► Updated Peugeot 408 has arrived
► Light design tweaks, exclusive PHEV powertrain
► Plus mild hybrid and EV models
Peugeot has unveiled its updated 408 crossover – the wild-looking, segment-busting… thing that sits between the 308 hatch and 5008 seven-seater. It’s just made its public debut at the 2026 Brussels Motor Show.
It’s mostly a visual refresh, with a set of design tweaks including new headlights and a slightly more aggressive front end and chunkier backside.
The biggest difference, Peugeot points out, is the new backlit badging front and back with the shield logo at the front and massive PEUGEOT lettering at the rear – just so people don’t accidentally assume it’s a Urus.
Inside, there’s still the same i-Cockpit setup with its dual-screen infotainment display, dinky wheel and plenty of posh materials.
Peugeot’s confirmed three different powertrain versions, with the line-up starting with a 1.2-litre mild hybrid developing 143bhp. It’s fairly straightforward, and is effectively the same MHEV powertrain used across multiple Stellantis models.
Something also rather familiar is the battery-electric model, the e-408. This uses a 58.2kWh battery pack and a single 210bhp electric motor, good for a claimed range of 283 miles.
The facelift also ushers in a new punchier plug-in hybrid 240 variant which is exclusive to the 408. This version develops a total of 237bhp from a combustion engine, a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and a 14.6kWh battery pack. That allows a 53-mile electric driving range.
The updated 408 will launch later in 2026.
Jake has been an automotive journalist since 2015, joining CAR as Staff Writer in 2017. With a decade of car news and reviews writing under his belt, he became CAR's Deputy News Editor in 2020 and then News Editor in 2025. Jake's day-to-day role includes co-ordinating CAR's news content across its print, digital and social media channels. When he's not out interviewing an executive, driving a new car for review or on a photoshoot for a CAR feature, he's usually found geeking out on the latest video game, buying yet another pair of wildly-coloured trainers or figuring out where he can put another car-shaped Lego set in his already-full house.
By Jake Groves
CAR's news editor; gamer, trainer freak and serial Lego-ist
