IT looks good, drives like a warm hatch and feels as well built as cars with posher badges and bigger bottom lines..

If you now sense a 'but', you're right. This is a car that will make some owners smile every time they set off - in near silence - with the prospect of the fun that's sure to follow.

Others will have their fingers crossed that journey's end will appear without long and nervous delays along the way.

Yes, this newcomer - a version of the current European Car of the Year - is powered by electricity.

It adds greatly to the cost over a petrol powered 208, piles on the pounds thanks to the weight of its battery pack and really won't suit everyone.

Charged up within a spit of full, the delightfully clear dash readout gave me 180 miles before the battery ran out. The official range is 217 miles, but like a petrol or diesel equivalents, that figure usually takes on an optimistic tinge.

Now, if you can get there and back comfortably below those 180 miles you'll be in for a fine old time. This little hatch simply whizzes away from rest with the tail wagging enthusiasm of a puppy let off the lead.

It manages that extra heft pretty deftly too, earning respect for staying stable as you enjoy a favourite stretch of road. Should it be smoothly surfaced, the lack of noise from tyres and electric motor make this 208 feel very grown up indeed.

But - yes, a but - if your journey needs a stop to charge the battery you might face a dull and longish wait. It can take as little as 30 minutes at a 100kWh public charger - if you can find one and are registered with the company who installed the rig, but bank on longer.

Choose a wall charger at home and the more than seven hours for a full top-up won't matter if you plug in before going to bed - and the £350 government grant towards the charger installation will bring the bill down.

There are financial benefits, though, to running an electric car once you've paid for machine and charger. The zero rating for benefit in kind will save a business user a hefty packet - hundreds of pounds a year - and private or work miles will cost much less than using petrol or diesel.

For instance, a 100 mile trip in the e-208 would cost this driver £3.07 in electricity charges from a home supply. Make that a petrol car at 40mpg and the figure is a whopping £13.00.

And the electric Peugeot only needs a service every two years or 16,000 miles against the annual or 12,500 miles of a petrol model.