The Peugeot 408 finished sixth of seven in the 2023 Car of the Year vote, with 149 points. That put it 179 behind the winning Jeep Avenger, behind the Kia Niro (200) and the Renault Austral (163), and ahead of the Subaru Solterra and Toyota bZ4X (133).
The car we filmed in Brussels is deep blue. It stands on a white tiled floor in front of a black wall with “SALON” lettering and the Car of the Year logo. A finalist badge, a circle of flags with “2023 FINALIST”, sits on the front door and on the bonnet.
The placard on the nose reads “New 408 Plug-in Hybrid”. We photographed the car at the show on 17 January 2023.
The video, uploaded on 28 February, is titled “All NEW 2023 Peugeot 408 GT Plug-in-Hybrid (Auto Expo Brussels)”. The other finalists are in our Car of the Year 2023 report from Brussels.
A Fastback From A Brand That Had Never Built One
Peugeot called the 408 “the first of its kind, both in the history of the Brand itself and in the car market as a whole” in its launch release of 22 June 2022. The shape is a fastback at the top of the C segment. It has a sloping roofline, a body-coloured grille with the new lion-head emblem and an inverted cut-out in the rear bumper.
The engines are two plug-in hybrids of 180 and 225 bhp and a 130 bhp petrol, all with an eight-speed automatic. Six cameras and nine radars feed the driver-assistance systems, which include Night Vision. Peugeot said production would start in Mulhouse, France, with deliveries at the end of 2022.
There was no electric 408 at launch. Peugeot promised one “a few months later”, so buyers in January 2023 had plug-ins and a petrol to choose from.
The Space Is The Argument
Peugeot’s release gives a length of 4.69 metres on a wheelbase of 2.79 metres, with a height of 1.48 metres. Rear legroom is 188 mm. The boot holds 536 litres, and 1,611 litres with the seats folded. Weight starts at 1,396 kg.
From €35,900 In Belgium
Autotijd.be’s Belgian list of January 2023 gives these prices, including VAT:
| Version | Allure | Allure Pack | GT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2 PureTech 130 petrol | €35,900 | €37,500 | €40,300 |
| Plug-in hybrid 180 | €43,800 | €45,000 | €47,800 |
| Plug-in hybrid 225 | n/a | €46,500 | €49,300 |
The range runs from €35,900 to €49,300. The GT plug-in, the version in the video’s title, was €47,800 with 180 bhp or €49,300 with 225 bhp.
Specs: Peugeot 408 (Peugeot release, 22 Jun 2022)
| Engines | plug-in hybrid 180 and 225 bhp, petrol 130 bhp, eight-speed automatic; all-electric version to follow Size: 4.69 m long, 2.79 m wheelbase, 1.48 m high |
| Boot | 536 litres, 1,611 litres seats folded |
| Weight | from 1,396 kg |
| Production | Mulhouse, France; market launch end of 2022 |
| Price | €35,900 to €49,300 in Belgium (autotijd.be, Jan 2023, including VAT) |
Source: Peugeot via Stellantis media, 22 Jun 2022; caroftheyear.org
More Videos From The Shows
We filmed it at Brussels Motor Show 2026.
We filmed it at Brussels Motor Show 2026.
We filmed it at Paris Motor Show 2022.
More of our videos of this car on AUTO TV:
- 2023 Peugeot 408 GT Plug-In Hybrid (Paris Motor Show 2022)
- New 2023 Peugeot 408 Hybrid (Paris Motor Show 2022)
Our Take: The Most Distinctive Shape On The Floor
The 408 is the most distinctive shape among the finalists on the Brussels floor, and the jury put it sixth. For scale, its cheapest plug-in cost €43,800 in the January 2023 Belgian lists, against €38,790 for the cheapest Niro plug-in.
What it gives back is space. A 536-litre boot and 188 mm of rear legroom are big for a car 4.69 metres long, and with the seats folded it holds 1,611 litres, 166 more than the Kia Niro hybrid’s 1,445.
Independent editorial. No brand or organiser paid for or reviewed this article.
