COMFORTABLE SILENCE

It's as much zero emissions SUV as anyone needs – an all-electric, seven- seater that's right-sized, stylish and serene with it

- DARREN STYLES

If you'd suggested a few years ago that Peugeot - yes, Peugeot, the people who once served us the 306 Cabriolet beloved of every early-2000s hairdresser in the Home Counties - would become one of Europe’s most interesting and accomplished electric carmakers, I’d have smiled politely and asked if you’d been at the tequila.

Again. But yet here we are.

The brand’s transformation these past few years has been nothing short of a glow-up worthy of pop diva post-surgery: new styling, new swagger, newfound confidence. And if you don’t believe me, check this out - the Peugeot E-5008.

This, in case you’ve missed the fanfare, is Peugeot’s seven-seat, all-electric SUV, built for families and friendship groups who simply refuse to travel light. Which is most of us. It’s the electric sibling to the excellent E-3008 fastback I’ve had the pleasure of running around in for the past few months, but taller, longer, more capacious. Essentially, it’s the big sister who moved to the 'burbs, took up Pilates and now has more space than she quite knows what to do with.

Peugeot’s current design language is all sharp chiselled edges, glowing claw-marks and a certain feline energy that implies the car might wink at you if you're standing at the right angle. The E-5008 continues the theme: a bold nose, animated LED lighting and a silhouette that’s imposing without shouting. It’s handsome in that sophisticated, European way - not trying too hard, but fully aware it’s the best-dressed in the Waitrose car park.