Does the Peugeot E-408 GT Premium live up to its luxurious name?

A “premium” tag sets up a product expectation. Not necessarily because it always means exotic or even revolutionary, but because its maker is striving – by design or willpower – to lift the bar beyond ordinary, create something a bit nicer and, yes, in all likelihood, charge a little bit more for it.

Witness the just-facelifted Peugeot E-408.

This is a family car. A practical car. And, here, an electric car. Three descriptions that might generate the same excitement as finding yourself sat next to Keir Starmer at dinner. Yet Peugeot has, somehow, in this unpromising space, managed to create something that feels genuinely distinctive and desirable; a car admired by those who encounter it.

The drive

My introduction to the E-408 took place in Ashdown Forest, that corner of Sussex forever associated with Winnie-the-Pooh, Christopher Robin and honey pots. It’s also home to some of the most rewarding driving roads in southern England, a landscape of rolling hills, ancient woodland and flowing B-roads that seem purpose-built for escaping schedules and WhatsApp notifications.

I look over the Peugeot when paused in a car park among pines, noting the E-408 occupies one of those automotive niches that marketing departments adore and journalists struggle to define. Is it a hatchback? A saloon? A crossover? The answer appears to be a confident shrug of the shoulders.

A terrific look

What’s for sure is that it looks terrific. While many electric cars seem to have been designed after an exhaustive study of kitchen appliances and oddly proportioned cabin baggage made to fit a spurious airline rack, the Peugeot possesses genuine visual flair. The proportions are sleek, the stance purposeful and the finish pleasingly expensive. More than once, I found myself glancing back at it after parking up: the automotive equivalent of checking whether the handsome stranger is still watching as you walk away.

On road, there are talents beyond mere appearances. Ashdown Forest’s roads are wonderful but demanding. Long, sweeping bends suddenly tighten without warning. Surfaces change constantly. One moment you’re cruising beneath towering trees, the next you’re cresting a rise to reveal miles of open countryside stretching towards the horizon. It’s the sort of environment that exposes weaknesses very quickly, and this Peugeot emerges largely unscathed.

An electric car that hides its weight

Electric cars often carry their weight rather obviously. Batteries are heavy and some EVs feel as though they’re dragging a grand piano. The E-408 disguises its mass remarkably well. It turns into corners eagerly, remains composed over uneven surfaces and feels more agile than its long, low dimensions might suggest.

No, it isn’t a sports car. Nor is it trying to be. But there’s enough engagement here to make a spirited drive genuinely enjoyable. And these roads deserve to be enjoyed.

Ashdown Forest feels gloriously authentic. The woodland remains wonderfully untamed, the villages charming without becoming self-conscious, and around every corner there’s another view and another stretch of empty tarmac. Electric power feels particularly at home here. There’s no engine noise competing with birdsong, no gear changes interrupting the flow of the road. Just smooth acceleration delivered with the sort of effortless confidence that makes pushing on a joy.

Inside the Peugeot E-408 GT Premium

And inside, Peugeot continues its mission to convince buyers that premium needn’t automatically mean German. The cabin feels contemporary without descending into touchscreen tyranny. Mercifully, there are still physical controls where they matter, while the distinctive i-Cockpit layout remains refreshingly different from the sea of interchangeable dashboards currently washing over us. In fact, it all feels rather chic.

If some rivals resemble municipal building receptions, inside a 408 feels more like a stylish boutique hotel; the sort where the lighting is flattering, the furniture costs more than your first car and somebody has thoughtfully left a scented candle burning in the corner.

The seats deserve particular praise. After hours exploring every imaginable lane between Hartfield, Forest Row and the surrounding villages, I alighted feeling remarkably fresh. Given the current industry obsession with seats that appear to have been designed by over-enthusiastic orthopaedic surgeons, this shouldn’t be underestimated.

Practicality without compromise

Practicality, meanwhile, lives well. Despite the dramatic coupé-style roofline (Peugeot say fastback), there’s ample room for passengers and luggage. It’s a car that can accommodate everyday life without surrendering to it. Range anxiety never really enters the conversation either. Most owners will spend more time deciding where to stop for lunch (The Hatch Inn in Coleman’s Hatch is the answer) than worrying about where to recharge, given a range of 283 miles.

What impressed most, though, wasn’t any one feature, but the completeness of the package. The E-408 is stylish, comfortable, useful and enjoyable to drive. More importantly, it possesses character. In an era when aerodynamic efficiency is pushing automotive design towards a single, anonymous shape, Peugeot has produced a car with a clear sense of identity.

As the sun dipped through the trees, I found myself noticing the shifting light through the woodland, the occasional glimpse of open heathland and the simple pleasure of a good road. And in Winnie-the-Pooh country, where the whole point is appreciating life’s simpler pleasures, that feels appropriate.

Because the Peugeot E-408 may be many things – family car, electric car, practical car – but it’s mostly a car you look forward to spending time with that looks and feels, well, premium. And that, as Pooh himself might have observed, is a Very Good Thing Indeed.  

This a feature appearing in issue 371 of Attitude magazine, on sale in print and digital now. Order Attitude magazine issue 371 in print now, or in digital on the links below on Apple News+ and the Attitude app.