Farewell to Tesla, Hello Pug - until the next time.

[interbear]

For the last few years we've adopted a x1 ICE and x1 BEV vehicle strategy. We now use the ICE (VW campervan) for longer trips, weekends away etc, and the BEV (Tesla Model 3 initially then most recently a Model Y) for most day to day and local driving, which accounts for 80% of our driving. We did use the Tesla for longer journeys (south Wales to Scotland or France as examples) but more recently have found charging wait times and subsequent longer journey times to be a regular annoyance. Hence why we default, for now, to the ICE for longer trips. That should be better in a few years when the charging infrastructure has caught up.

We concluded last week that after 4 years in a Tesla we really didn't need a Tesla to cover mostly local day to day driving for the next few years. We flirted with the idea of a PHEV for a while but eventually decided, on something of an impulse, to swap it for a smaller, less expensive BEV with lower range. The Peugeot e-208 won, we picked one up a few days ago. £24k for a e-208 GT. Registered Jan 2023 and with only 300 miles on the clock. So, basically a new car for a considerable discount off list (£35.5k). Further research tells me this is one of their 2022 models (range 225 miles WLTP so more like 170-180 in reality) being cleared before the arrival of the refreshed version with slightly more power/range. Suits us perfectly though.

First impressions are very positive but as with any car, there are pros and cons.

Things I like more than the Tesla experience:
The e-208 looks lovely, nicely designed inside and out.
The drive in the e-208 is surprisingly more refined. Much better suspension. And quieter.
More comfortable seats.
Apple Carplay is available.
Digital cockpit - good to have dials in front of me again.
Some buttons for simple controls.
Auto wipers work.
Door handles (inside and out) that I don't have to explain to people how they work.
A glovebox I can open without navigating a touchscreen (OK the glovebox is tiny!)
Being back in a small hatchback is nice, much more town and car park friendly.
Insurance is less than half the price of insuring the Tesla. My MY insurance is due to renew end of the month and went up from £500 to £810.

A few things that the Tesla wins on:
Range, obviously, it was a Model Y Long Range that could comfortably do 250 miles. But we don’t need it currently.
Ability to set a maximum state of charge, I used to set the Tesla at 80% max when charging overnight. Can do deferred start of charge on the Peugeot but not set a limit. Have to explore setting a schedule on my Andersen charger, never had to do that before.
Speed. Even the LR has ridiculous acceleration. I'm no boy racer though so can take it or leave it. It’s definitely good fun though.
App just worked. Less steps to get it connected to the car and just leave it. Mobile as car key also good. It’s weird having a key again.
OTA updates. Updating the sat nav maps or features on the Peugeot is a right faff. Thankfully CarPlay means I avoid that.
Heated seats. Didn't get them on the e-208, I gather they are an additional option.
Dog mode in the Tesla was regularly used. A much underrated feature!
Storage space, Model Y is obviously much bigger. But the e-208 boot is big enough for our spaniel so fine.
Frunk to carry charging cables. No frunk on the e-208.

Obviously cars that play in very different categories but so far we are very happy with the change, always had a liking for little French hatchbacks and the e-208 seems a very good example of exactly that. It’s good to drive, pretty quick off the mark like any BEV and perfect for our day to day driving.

I’ll maybe be back in Tesla world when they bring out the little hatchback version in a couple of years. For now, cheerio and thanks to all of the helpful folk on this forum, a truly invaluable community. I know many of you will think I’m mad, that’s fine too

 

[Dilly]

For the last few years we've adopted a x1 ICE and x1 BEV vehicle strategy. We now use the ICE (VW campervan) for longer trips, weekends away etc, and the BEV (Tesla Model 3 initially then most recently a Model Y) for most day to day and local driving, which accounts for 80% of our driving. We did use the Tesla for longer journeys (south Wales to Scotland or France as examples) but more recently have found charging wait times and subsequent longer journey times to be a regular annoyance. Hence why we default, for now, to the ICE for longer trips. That should be better in a few years when the charging infrastructure has caught up.

We concluded last week that after 4 years in a Tesla we really didn't need a Tesla to cover mostly local day to day driving for the next few years. We flirted with the idea of a PHEV for a while but eventually decided, on something of an impulse, to swap it for a smaller, less expensive BEV with lower range. The Peugeot e-208 won, we picked one up a few days ago. £24k for a e-208 GT. Registered Jan 2023 and with only 300 miles on the clock. So, basically a new car for a considerable discount off list (£35.5k). Further research tells me this is one of their 2022 models (range 225 miles WLTP so more like 170-180 in reality) being cleared before the arrival of the refreshed version with slightly more power/range. Suits us perfectly though.

First impressions are very positive but as with any car, there are pros and cons.

Things I like more than the Tesla experience:
The e-208 looks lovely, nicely designed inside and out.
The drive in the e-208 is surprisingly more refined. Much better suspension. And quieter.
More comfortable seats.
Apple Carplay is available.
Digital cockpit - good to have dials in front of me again.
Some buttons for simple controls.
Auto wipers work.
Door handles (inside and out) that I don't have to explain to people how they work.
A glovebox I can open without navigating a touchscreen (OK the glovebox is tiny!)
Being back in a small hatchback is nice, much more town and car park friendly.
Insurance is less than half the price of insuring the Tesla. My MY insurance is due to renew end of the month and went up from £500 to £810.

A few things that the Tesla wins on:
Range, obviously, it was a Model Y Long Range that could comfortably do 250 miles. But we don’t need it currently.
Ability to set a maximum state of charge, I used to set the Tesla at 80% max when charging overnight. Can do deferred start of charge on the Peugeot but not set a limit. Have to explore setting a schedule on my Andersen charger, never had to do that before.
Speed. Even the LR has ridiculous acceleration. I'm no boy racer though so can take it or leave it. It’s definitely good fun though.
App just worked. Less steps to get it connected to the car and just leave it. Mobile as car key also good. It’s weird having a key again.
OTA updates. Updating the sat nav maps or features on the Peugeot is a right faff. Thankfully CarPlay means I avoid that.
Heated seats. Didn't get them on the e-208, I gather they are an additional option.
Dog mode in the Tesla was regularly used. A much underrated feature!
Storage space, Model Y is obviously much bigger. But the e-208 boot is big enough for our spaniel so fine.
Frunk to carry charging cables. No frunk on the e-208.

Obviously cars that play in very different categories but so far we are very happy with the change, always had a liking for little French hatchbacks and the e-208 seems a very good example of exactly that. It’s good to drive, pretty quick off the mark like any BEV and perfect for our day to day driving.

I’ll maybe be back in Tesla world when they bring out the little hatchback version in a couple of years. For now, cheerio and thanks to all of the helpful folk on this forum, a truly invaluable community. I know many of you will think I’m mad, that’s fine too

Our second car is a Peugeot eRifter BEV dog wagon.
The app is dire, does little and is woefully slow to update.
Updates - ouch. Sit in the car for 45 mins while it installs from USB which is formatted in historical format.
Car is perfect for purpose
Agree with your other comments too.

 

[interbear]

Our second car is a Peugeot eRifter BEV dog wagon.
The app is dire, does little and is woefully slow to update.
Updates - ouch. Sit in the car for 45 mins while it installs from USB which is formatted in historical format.
Car is perfect for purpose
Agree with your other comments too.

Yes the app experience is very inferior to Tesla, I agree.

So far, as you say, the car element of the Peugeot is ideal for us. Had an enjoyable wee drive up the Wye Valley road tonight, it’s lovely to drive. I’m admittedly more impressed than I thought I would be. I hope it continues. Still need to crack setting a charge limit, although I’ve read other owners saying that the Peugeot 50kWh battery has an in built buffer (approx 46 kWh is usable) so perhaps it’s OK to charge to 100%. Unsure at this point.

I’ve enjoyed my 4 years of Tesla ownership and while I found the made in China Model Y a considerably better built and more practical car than the Model 3 that we originally had, I definitely enjoyed the Model 3 more. It was less dog compatible though hence the change to Model Y.

 

[ICE5891]

As a second car a small BEV like the e-208 make a lot of sense. It would be a good car for really majority of my drive.

The thing that keeps Tesla unreplaceable for me is to be more reliable on occasions that are less then 1% of my total drive.

 

[Leejmoff]

we are currently looking at a second car again, and the smaller type cars like MG4/e-208 etc are the ones we are looking at. Thanks for the information. I must admit I do miss the normal style interior when I sit in the BMW/Polestar/MG cars. While I love the minimalist style of the Tesla, I have to say the comfort of being in a "Normal" car has its positives, especially suspension. Range on these smaller cars for local driving is more than enough. We used to have an original Renault Zoe, so we are used to hardly any range, and about town its fine.

 

[Tommo05]

My missus has a 6 month old Peugeot e2008 GT as our second car, to my M3P. Again I was very surprised just how good a car the pug is! Agree with the app being rubbish, but last update seems to be a big improvement on responsiveness. Many positives though and a great little car, with lots of toys included as standard for the money. E2008 same as e208, but just gives you a bit more space for the kids. Both great cars that do everything needed to a good standard. Cockpit is a very nice place to be, and I was also very impressed with the suspension comfort too! Range suffers a bit at motorway speeds, but off the motorway it’s fantastic!

 

[Doudeau]

We’ve had our e208 for 2.5 years now and really love it around town and it’s my preference for short trips as easier to park and more of a hot batch type experience.

The range is nothing like the 170-180 you indicate above once you hit speeds above 50mph. I recon at motorway speeds in winter I wouldn’t like to try 100miles.

 

[DoricJim]

Second small ev as a second car makes sense and is something that we were looking at for a couple of years down the line. e208 sounds ideal in that regard.

However, my better half decided to pull the trigger on a BMW Z4 M40i with lovely 6 cylinder goodness might be our last foray into the world of ICE before going total BEV. Not a bad way to end the era though

 

[mdunc]

For the last few years we've adopted a x1 ICE and x1 BEV vehicle strategy. We now use the ICE (VW campervan) for longer trips, weekends away etc, and the BEV (Tesla Model 3 initially then most recently a Model Y) for most day to day and local driving, which accounts for 80% of our driving. We did use the Tesla for longer journeys (south Wales to Scotland or France as examples) but more recently have found charging wait times and subsequent longer journey times to be a regular annoyance. Hence why we default, for now, to the ICE for longer trips. That should be better in a few years when the charging infrastructure has caught up.

We concluded last week that after 4 years in a Tesla we really didn't need a Tesla to cover mostly local day to day driving for the next few years. We flirted with the idea of a PHEV for a while but eventually decided, on something of an impulse, to swap it for a smaller, less expensive BEV with lower range. The Peugeot e-208 won, we picked one up a few days ago. £24k for a e-208 GT. Registered Jan 2023 and with only 300 miles on the clock. So, basically a new car for a considerable discount off list (£35.5k). Further research tells me this is one of their 2022 models (range 225 miles WLTP so more like 170-180 in reality) being cleared before the arrival of the refreshed version with slightly more power/range. Suits us perfectly though.

First impressions are very positive but as with any car, there are pros and cons.

Things I like more than the Tesla experience:
The e-208 looks lovely, nicely designed inside and out.
The drive in the e-208 is surprisingly more refined. Much better suspension. And quieter.
More comfortable seats.
Apple Carplay is available.
Digital cockpit - good to have dials in front of me again.
Some buttons for simple controls.
Auto wipers work.
Door handles (inside and out) that I don't have to explain to people how they work.
A glovebox I can open without navigating a touchscreen (OK the glovebox is tiny!)
Being back in a small hatchback is nice, much more town and car park friendly.
Insurance is less than half the price of insuring the Tesla. My MY insurance is due to renew end of the month and went up from £500 to £810.

A few things that the Tesla wins on:
Range, obviously, it was a Model Y Long Range that could comfortably do 250 miles. But we don’t need it currently.
Ability to set a maximum state of charge, I used to set the Tesla at 80% max when charging overnight. Can do deferred start of charge on the Peugeot but not set a limit. Have to explore setting a schedule on my Andersen charger, never had to do that before.
Speed. Even the LR has ridiculous acceleration. I'm no boy racer though so can take it or leave it. It’s definitely good fun though.
App just worked. Less steps to get it connected to the car and just leave it. Mobile as car key also good. It’s weird having a key again.
OTA updates. Updating the sat nav maps or features on the Peugeot is a right faff. Thankfully CarPlay means I avoid that.
Heated seats. Didn't get them on the e-208, I gather they are an additional option.
Dog mode in the Tesla was regularly used. A much underrated feature!
Storage space, Model Y is obviously much bigger. But the e-208 boot is big enough for our spaniel so fine.
Frunk to carry charging cables. No frunk on the e-208.

Obviously cars that play in very different categories but so far we are very happy with the change, always had a liking for little French hatchbacks and the e-208 seems a very good example of exactly that. It’s good to drive, pretty quick off the mark like any BEV and perfect for our day to day driving.

I’ll maybe be back in Tesla world when they bring out the little hatchback version in a couple of years. For now, cheerio and thanks to all of the helpful folk on this forum, a truly invaluable community. I know many of you will think I’m mad, that’s fine too

Yeah, a Tesla, at least the current ones really are overkill for a local run around.

We have a smart ForTwo EQ Cabrio as a run around and it's awesome. It's pretty much our go to for any journey under 90 miles. Much much much nicer to drive around town than our Model Y. The turning circle is hilariously good where as the Model Y is as manoeuvrable as a barge.

The Smart is great for day trips, especially in the summer with the top down, a soft top EV is just bliss. While it's clearly only got two seats the boot is plenty big enough for a couple of cocker spaniels or the weekly grocery shop.

Smarts app isn't great, our car hasn't reported in to the app since the 6th of April and have been going round in circles with Mercedes support, no one really knows who to talk to to fix it.

What the Model Y does really well is getting me, my wife, our dogs and our stuff over a long distance such as Somerset to Scotland with 2 sea kayaks on the roof. I've rarely had issues with busy chargers as usually there is another option not far away such as an Osprey, MFG or Instavolt. Even Abington and Gretna bottle necks can be skipped these days if you use the Hamilton Fastneds instead.

But clearly, a Tesla isn't necessarily the best EV for every use case.

 

[interbear]

My missus has a 6 month old Peugeot e2008 GT as our second car, to my M3P. Again I was very surprised just how good a car the pug is! Agree with the app being rubbish, but last update seems to be a big improvement on responsiveness. Many positives though and a great little car, with lots of toys included as standard for the money. E2008 same as e208, but just gives you a bit more space for the kids. Both great cars that do everything needed to a good standard. Cockpit is a very nice place to be, and I was also very impressed with the suspension comfort too! Range suffers a bit at motorway speeds, but off the motorway it’s fantastic!

Agree with all of that. We test drove the e-2008 straight after driving the e-208. Coming from the Model Y we assumed we'd prefer the bigger car but actually loved the smaller hatchback so went for the e-208. Especially as we rarely have passengers other than the dog these days. I might change my mind on the arrival of impending first grandchild later this year. But I can always use the VW van to cart baby and associated stuff around. Good to have options for different journey needs.

 

[WannabeOwner]

Yeah, a Tesla, at least the current ones really are overkill for a local run around.

Now you tell me ...

 

[Js1977]

Considered an e208 for my daughter coming from an I3 and needed something with a bigger battery but for the money she was quite happy with a 71 plate 38kw ionic in SE trim with 20k miles and that is allot of car for 17.6k and the king of efficiency. E208 was much prettier though. Good luck

 

[Whyone]

Youngest son has just bought an e208 GT. Less than a year old, a smidge over £20k and so far he (and I) are very mpressed.

As mentioned earlier in this thread, the interiors of the higher spec cars are very nice places to be.

Externally, I think it's a striking little(ish!)
car, looking especially good in either Vertigo Blue or white - Peugeot have done well I think.

 

[spdpsba]

either Vertigo Blue or white - Peugeot have done well I think.

Grey or midnight silver something similar looks good too. It is just the DRLs running perpendicular just make it look bit iffy. I think there is this top version which has integrated DRLs. I have never seen that one.

 

[Whyone]

Grey or midnight silver something similar looks good too. It is just the DRLs running perpendicular just make it look bit iffy. I think there is this top version which has integrated DRLs. I have never seen that one.

Personally I'm not so keen on the dark colours as you loose the contrast between the black roof (on GT), mirrors and bar across the rear of the car.

The 'fang' DRL's (and the claw slash rear lights) are a bit of fun / a silly contrivance depending how far from childhood you have moved!

 

[interbear]

Youngest son has just bought an e208 GT. Less than a year old, a smidge over £20k and so far he (and I) are very mpressed.

As mentioned earlier in this thread, the interiors of the higher spec cars are very nice places to be.

Externally, I think it's a striking little(ish!)
car, looking especially good in either Vertigo Blue or white - Peugeot have done well I think.

I like the blue, looks very smart. Mrs interbear loves a red car though so when we saw one in Elixir Red pop up on Motorpoint at what seemed a very decent price for an effectively new car, we went for it. Can’t say I’m disappointed in the colour choice. It’s very nice indeed and goes nicely with the GT black roof. I’d say the red and blue are my favourite two e-208 colours.