The next Peugeot 208 will be one of Stellantis’s most important cars to date when it is launched in 2026. It will mark the debut of a game-changing platform, will feature a radical tech-heavy interior with a square steering wheel and is set to be sold exclusively as an EV.

The new hatch will be the first model to use STLA Small, a platform destined to underpin Stellantis’s next era of compact cars and critical for Peugeot’s multi-brand parent to be competitive in Europe’s affordable car market.

The STLA Small platform will be used by all of the group’s models from the A- to the C-segment and replace the CMP/e-CMP architecture employed by today’s 208/e-208, 2008 and Vauxhall Corsa.

The 208 has been chosen to receive the platform first because it is one of the most crucial cars in the Stellantis stable, especially in its core market of Europe. In the first half of 2025, the 208 achieved 109,146 sales, a figure bettered only by its Renault Clio (122,489) and Dacia Sandero (128,842) rivals, according to data from Jato Dynamics.

While the new platform can accommodate hybrid and electric set-ups, it is understood that the third-generation 208 will be sold solely as an EV – a move that will be mirrored by the next Corsa, a 208 tech twin, which will drop ICE power, Vauxhall-Opel CEO Florian Huettl confirmed recently.

The current CMP-based combustion 208 is likely to stay in production alongside the new 208, given the unpredictability of the EV market. As a result, the new hatch is expected to continue using the e-208 badge as a distinguisher.

Speaking more broadly about Peugeot’s future powertrain approach, CEO Alain Favey said the brand is “committed to BEVs” but also “committed to a multi-energy offer”. He said: “Our strategy is to leave the choice to the customer which energy they want.”

Battery sizes for cars on the STLA Small will range from 37kWh to 82kWh. The new 208 is expected to use a pack at the larger end of that scale, given the Vauxhall Corsa GSE Vision Gran Turismo – a concept that previews the next Corsa – houses an 82kWh battery.

This would bring a marked increase in range for the 208. The biggest battery in the current car is 52kWh, which enables a range of 268 miles.

Details of potential power outputs have yet to be disclosed but, given the car’s positioning, motors with similar power to today’s 156bhp are likely. However, the platform can accommodate much more. For example, the Corsa GSE concept is fitted with two 395bhp motors, opening the door for another, more powerful GTi-badged model.

Favey confi rmed last week that Peugeot will preview the next 208 with the Polygon concept in November. The drivable concept will put a focus on dynamics and roadholding. It will also showcase a radical cabin that is understood to be a huge leap forward in terms of design, giving a greater feeling of space and light.

The key change is the next evolution of Peugeot’s i-Cockpit design. Instead of a small round wheel, the new 208 will have the rectangular Hypersquare steering control previewed on the Inception concept in 2023. This will be connected to a steer-by-wire system, the first time the tech has featured in a Stellantis car.

The new set-up – which is expected to be adopted across the range after its introduction in the 208 – is “about agility” and will give future Peugeots a more distinctive driving signature, according to Favey.

The 208 will also get the same panoramic curved infotainment screen as in the 3008 – a 21in display atop the dashboard. Customisable shortcut buttons will feature, too.

Speaking previously to Autocar, former Peugeot boss Linda Jackson called the set-up “technically superior” and said the steer-by-wire “enhances something that is absolutely fundamental for Peugeot: the pleasure of driving”.

The new steering wheel and technology also liberate more cabin space and those who have seen it “were shocked by how much space you free up”, according to Jackson.

Favey said the Polygon concept will also reveal a “very creative” exterior. While the Polygon’s design is expected to be quite conceptual, the production 208 is likely to sport a similar look to the larger 308, 3008 and 5008, which all feature Peugeot’s new design language, especially at the front. The current 208 is one of the few models in the line-up not to feature it.

The new 208 is expected to be slightly bigger than today’s CMP-based car, mirroring a wheelbase expansion previewed by the Corsa GSE Vision Gran Turismo. For reference, the concept is 130mm longer and 105mm wider than the standard Corsa.

The third-generation 208 will, like today’s model, be built at Stellantis’s Zaragoza plant in Spain, alongside its Corsa twin and a production start date is earmarked for the end of 2026. The new Corsa will be the second car to use the STLA Small platform and is due in early 2027. It will be followed by the technically identical next-generation 2008.

Pricing for the new 208 is likely to stay at around today’s £30,000 entry point.