25 April 2012 by Simon McBride, Road Test Editor

  • Average fuel economy of 78mpg
  • CO2 emissions of 95g/km
  • Prices start at £31,450, on sale in May 

Pitch the Peugeot 508 Hybrid4 against any of its major rivals and it will shine when looking at running costs.

There’s a potential for 78mpg while CO2 emissions of 95g/km will surely appeal. If that’s not enough the 508 Hybrid4 comes with four-wheel-drive and a mode where you can run the car purely on electric and therefore zero emissions. It really is fascinating stuff and it is sure to have rivals including the Ford Mondeo and the VW Passat in its sights. 

The Peugeot 508 Hybrid4 is powered by a 163bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine and a 37bhp electric motor with an automated gearbox. On the road the Peugeot 508 Hybrid4 performs well and although it may not be a hot version it fares reasonably when compared to the other rivals in its sector: the benchmark sprint will take 9.0 seconds and it has a top speed of 130mph. 

It may not handle as well as a Ford Mondeo or a VW Passat, but the 508 is competent. The chassis is well balanced, delivering decent cornering ability and good front-end grip. For a large car it feels nimble when driving enthusiastically. 

There are downsides, though. Enthusiasts will be put off by the absence of real steering feel and then there’s the semi-automatic EGC gearbox, which is incredibly jerky even in manual mode when you are doing the changes yourself. It quickly becomes an infuriating interference that's incredibly tedious. The only way to rectify this is to adjust your driving style quite significantly and try to anticipate the changes, but it never really works. 

When you are pulling away from junctions you’ll have to work the car hard. Make sure the central dial is in Sport mode to give you that extra shove of pulling power or else the car will feel lethargic.

If you can live with the EGC ‘box then you’ll be fine because the Peugeot 508 Hybrid4 is excellent at chugging up and down UK motorways and A-roads. 

Comfort up front is good: the seats have a decent level of bolstering for your back while the side supports are raised enough to hem you in when cornering. The optimum driving position is easy to achieve because the electric seats have plenty of adjustment. A brilliant feature is the head-up display. This makes it incredibly easy to check your speed without taking your eyes of the road.

It's reasonable for a company car driver who spends a lot of time on the motorways, but it's not that cheap to run and you'd be better off with the standard diesel model. A 40% tax payer will have to shell out £139 a month because of its high list price.

For the full Peugeot 508 review click here.

Also consider:

Ford Mondeo (TDCi)
Great to drive, fantastic engine and a user-friendly cabin

Vauxhall Passat BlueMotion
Another great engine that offers strong fuel economy. Premium badge also appeals

Vauxhall Insignia EcoFLEX
Does everything well, but still outshone by the Passat and the Mondeo