Peugeot Australia adding two more electric cars to its range

Peugeot Australia has confirmed two new electric vehicles (EVs) for the second half of 2024 – the E-308 Hatch and the E-Expert commercial van.

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The French brand's local distributor has opened up expressions of interest on its website for the two new models, which have been earmarked for an Australian launch during the second half of 2024.

By the end of this year, Peugeot should have five all-electric models on sale Down Under, with the two new models joining the E-2008, E-Partner and E-208.

First revealed in September 2022, the Peugeot E-308 is an electric version of the brand's competitor to the likes of the Mazda 3 and Volkswagen Golf. Globally, it's available in both hatchback and Sportswagon (SW) body styles.

Peugeot Australia adding two more electric cars to its range

The E-308 range is powered by a 54kWh battery pack (51kWh usable) with a lithium-ion battery using a nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) chemistry.

Claimed energy consumption is a miserly 12.7kWh per 100km, undercutting the Tesla Model 3 (13.4kWh) and Hyundai Kona Electric (13.1kWh).

Claimed range on the WLTP cycle is up to 257 miles (413km) according to UK specs, and the E-308 is capable of charging from 20 to 80 per cent in less than 25 minutes at a 100kW DC charger.

Quoted outputs from the single front-mounted motor are 115kW/270Nm. Zero to 100km/h takes a claimed 9.8 seconds with "driver only" on board, while top speed is 106mph (170km/h).

While pricing and specifications are still to be confirmed for the Australian market, CarExpert expects the E-308 to be offered in a single high-spec trim level like the GT Sport Plug-in Hybrid, which retails in Australia for $64,990 before on-road costs.

Peugeot Australia adding two more electric cars to its range

"So it'll be over $70,000?!" – possibly not. In the UK, the Peugeot E-308 is actually cheaper than the equivalent 308 Plug-in Hybrid 225 (the 165kW PHEV we get in Australia). So, we can hopefully anticipate a circa-$65,000 starting price for a decked-out E-308.

That would line up the electric French hatchback with the likes of the Tesla Model 3 (from $61,900), Cupra Born (from $59,990), MG 4 XPower (from $59,990) and the Nissan Leaf e+ (from $61,490).

The Tesla, Cupra and MG 4 all offer more power and performance for similar money, and the former two also offer significantly more WLTP range.

Meanwhile, the Peugeot E-Expert will become the second all-electric commercial vehicle to be sold in Australia by the French Lion brand, joining the smaller E-Partner which is already on sale in Australia.

Peugeot Australia adding two more electric cars to its range

Like the E-308, pricing and specifications will be announced closer to launch, though we know it's powered by a front-mounted electric motor producing 100kW of power and 260Nm of torque.

The E-Expert is available globally with either 50kWh or 75kWh batteries, with a claimed range of 330km for the latter according to WLTP testing. We'd expect the larger option to be the sole offering in Australia.

The electric van is available with three lengths – Compact, Standard and Long – and all have a loading volume identical to the combustion version.

It's unclear if all versions of the e-Expert will come to Australia as the e-Partner will only be available in a single, long-wheelbase variant. Peugeot also claims towing capacity for the e-Expert is 1000kg and payload is 1275kg.