PEUGEOT'S latest svelte 208 has been selling like hot cakes thanks to its eyecatching looks and impressive interior design.

It has style in spades and with a very wide range of power units and trims and excellent economy in all, there's one to suit just about every taste and need.

One slight drawback is that the amount of space in the rear is a little limited, depending on how far back the front seats need to be.

Cheapest models get a five speed gearbox while others have a six speed, and there are also two autos with six or eight speeds further up the range.

And as if all that is not enough to whet your appetite, the range includes petrol, diesel, hybrid and fully electric drivetrains.

All the petrol engines are the same 1.2-litre size, including that used in the hybrid, and the single diesel is Peugeot's well known 1.5.

I'll deal with the specs for this 100bhp model first and it's no slouch, covering the zero to 60 miles an hour sprint in just under 10 seconds. Economy is a superb 73 miles per gallon.

Petrols start with a 75bhp non-turbo version of the 1.2 only available in the base Active trim, and that gets to 60 in a leisurely 12.8 seconds while managing a very best of 55mpg.

Perhaps the best compromise in the range is the 100bhp 1.2 turbo, which covers the sprint in a good 9.6 seconds and is still capable of 56mpg at very best.

Next up the range is the well-known 130bhp version of the 1.2 that's used throughout the Peugeot and Citroen ranges.

This comes with the company's excellent eight speed EAT8 automatic gearbox as standard, and brings the 0 to 60 miles an hour time down to 8.4 seconds, with best economy still just over 50 mpg.

There is a single petrol/electric hybrid that has 100bhp. This is capable of 65mpg and covers the sprint in 9.5 seconds with very low emissions.

And finally comes the e208 fully electric model - the fastest accelerating in the range, getting to 60 in 7.8 seconds.

It boasts 136bhp, has a range of around 200 miles and charges from zero to full in under eight hours on a 7.5Kw home charger.

It can also be charged from 0 to 80 per cent on a 100Kw public charger in 30 minutes.

Peugeot pioneered its small steering wheel in the previous 208 and the 308 and there was much criticism at the time.

But now we have got used to it and it helps this latest model feel agile and nippy around town, while still remaining good to use over longer journeys.

It's quick and stable around corners, and although there is some body roll in cars with the standard chassis it holds the road well and has plenty of grip.

The suspension setup is softer than other cars in the class, and that makes for a comfortable ride over most surfaces. Upper models with bigger wheels and lower profile tyres do spoil this somewhat however.

The 208 has one of the most impressive interiors in the supermini class with plenty of tech included above Active trim. Others trims are Active Premium, Allure, Allure Premium, and GT Line.

All apart from Active have the Peugeot 3D i-Cockpit with digital instruments in a wide screen in front of the driver that can be changed at the press of a button.

And it even includes a wireless phone charging point with a door to hide the phone from the driver's eyes.

There's also an easy to use seven or 10-inch infotainment touchscreen with Mirrorlink, Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity.

Pay about £9,550 for a '19 19-reg 1.2 PureTech Allure 100bhp with stop/start, or £17,150 for a '22 22-reg 1.2 PureTech GT 130bhp 8 speed auto.