Overview

Should you buy one?

If you’re happy to sacrifice style for substance, you’ll get on well with the Peugeot Rifter. It’s much more comfortable and versatile than the countless family SUVs on the market – and the sheer amount of glass surrounding the cabin means it’s great for passengers on a scenic road. They’ll never miss the view.

The only issue is that it looks like a van – and that doesn’t exactly scream ‘desirable.’ At least you have a reasonable range of engines and trims to pick through in the classifieds. We think it’s worth hunting out a model fitted with Peugeot’s SUV-ish styling pack, as it helps to further disguise the Rifter’s commercial vehicle roots.

Deciding whether the Rifter is right for you will depend on how often you plan to utilise its space. If you spend every weekend trekking into the wilderness with camping gear and sports equipment, you’ll certainly get your worth from it – and its versatility will more than compensate for its hard-wearing interior. If you’re less adventurous, a normal family car will probably suit you better.

What is it?

The Peugeot Rifter was a van-based MPV, built on the same underpinnings as the Citroen Berlingo Multispace and Vauxhall Combo Life. It was designed to appeal to those who wanted a rugged family car, but whose hobbies made it difficult to live with an SUV.

Peugeot updated the Rifter in 2024, giving it the same grille and headlights as its latest passenger cars. The brand also introduced some new paint colours, fresh fabrics and a larger 10.0-inch infotainment system. Unfortunately, these revisions were only applied to the all-electric e-Rifter – and the diesel Rifter was removed from sale as part of the update.

Happily, you can still find plenty of used diesel Rifters knocking around the classifieds. This is good, because we think it’s a much better vehicle than the pure-electric e-Rifter. The Rifter a vehicle designed for adventures – and touring becomes a chore when you need to stop for an hour every 100 miles to charge up.

What makes it even more attractive is its price. At the time of writing, you could pick a high-mileage example up for less than £6,000, which is cracking value. Plus, because Peugeot still uses most of the Rifter’s oily bits in its current range of cars, it shouldn’t be difficult to find parts and keep on the road.

It was available with four engines – one petrol and three diesels. The entry-point was a 110hp 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol, above which sat three 1.5-litre four-cylinder diesels with either 75hp, 100hp or 130hp. We recommend you opt for one of the two more powerful diesel unit as they offer the best blend of pulling power and fuel economy.

You can also have the Rifter in two body lengths – Standard or Long – the larger of which adds an extra 35cm to the rear overhang, making more room for a third row of seats or an even bigger boot. You also get three Isofix points across the middle row of seats and 28 storage cubbies dotted around the cabin, accounting for an extra 186 litres of storage space. That’s more than you got from the old 108 city car’s boot when it was optioned with a spare wheel.

Over the next few pages, we’ll explore the Rifter’s practicality, interior quality, technology, driving experience and running costs before breaking down its biggest strengths and weaknesses. Keep read to find out whether it makes a good used purchase or head over to our how we test cars explainer page to learn more about our testing process.