Peugeot’s new entrant in the medium car segment – the 308 – is not just stylish and welcoming but also reduces ownership costs.

The cost of purchasing a new car is not the only cost any possible buyer must consider. A number of other costs must be taken into account:

• How much will the car cost to insure?
• How much will the car cost to tax?
• How much will the car cost to service?
• What environmental impact will the car have?

All these questions are subconsciously reviewed by prospective purchasers of a new car.

With the introduction last month of the new Peugeot 308 the answers to these questions just got a little easier.

As urban and rural roads get busier and busier the chance of having a low speed collision increases. With this in mind, the designers and engineers of the 308 have optimised the design of the structure to enable the car to absorb low speed impacts with the minimum of structural damage. Previously, if a car was involved in a low speed frontal impact it would require a major repair, consisting of at least the replacement of the wing panels, bumpers and usually structural repairs to the front chassis legs – an expensive and very time consuming repair.

Now, on the Peugeot 308 the parts which before would require replacement or time consuming specialist repairs, can be changed very quickly as they are now bolted to the structure and not an integral part of it. Also the Peugeot 308 has composite front wings which are designed to flex unlike a steel wing, reducing damage and the unsightly dents and scratches which affect steel panels. The use of this technology results in cheaper repairs and reduced insurance costs.

With new cars taxed on their CO₂ emissions, purchasing a low CO₂ car is an important consideration. If you need to transport a family and all their trappings it is not always acceptable to purchase a super mini. Now the Peugeot 308 provides super Mini emission levels in a medium size family car – 120g/km for the HDi 90 diesel model. However, the story does not end here. The 308 HDi 90 is also fitted with Michelin’s new energy saver tyres which reduce further the car’s CO₂ emissions and also save fuel as well. This means not only a saving on running costs (VED of only £35 per year) but a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as well.

How much the car will cost to service is also an important consideration. Here Peugeot’s policy of designing cars with extended service intervals has reduced servicing costs and, more importantly, the time the car spends in the dealership to a minimum. All Peugeot 308s benefit from extended service intervals – 12,000 Miles or two years for diesel HDi 90 and HDi 110 models and 20,000 Miles or two years for all other models.  To make sure the extended service intervals do not affect the safe operation of the car, the Peugeot 308 was tested for over 2,000,000 kms before it was launched; double what its predecessor was subjected to.

Now, choosing a family car has just got easier with the introduction of the new Peugeot 308, no longer does the choice of a family car have to be a compromise.