Icon reinvented! Electric Peugeot 208 GTI debut incoming. But will this EV be a true hot hatch?

June 3, 2025June 3, 2025 John Mahoney 6432 Views e-208 GTI, Peugeot

Peugeot has announced that its iconic GTI brand will return this month with the unwrapping of the next-gen Peugeot 208 GTI at the Le Mans 24 Hour race.

And the big news is the GTI badge will adorn an EV’s rump for the first time.

Teasing a picture of the 208 GTI’s blur, with the caption “Ready to catch the new Legend?”, Peugeot says full technical details related to the next-gen Peugeot 208 GTI EV will not be released until launch.

But the French brand did confirm the new car would live up to previous GTI’s reputation of being “fun to drive, agile, powerful” and has been “built to deliver an unforgettable driving experience”.

Created to rival the new breed of battery-powered hot hatches, that include the Alpine A290 and Abarth 500e, it’s been tipped the new 208 GTI EV will borrow from within the Stellantis group.

If so expect it to share lots with hot EVs like the Abarth 600e that rides on the same e-CMP platform.

That means the first-ever all-electric Peugeot GTI will almost certainly come with a single front-mounted e-motor that will produce 177kW and 345Nm of torque.

Combined with a 54kWh battery, expect a range of around 340km.

With that level of power, a 0-100km/h dash of around 6.2 seconds is tipped. If that doesn’t sound quick enough, don’t fret, because an even quicker version will follow.

Primed to be badged the Peugeot 208 GTI by Peugeot Sport, the flagship GTI variant will pinch the even more powerful e-motor from the Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce that turns up the wick to 207kW (torque remains the same at 345Nm).

With the power bump, the fastest GTI should take less than 5.9 seconds to launch from 0-100km/h.

Ensuring not a single kW is wasted, the new 208 GTI will come with a Torsen limited-slip differential and a sophisticated traction control, that could include a launch control.

Other changes over the regular Peugeot e-208 includes a dedicated chassis tune that will combine stiffer springs, uprated dampers, thicker anti-roll bars and a big performance brake package.

A faster steering rack, lightweight bucket seats, and some kilo-cutting optional parts might also be on the, including a composite roof panel to lower the centre of gravity.

Despite being launched back in 2019, Peugeot has resisted introducing a GTI version of its second-generation (P21) 208. In fact, the iconic GTI nameplate has been on ice since the axing of the second-gen 308 GTI in 2021.

First used back in 1984 for its legendary 205 GTI, the switch to all-electric power is likely to be highly controversial for both fans of hot Peugeots and performance car enthusiasts generally.

Helping to stomach the high cost of its development, the Peugeot 208 GTI is rumoured to been created alongside a hotter version of the battery-powered Vauxhall/Opel Corsa sold in Europe.

In recent interviews, Peugeot execs have been very careful not to rule out the return of a traditional combustion-powered GTI, suggesting a petrol version could appear later if there’s demand.

Speaking of which, the Peugeot 208 GTI EV’s fate in Australia is uncertain. The local distributor was set to import the base E-208 alongside the larger E-2008, until a radical strategy change saw those plans axed to focus on hybrids.

Stay tuned as more teasers of the 2026 Peugeot 208 GTI EV’s are expected in the build-up to its June 13 unveiling.