• Impressive space for a small crossover
• Boot space rivals some larger cars
• Useful extra storage areas up front

How much space is there?

The Peugeot 2008 offers average headroom. It’s nothing exceptional when compared with rivals – we found the Skoda Kamiq and Volkswagen T-Cross to be far airier – but the seat base is angled more aggressively so we had a bit more legroom. It’s certainly more spacious than a Jeep Avenger and other compact SUVs, but we couldn’t stretch out like we could in the Kamiq. Plus, the Isofix child seat attachment points are hidden behind zips and are a real pain to access.

There are lots of storage cubbies inside. We found decent door pockets, space under the front centre armrest and a couple of cupholders (they’re two different sizes). Sadly, on manual cars, bottles can get in the way when changing gear.

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There’s an open cubby at the bottom of the centre stack, with a lidded section above that which folds down to reveal a shelf with a wireless charging pad. The cover itself acts as a rubberised stand if you want to angle your smartphone – a small but neat touch.

Boot space and storage

The boot, which measures 434 litres, is larger than most immediate rivals – and should be able to swallow the weekly shop. It has a split floor and, when it’s in its higher configuration, it leaves a flat floor with the rear seats folded and less of loading lip. It’s not as clever or as spacious as a Ford Puma‘s boot, though.

The 2008’s boot floor itself is wider than it is long, measuring 791mm from the tailgate to the rear seat backs, but 1,014mm between the rear wheelarches. The boot is also 700mm off the ground, so there’s a bit of a lift to get heavier items loaded in there.

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Maximum capacity is 1,467 litres with the seats folded and measured to the roof, which is a pretty generous amount of space. However, a Renault Captur has more outright space and a sliding rear bench that offers up a little more flexibility.

Is it easy to park?

The 2008’s slightly elevated driving position affords a decent view out, although the car’s rising window line and small rear windows mean that over-the-shoulder visibility could be better than it is. That small steering wheel has plenty of assistance at low speeds when manoeuvring, so at least that means the 2008 is easy to point in the right direction.

All versions of the 2008 come with front and rear parking sensors as standard to help you out. GT gets you a reversing camera that has a 180-degree field of vision, while a surround view system is optional.

Safety

• Four- or five-star Euro NCAP rating
• Dependent on the car’s spec
• Plenty of driver assistance tech available

There plenty of safety tech in the Peugeot 2008, but not all of it is available across the whole range. Peugeot’s Drive Assist Pack is one such extra. It adds adaptive cruise control and lane positioning to take some of the strain out of motorway driving, as well as taking care of stopping and starting in queuing traffic (on autos only).

More importantly, there’s Automatic Emergency Braking, which detects cyclists – even at night. There’s also a driver warning alert (which told us when we needed to take a break on long journeys), automatic headlights, automatic wipers, traffic sign recognition and blindspot monitoring, which helped us avoid missing people overtaking us.

Since some of this safety kit was optional or found on higher trims, the 2008 earned a four-star Euro NCAP safety rating in entry-level form in 2019. If you opt for a higher-spec car with all of the kit fitted, then that rating gets bumped up to five stars.

Isofix child seat fittings are only found on two rear seats. All cars have six airbags.