Peugeot 108 Review

Model Review

The Peugeot 108 was brought to market as a replacement for the 107 and both have one major similarity – apart from both being Peugeot city cars. Both are built as a joint effort between Peugeot, Citroen and Toyota.

Like the 107, the 108 is built on the same chassis as the Citroen C1 and Toyota’s Aygo and all three models come with the same engine, transmission and electrics.

Although the city car sector isn’t the most popular it is still very competitive and the 108 has funky styling like most of its competitors but it still stands out.

Coming in both three and five-door body styles, the 108 Top is a convertible option that includes a full-roof sliding panel.

Latest Model

With its micro dimensions, go-kart-like feel and compact packaging, the 108 is a worthy city car and can take on many of its competitors head-on.

All the petrol engines installed comply with the Euro 6 emission guidelines and have impressive efficiency figures, but it can feel underpowered with the lowest powered 67bhp model.

Peugeot has started modelling their cars to be more customisable and the 108 is the most extreme of the range, with plenty of options on offer to make the 108 your own.

It also comes with a surprising level of technology, which many city cars need to come with if they are to attract the majority of the model’s target market – young drivers.

Value for money

As you would expect from such a small and inexpensive car you won’t get all mod-cons from the base spec, but you still get plenty of accessories in the Access trim – which is only available in the three-door body style. With the Access model you get LED daytime running lights, radio with steering column mounted controls, electric front windows, AUX/USB connection ports, ESP, ABS, Isofix fixture points and folding rear bench.

Admittedly, you don’t get that much but for the £8,995 price tag, but you wouldn’t expect to get much more for that in this current market either.

If you look on the used market though, you will find a range of good quality models in top spec that come in under or at the same price as a new model. For example, you can get a 1.2-litre Allure Top five-door model for the same price as a new Access model.

With less than 4,950 miles on the clock, the model comes with LED daytime running lights, seven-inch infotainment touchscreen, Bluetooth mobile interface, 15-inch alloy wheels, front electric windows, tinted rear windows, power-assisted steering and Isofix points. It comes with much more than the base 108 and with the sliding material roof, you can take in the outside environment as well.

Looks and image

For a city car to attract people it needs to look funky and be very customisable, and with the 108 Peugeot has done just that. It is more interesting to look at than the VW Group trio of the Up, the Seat Mii and Skoda’s Citigo, and although it looks similar to its PSA Group partner, the Citroen C1, it is cool to look at and fits in with the modern city lifestyle.

The Top models and special edition Roland Garros versions are especially nice to look at and with multiple choices on colours, decals and interior colour trim, you can find a 108 to suit you.

The 108 does excel where it is supposed to – in the city – and with its small engine, lightweight framework and light steering, you can fling it in and around city streets with no problem at all. Despite the low power output, the engines are great for urban driving and can be really handy in town.

But if you take the 108 out on the motorway and open road, it starts to flounder due to the lack of power and you can really tell where this car is suited for. It struggles to get up to a high speed and is very loud in the process. It does have good levels of grip on the open road, but feedback is poorer than you would like and the steering also lacks feel. The gearbox and clutch combo is also poor as the gear change can feel much less than smooth.

With slightly firmer suspension to try and reduce body roll it knocks on into the overall ride and on some UK roads that can mean a bumpy and far from settled setup. Inside there is reasonable amounts of space despite the small exterior dimensions with plenty of head and legroom for people in the front, while the back seats can accommodate people in excess of six foot, although it will start to feel small during longer journeys.

Space and practicality

As you would expect from a city car, the interior space isn’t large by any stretch of the imagination but it still performs well enough. It has 180 litres of boot space, although that can be extended when the 50/50 split rear seats are folded down – although Access models only have a single folding rear bench.

That is more than the outgoing 107 but is a fair way down on the VW Group models. For one or two people this car can work very well indeed, but any more than that and you may struggle.

During safety tests it was done so in the guise of the Toyota Aygo due to the shared chassis, and the 108 did reasonably well when tested in 2014, scoring four stars. Adult and child occupancy scores were both 80 per cent, while the pedestrian score was 62 per cent.

As the 108 came out before many safety systems became commonplace among all types of car, it lacks some of the more recognisable safety systems, such as autonomous braking or lane assist, but it does have ESC and a driver-set speed limiter. With front and side airbags, the 108 still has a good level of safety.

In the grand scheme of things, the 108 isn’t terribly practical – especially in the three-door body style – as it is small, compact and definitely built for inner city driving. The three-door model limits access to the rear seats and even though all models come with Isofix fixture points, families will struggle to see the 108 as a viable option due to the limited overall space.

Engines

All the engines for the 108 are petrol units and you have the choice of the 68bhp 1.0-litre and the 82bhp 1.2-litre PureTech unit. Both are capable enough, but overall the 82bhp is better at getting up to speed as it can go from 0-60mph in 11 seconds and is a tad punchier when on the city streets. The top speed is also higher at 106mph. You can only get the 1.0-litre with an automatic box on Allure and Collection models, but the manual is much better to live with as the auto is quite jumpy and isn’t particularly well refined.

Running costs

Due to the small engines and lightweight framework, all 108 models can emit less than 100g/km CO2 and that means road tax in the region of £120 in the first year for all models. All will then be subject to a £140 road tax charge every year thereafter. Whichever version you choose, fuel economy is above 65mpg, which means you’ll be making less journeys to the pump. In terms of insurance, the highest grouping is for all the 1.2-litre models that go into group 12, while the 1.0-litre models can range from group 6 up to 8.

Things to look out for

Due to Peugeot, Citroen and Toyota all teaming up in the making of the chassis and general safety, the 108 has avoided recalls almost altogether, with only an issue of the steering column that affected all three models muddying the waters on the reliability front. Also in recent years the reliability of Peugeot models is improving so the brand’s identity on that front is also improving.

Rivals

There are three models standing in the way of the 108 being more popular than it already is and those are the three from VW Group – the VW Up, Skoda’s Citigo and the Seat Mii. All three are better in almost every facet, including safety, economy and features, although they are all very similar in looks which works to the 108’s advantage. Kia’s new Picanto, the Renault Twingo and the Hyundai i10 are all excellent models in the competitive sector too, with chassis partners the Citroen C1 and Toyota Aygo also putting up a challenge in the very packed and competitive supermini sector.

Depreciation warning

Depending on which model you get you can expect to return near to 50 per cent of its original value after three years, with the cheaper models doing better than the top end versions being closer to 44 per cent after an extended period. That is mainly due to the cheap starting price and city cars becoming more popular.