Peugeot 308 SW review

We reckon someone involved in the creation of the Peugeot 308 SW estate car is a fan of the hit film School of Rock.

Why? Well, in the movie, Jack Black plays a guitarist who discovers it's possible to embrace practicality while still having fun. And that ethos has gone into the 308 SW too: it’s aiming to be sensible and useful but with a hint of fun underneath.

As you might expect, the SW is based on the Peugeot 308 and it shares that car's eye-catching looks. It's also available for the first time as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), which could be good news if you're looking for a company car (and sets its apart from the rival Ford Focus Estate).

Oh, and there's also a fully electric version of the SW (as well as the hatchback) – to read about that, see our Peugeot e-308 review.

So is the Peugeot 308 SW good enough to compete with the best estate cars out there or should you pick a rival model such as the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports? Read on to find out...

The entry-level engine for the Peugeot 308 SW is the Hybrid 136 – a 134bhp 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol with mild-hybrid tech. It can travel on electric power for short distances but it won't match the electric range of the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports (which is a regular hybrid).

The Hybrid 136 manages the 0-62mph sprint in 9.3 seconds officially, which is respectable but outpaced by the Corolla Touring Sports 2.0 Hybrid.

To get close to that performance, you'll want the 308 SW Plug-in Hybrid 195, which has a 0-62mph time of 7.9 seconds and an official electric-only range of 59 miles. Mind you, the Seat Leon Estate PHEV is just as quick yet has an official range of 81 miles.

There's also a 1.5-litre diesel engine. It’s similar to the Hybrid 136 in terms of power (127bhp) and feels stronger at low revs but is slower to 62mph by about a second.

The 308 SW's automatic gearbox is distinctively hesitant when you put your foot down – although it's less frustrating in the PHEV because its instantaneous electric power is able to pick up the slack. There's no manual gearbox option.

The 308 SW rides well over most surfaces and does a reasonable job of cushioning you. The low-speed ride can get busy over patchy surfaces but things smoothen out as you pick up the pace.

The Skoda Octavia Estate and Toyota Corolla Touring Sports are comfier still, while the Ford Focus Estate and Seat Leon Estate stay a little flatter over bumps. 

With most car models, it's best to go for smaller wheels if comfort is a priority, and the same is true here. Alloys up to 18in are available, but the entry-level Allure trim’s 17in wheels will give you the most comfortable ride. We’ve yet to try the PHEV, but it’s likely to have the firmest ride because of the battery weight.

Still, no 308 SW we've driven is uncomfortable, and you won’t find yourself wincing every time you go over a drain cover or pothole.

The 308 SW has softer suspension and displays more body lean than the Focus and Leon estate so it’s not remarkably agile. Still, it’s composed and grippy enough, feeling planted and predictable in the bends.

Peugeot’s i-Cockpit interior design means it has a small steering wheel, which helps the model to feel quick through turns. It doesn’t weight up much as you turn in to corners on faster roads.

The 308 SW isolates you from the outside world reasonably well around town but there's a noticeable amount of tyre roar once you reach motorway speeds. That's accompanied by some wind noise around the door mirrors.

The Hybrid 136 only becomes vocal if you put your foot down and the noise is never too overbearing. It’s generally quite smooth, even during the switch from electric to petrol power. The 1.5-litre diesel is pretty smooth too. 

“I found the power delivery in the 308 SW a bit unpredictable because the gearbox was slow to react and often indecisive.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

The driving position in the Peugeot 308 SW is mostly sound, with plenty of adjustment in the seat and steering wheel. Setting up your preferred position shouldn’t take too long, but the slightly offset pedals from the seat and steering wheel might hamper comfort on longer drives.

The i-Cockpit design is set up so you look over, rather than through, the small steering wheel at the standard 10in digital driver's display. It takes some getting used to, and if you're particularly tall or short the wheel can obscure your view.

Higher-spec GT trim models have a 3D effect on the driver’s display but the graphics are not super-slick. The colour contrast isn't as good as in the Audi A3 or versions of the Ford Focus Estate with a digital display.

The 308 SW follows the trend for having minimal physical buttons on its dashboard, but it does have toggles to let you adjust the temperature and other vehicle settings without delving too far into the 10in infotainment touchscreen.

If you choose Allure trim or above, you get a row of large touch-sensitive icons that you can set up to take you to commonly used features – the sat-nav or your favourite radio station, for example.

Forward visibility in the 308 SW is good, with a low dashboard and slim windscreen pillars that save you from constantly checking your sides at junctions.

The large wing mirrors help when checking what’s behind you and rear visibility is better than in the hatchback Peugeot 308 because of the larger rear windscreen and slightly slimmer pillars.

Every 308 SW comes with rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera. Front parking sensors are available as part of an optional package on Allure trim and standard with GT trim. A 360-degree camera is available as an option. 

Eco LED headlights come as standard on Allure 308s. GT models have matrix LED lights, which automatically adapt their pattern to provide maximum visibility without dazzling other drivers.

The infotainment screen is helpfully angled towards the driver, has clear, crisp graphics and is packed with features and customisation options. 

The screen can be a little slow to respond when you touch it though, and a lack of physical buttons or haptic feedback means that using it is inherently more distracting than systems with a rotary controller. Some of the icons are on the smaller side, making them hard to prod while driving.

You can bypass the Peugeot system because Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring is standard. On GT models you can connect wirelessly.

Or you can just tell the car what to do using the voice-recognition software. It worked well when we tested it, allowing us to ask the car to alter the temperature, change the radio station or set a new sat-nav destination merely by saying "Okay Peugeot…" then a command.

Need to charge up your phone? There are two USB Type C ports in the front of the 308 SW and two more in the rear, so everyone will be able to get enough juice for their devices.

The surfaces you’ll touch regularly in the 308 SW feel premium enough and are covered with squidgy plastics and soft-touch materials.

You don’t need to search far to find some harder, scratchier plastics lower down though, particularly around the lower door cards and central tunnel. 

The Skoda Octavia Estate is better here, because while it too features harder plastics lower down, its materials feel more pleasant. The 308 SW is about on a par with the Seat Leon Estate and everything feels built to last.

“I like the sharp, classy design of the interior, and actually I got on well with the unusual driving position.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Even those who shop both big and tall will have enough space around them in the front of the Peugeot 308 SW. There’s very little chance of you rubbing shoulders with the person sitting next to you.

You’ll also find plenty of options to stow your keys, wallet or whatever else you might want to bring with you.

Spaces range from a wide door bin to a deep cubby underneath the central arm rest, while your phone will slide neatly into a recess at the front of the centre console. A wireless phone-charging pad is available as an option.

A six-footer sitting behind someone who’s also 6ft won’t want to be in the back of the 308 SW for very long. Their head will be close to brushing the roof-lining and their knees will be pressed into the seatback in front of them. There’s also less space for feet under the seats than in a Ford Focus Estate or Seat Leon Estate.

Smaller adults and children will be fine, but if you plan to carry tall passengers frequently, the Skoda Octavia Estate is definitely a better bet. Anyone in the middle back seat will be rubbing shoulders with the person next to them, and has to straddle a central tunnel, although for short journeys it should be fine.

There’s more storage in the rear, with wide door bins and a cubby for coins (if you still use them) on the back of the centre console. The centre armrest folds down to reveal two cupholders, and a tray for pens and other slim items.

The 308 SW’s rear seats split and fold in a 40/20/40 arrangement, which is more versatile than the Peugeot 308 hatchback’s 60/40 set-up.

The seatbacks can be dropped using handy grab handles in the boot. That’s useful because if you’re loading up larger items and realise you need more space you don’t need to venture around the side of the car to drop the rear bench.

Non-PHEV versions of the 308 SW have 608 litres of boot space (or 1,634 litres with the back seats folded down). That's not quite up there with a Leon or Octavia estate but beats the Focus Estate and Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer.

Be aware that if you spec the spare wheel you lose most of the underfloor storage area. Meanwhile, PHEV versions don't get that area at all, leaving 548 litres of storage – although that should still be more than big enough for the needs of most families.

The 308 SW's boot is a usefully square shape, with a minimal lip at the entrance when the adjustable floor is set to its highest setting. It comes with a 12V power socket, a side-mounted hook and luggage nets on either side.

“If you need a lot of rear leg room, I’d suggest paying a bit more and getting a Skoda Superb Estate instead” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

The starting price of the Peugeot 308 SW is a fair bit higher than rivals such as the Seat Leon Estate and Skoda Octavia Estate, and it’s slightly more expensive than the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports. 

The 308 SW is, though, considerably cheaper to buy than bigger estate cars including the Volkswagen Passat and premium-brand models such as the BMW 3 Series Touring.

The Hybrid 136 engine, which is our recommended pick for private buyers, is good on fuel: its official average is 62.6mpg. It makes the diesel BlueHDi 130 seem a bit redundant, because the official average for that engine is 59.6mpg. 

The Plug-In Hybrid 195's official electric range of up to 59 miles means it will cost more as a company car than the PHEV Leon Estate, which has an 81-mile range. That's because longer ranges reduce the BIK tax rate. 

The PHEV takes about seven hours, 25 minutes for a 0-100% charge if you use a three-pin plug. That drops to four hours, 20 minutes if you use a home EV charger and just over two hours when combined with the 308 SW’s optional 7.4kW on-board charger (the standard unit has a 3.7kW maximum charge rate).

The 308 SW range is broken up into two trims: Allure and GT. Standard kit on Allure includes 17in alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, LED headlights and touchscreen infotainment. It’s our recommended trim. 

GT is too expensive to recommend but it’s worth a look if you fancy its 18in wheels, a 3D effect on the digital driver’s display, ambient lighting on the doors and full matrix LED headlights.

We don't have specific reliability data for the latest 308 SW, but Peugeot came 19th out of 31 car makers ranked in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey.

For comparison, Ford, Skoda and Toyota performed better, but Vauxhall came much further down the table, in 29th place.

Every 308 SW comes with a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty. The battery pack in PHEV versions is covered for up to eight years or 100,000 miles.

The 308 SW was given four stars out of five for safety by Euro NCAP. Testers noted a weak level of chest protection for the driver in a front impact. The closely related Vauxhall Astra achieved a similar score but most rivals, including the Ford Focus, scored five stars.

The list of standard safety kit on the 308 is comprehensive, with blind-spot detection, a speed limiter, cruise control, lane-keeping assistance and traffic-sign recognition all included, as well as an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system that can spot pedestrians and cyclists.

“I don’t think the 308 SW fully justifies its price premium over direct rivals, such as the Seat Leon Estate.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer