The Peugeot 108 is actually one of a trio of cars that share many of the same components and the same platform that includes, alongside the 108, the Citroen C1 and the Toyota Aygo.

But despite the fact that there’s so much shared DNA each does a pretty good job of setting itself apart from the others, particularly the baby Pug.

It’s a dead ringer for all of its larger siblings with the same chrome-surround grille, while the range-topping GT-Line trim adds some suitably sporty touches that almost makes it look a bit like a 208 GTI that’s shrunk in the wash.

It’s a good looking little thing, then, but the problem with many city cars is that while they look nice on the surface, when you jump inside and take one for a drive, things start to fall apart. Does the funky little 108 deliver the goods?

Performance

A choice of two small petrol engines are available with the 108, a 68bhp 1.0-litre turbo that’s borrowed from Toyota and a Peugeot-sourced 1.2-litre engine with 82bhp. It’s the slightly larger one that we tested, and although it’s not particularly powerful in the grand scheme of things, it’s probably the one we’d pick.

The reason is that the 1.0-litre suffers from a noticeable lack of punch in the midrange, particularly between 30mph and 70mph which can make getting up to speed on motorway slipways a bit of a hassle.

Although the 108 is designed primarily as an urban run-around, it’s extremely unlikely that owners will never take the car on main roads or motorways at some point or another, and so the 1.2-litre offers a significant bit more flexibility.

While 82bhp doesn’t sound like an awful lot, the fact that the car weighs so little – around 800kg or so – means that it feels frisky enough. 0-62mph takes a respectable 10.9 seconds, whereas the 1.0-litre takes more than four seconds longer to reach the same speed.

It can be quite an unrefined little motor at times though. Modern three-cylinder engine technology is becoming better and better each year, but the 1.2-litre in this car feels like one of those old school three-pots that’s prone to thrashiness, particularly when you’re pushing it hard.

Still, it’s quite efficient with the 1.2-litre able to return 65.7mph on paper with 99g/km of CO2. The 1.0-litre can return better figures, but our opinion is that the slightly larger motor is the better all-rounder, and provided you do short journeys or stay in mostly urbane areas it should make for a very efficient little runaround.

Ride and Handling

An overly light but slightly aggressive clutch means that the 108 can be a hard car to drive smoothly

The 108 can be quite a fun little thing to drive, with its light weight and tiny wheelbase meaning that it feels really quite agile; perfect for larking about tight city streets or even the occasional country lane if you want. While it’s prone to a bit of body roll in tighter corners the steering is accurate and consistently weighted, and its soft suspension makes for pleasant and comfortable road manners. A small turning circle of around 31 feet - 9.6 metres if metric is your thing - makes nipping in and out of tight spaces, junctions and city streets a breeze too. Again, though, refinement can be an issue. While it cruises along happily once you’re up to speed, an overly light but slightly aggressive clutch means that the 108 can be a hard car to drive smoothly in the sort of low-speed, stop-start traffic that’s common to urban areas and it tends to shudder and hop in lower gears. Although that might seem like a minor niggle it can be quite frustrating until you get used to it, and slightly tarnishes the abilities of what is otherwise a very capable city car.

Interior and Equipment

The iconic Peugeot lion logo was originally chosen to represent the strength, quality and abilities of Peugeot’s products, which at the time of its founding included saw blades and pepper mills.

Unlike some other city cars, the 108 is available as either a three-door or a five-door. It is still a tiny car and the cramped rear seats mean it’s unlikely you’ll be transporting too many passengers in the back, but the five doors do make it that bit more practical, particularly if you have to fit a child seat in the back. The cabin itself is quite smart and funky, and certainly a big step up over its predecessor, the 107. Though it remains distinctly plasticky in parts, it’s stylish, comfortable to sit in and comes with plenty of little storage places and three large cupholders. Kit in the range-topping GT-Line trim is fairly extensive and includes the likes of a seven-inch touchscreen, DAB radio and a handy reversing camera to make parking even more of a doddle. Exclusive to this top trim are snazzy 15-inch alloys, plus a sportier bodykit that includes a rear spoiler and tinted rear windows. There’s leather sports seats with red highlights, plus integrated sat-nav and safety kit like Active City Brake and Lane Departure Warning. Do be aware of the sat-nav in this car, however, which lags behind many cars in its class and most other Peugeots with dated graphics, a slightly confusing interface and the tendency for the position marker to randomly hop about the screen. In terms of boot space, the 108 has 196 litres of luggage capacity or 180 if you get a model with a spare wheel, which is optional on lower trims but which comes as standard on the GT-Line. That means there’s more room (without the spare wheel) than in the Fiat 500, though the Hyundai i10 and Kia Picanto both offer significantly more space.

Cost

The insurance group is 12E, which means it should be relatively affordable for younger drivers

You can have a Peugeot 108 for £8,835 for the entry-level model, though the range-topping GT-Line will understandably cost considerably more: £13,325 for the three-door with £400 on top of that if you’d rather have the five door. It should be relatively cheap to run, however, while its 99g/km emissions figure means you’ll pay a £120 first year tax rate and then the £140 flat rate each year thereafter. The insurance group is 12E, which means it should be relatively affordable for younger drivers too.

Our Verdict

Smart, good looking, well equipped and often quite a fun little city car, the 108 is a little rough around the edges in some places and so for that reason can’t quite compete with the absolute best in class, such as the likes of the Volkswagen Up!. Still, its blend of value for money, affordability and stylishness – particularly on this GT-Line trim – means that it’s still one of the more accomplished cars of its type, and it’ll surely win a lot of fans.