for money given the size, quality and range on offer

Battery, range and performance

Built on the STLA Medium platform of parent company Stellantis, the third-generation Peugeot 5008 is available as a petrol mild hybrid, a plug-in hybrid and a full EV, as driven here. The all-electric version is to be offered with battery size options of 73 kWh and 96 kWh, but the latter won’t arrive until 2025, when a more powerful dual-motor version of the 73 kWh will also be available.

At launch there’s just one version of the E-5008, which is the single-motor, front-wheel-drive model reviewed here, with a 73 kWh battery and an expected (but not yet finalised) WLTP range of 311 miles. If you need more range, the bigger-battery version is claimed by Peugeot to go for a massive 410 miles.

The single-motor, front-wheel-drive variant produces a modest 157 kW (211 horsepower) and 344 Nm (254 lb-ft) of torque. The sprint to 62 mph takes a leisurely nine seconds and the top speed is 106 mph, but this doesn’t pretend to be anything more sporty than a sensible family car with sharp styling. It uses a 400-volt electrical system and the maximum charge rate is an impressive 160 kW; that’s enough, Peugeot says, to fill the battery from 20 to 80 percent in 30 minutes. It's not quite in the same league as 800-volt EVs with mega-fast charging from Kia, but it should be quick enough for most drivers.

Peugeot claims an efficiency of 3.6 miles per kWh, which we found to be quite accurate. After our drive the car claimed an average of 3.4 m/kWh. The car indicated a range of 312 miles when filled to 100 percent charge (this dropped to 296 miles in Sport mode and increased to 317 in Eco). One of our drives saw the battery fall to 68 percent , at which point it had an indicated range of 194 miles. This suggests a maximum real-world range of 286 miles from a full battery, not far short of Peugeot’s 311-mile claim.

Driving impressions

You won’t be surprised to learn that this seven-seater doesn’t drive like a sports car. But then why should it? I was actually relieved to discover it accelerates steadily and not like a rocket ship, as so many of today’s EVs needlessly do. It’s perfectly quick enough for getting out of tricky junctions, overtaking slower vehicles and joining the motorway, so there’s really no need to ask for more – not in a car like this, anyway.

What matters instead is how easy the E-5008 is to drive, and how it rarely feels like a massive seven-seater. This is aided by Peugeot’s tiny steering wheel, which at first seems incongruous in a car like this but feels great and helps the E-5008 seem lighter on its feet.

The response of the accelerator is nicely judged, making the car easy to drive in traffic, and I like how the strength of the regenerative braking system can be adjusted with paddles on the steering wheel. However, even in its strongest setting, true one-pedal driving isn’t quite possible, as the car will continue to creep forward instead of bringing itself to a halt. Despite that, driving the E-5008 smoothly is intuitive, once you get used to adjusting the regen strength as you drive; my preference is for stronger regen for slow town and city driving, then weaker at higher speeds.

Ride quality is very good, but given this test took place in Denmark and Sweden, where potholes seemingly do not exist, it’s hard to say how the E-5008 will cope with bumpier UK roads. That said, it managed speed bumps just fine and, as with its straight-line performance, this isn’t a car from which buyers will expect anything remotely sporty. The cabin remains quiet at highway speed, the SUV-style seating position gives you a commanding view of the road ahead, and it’s generally somewhere we’d happily spend many miles.

Interior and tech

If you want a quality EV interior with bags of character, then you’ve come to the right place. This is true of all current Peugeots, thanks to their small steering wheels and funky, angular dashboards, displays and centre consoles. It’s a cabin that bucks the minimalist trend adopted by the likes of Tesla Model 3 and Volvo EX30, while also feeling clean, intuitive and not overly fussy.

Just like that of the smaller E-3008, the E-5008’s interior has a good amount of physical controls – including conventional stalks and mirror adjustment – and while its temperature settings are on the touchscreen, a secondary display in the centre of the dashboard provides handy, configurable shortcuts for reaching key menus with one tap.

These shortcuts include Media, Climate, Navigation, Phone and Mirror Screen (for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto). A tap of these brings up the corresponding controls on the main infotainment display, which sits alongside the driver display in one large panoramic screen measuring 21 inches.

This setup looks smart, but means the passenger has to reach over to the driver’s side of the cabin to change the music or fiddle with the climate control. It’s not much of a problem, but a quirk of how Peugeot designs its interiors. The user interface also takes some getting used to, especially the fiddly climate control screen. But, rightly or wrongly, learning curves as steep as this are commonplace in 2024. I’m just thankful for the conventional headlight and indicator stalks, along with the physical gear and drive mode selectors.

All that said, the biggest reason to buy this car is what’s behind the front seats rather than in front of them. This is a seven-seater designed for hauling big families, your kids and their friends, or just masses of stuff. The second row has three seats, with the middle one smaller than the two outer chairs. This is a shift away from the three identical seats of the previous-generation 5008, but Peugeot says it made the move because that’s what customers want. The middle row remains spacious, with plenty of leg room and a set of dedicated climate controls. These seats side back and forth, as well as recline.

The third row has two more seats and, while smaller adults won’t complain, they are primarily intended for children. Clambering up into them is a bit of a mission, but once you’re back there visibility is fairly good and, so long as the second row isn’t slid all the way back, legroom is adequate. This isn’t a full-size seven-seater like a Kia EV9 or Land Rover Discovery, so while the seats are fine there’s not much else to report; the third row doesn’t get its own air conditioning controls or USB sockets.

Verdict – should I buy a Peugeot E-5008?

If you’re looking for a seven-seat EV with a good range, it’s hard not to shortlist the Peugeot E-5008. From the bold, premium exterior to the smart, spacious interior, there’s a lot to like here. The performance is nothing to get excited about, but nor should it be for such a car. Instead this is an EV that is practical, feels well-made, has an impressive range and drives well.

Throw in good efficiency and reasonably fast charging, and this is a big family car that gets a lot right. We’re curious to see whether the dual-motor model can impress with its extra performance, but it’s more likely that – as is almost always the case – the big-battery, single-motor variant is the one to go for. That said, around 280 real-world miles from the smaller battery is not to be sniffed at either.

For around £50,000, the Peugeot E-5008 could be all the big, family-friendly EV you’ll ever need.