Peugeot 308

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At a glance

Who is this car for?

Four adults with luggage, or a family with a pushchair. Diesel + auto + cruise is the combination for 10-day itineraries.

• Families of four
• Road-trippers
• Cross-border drivers

The Peugeot 308 on Montenegro roads

Behind the wheel

The 308 Mk3 is adult mid-size French — a size larger than the 208, a generation more serious, and a noticeably better long-distance car than anything in the B-segment here. The 1.5 BlueHDi 130 diesel is the common pick and the better match for Montenegro’s terrain: torque from 1,750 rpm, a six-speed manual that is light and positive, or an eight-speed EAT auto that shuffles ratios almost invisibly. The 1.2 PureTech 130 petrol is livelier at the top but works harder on long climbs. The cabin uses the familiar small-wheel i-Cockpit and a pair of configurable digital panels; it feels more expensive than the 208’s equivalent fit. At 130 km/h the noise floor is genuinely low.

On Montenegro roads

On Montenegro’s longer routes the 308 finds its groove. The Bar–Podgorica motorway section is effortless; the diesel settles at 1,800 rpm in top and returns an honest 4.4 L/100 km. The Piva canyon run from Plužine down to Šćepan Polje is where the diesel torque earns its place — one downshift for an overtake past a slow camper, immediate response, no drama. The Kotor–Lovćen hairpins are dispatched without complaint, though at 4,367 mm you notice the length on the tightest two corners near the top. Cross-winds on the Sozina approach to Bar are shrugged off. The one weak point is broken-edge urban tarmac in Podgorica, where the firmer damping and larger wheels translate imperfections the C3 would smooth.

Space and load

The 412-litre boot is a proper family size — square corners, low load lip, a useful flat shape with the rear seats up. Three large cases and two cabin bags fit without stacking; fold the rear bench for 1,323 litres and a full Durmitor hiking trip for four travels easily, 50-litre packs and boots and poles and a rope bag with room for a cool-box. Beach gear for a Velika Plaža day out for four — chairs, parasol, cool-bag, snorkels — fits seats-up. Camping kit for a Biogradska Gora weekend with tent, mats, stove and a small cooler asks for some planning but goes in. It is not an estate, but for a hatch it is genuinely spacious.

Best journeys for this car

The 308 suits the family of four on a ten-day loop — three nights in Kotor, three in Žabljak, three in Podgorica or Ulcinj — where the brief is one car that handles all legs equally. It also works for a pair of friends doing the Tivat–Dubrovnik–Mostar cross-border drive with real luggage and a need for motorway refinement. Returning visitors who rented a 208 last time and wanted more boot are its natural customers. It is more car than a coastal-only couple needs, and the length starts to count against it for those whose week lives entirely inside Kotor Old Town’s parking bays.

Practical notes

Diesel economy is genuinely impressive — 4.4 L/100 km at 120 km/h, closer to 5.0 in mixed driving, and a 52-litre tank pushes past 1,000 km between fills. The petrol returns closer to 6.0 in real use. Parking is workable rather than easy: Kotor’s bastion-gate bays take a 4.37 m car with care, and the Budva pedestrian-zone perimeter has enough long bays but they fill early in July and August; Porto Montenegro valet is the path of least resistance. Front-wheel drive on all-season rubber handles coastal winter cleanly; chains are legally required on Žabljak and Kolašin passes between November and March. Summer AC is strong and the rear vents matter for four-up trips to Ulcinj in August.

The verdict

Pick the 308 when the trip mixes distance, mountains and a real luggage load and you want one calm car for all of it. Skip it if your week is entirely coastal and two-up — a Clio or 208 does the same job at a size smaller.

Full specification

Inside the car

• Automatic Transmission
• Adaptive Cruise
• Dual-Zone Climate
• Large Boot