Peugeot

iOn

 

With increasing global concern for the environment, Peugeot has developed an outstanding electric vehicle that is the perfect city car. It can cover 93 miles on a full charge which costs about £2 and is nippy, responsive and comfortable.

Test Drive

Peugeot iOn

We all know something has to be done to protect our planet’s resources and we must strive for a more environmentally-friendly future – with that comes the introduction of electrically-powered motoring.

There will always be sceptics and many of these critics drive round in gas-guzzling monstrosities, but it is a fact that the times are a-changing!

Enter the five-door Peugeot iOn which, on a full charge, can tot up about 93 miles depending on speed and driving conditions and that full charge can cost as little as £2 and there you have the it-all-makes-sense-maths.

Admittedly the iOn can take seven hours to fully charge, but a quick-charge can be achieved in 30 minutes and that delivers around 80 per cent capacity.

And to be perfectly fair to Peugeot, there is little to differentiate this vehicle from any other smart city car weaving its way through the traffic.

It boasts a snazzy, high-sided design with neat light clusters, alloy wheels, tinted windows and large headlamps.

The test model was supplied in an eye-catching metallic blue shade with black trim around the windows and black door mirrors.

And once inside, the amount of space is also impressive. The dashboard resembles any conventional vehicle apart from the display showing the amount of charge remaining in the battery pack, the power flow and distance still achievable.

Elsewhere, there are plenty of creature comforts such as air conditioning, an audio system compatible with modern attachments, electric windows and plenty more.

There is ample room for four adults to travel in comfort and the boot space will easily cater for the weekly shopping or smaller suitcases. Capacity can be quickly increased thanks to split-folding rear seats.

Despite the very large side pillars, the driver benefits from excellent all-round visibility and the cabin is flooded with light thanks to a larger-than-life windscreen.

Admittedly, the iOn is not the fasters out of the blocks and takes 15.9 seconds to reach 62mph, but with a top speed of 81mph, it can be taken on faster motorways too.

But in all honesty, this is being marketed as the ideal city car for drivers with short commutes and that’s exactly what it is.

It’s very agile, nippy, manoeuvrable and acceleration is suitably responsive through the automatic transmission.

Safety features are also fairly comprehensive with six airbags, anti-lock brakes with electronic brake force distribution and plenty more besides.

So, the iOn seems to be the perfect zero emissions city car, there must be a drawback. And that’s the price – £33,000.

Even with the Government’s £5,000 subsidy for electric vehicles, it is still a heavy price to pay.

And that is why Peugeot is targeting business buyers keen to save on the running costs of a car and they will be paying something in the region of £400 a month excluding VAT for a very attractive leasing plan.

All in all, the iOn is a brilliant electric car and once the costings on this type of vehicle is sorted I think there will be plenty more to come.