Browse over 9,000 car reviews

Peugeot 508 vs Lexus IS

What's the difference?

VS
Peugeot 508
Peugeot 508

$81,610 - $82,915

2024 price

Lexus IS
Lexus IS

$49,955 - $75,990

2021 price

Summary

2024 Peugeot 508
2021 Lexus IS
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Turbo 4, 1.6L

Inline 4, 2.5L
Fuel Type
-

Premium Unleaded/Electric
Fuel Efficiency
1.8L/100km (combined)

4.9L/100km (combined)
Seating
5

5
Dislikes
  • Multimedia system leaves you wanting
  • 180-degree view camera is poor quality
  • Must charge it every day to get good fuel economy

  • Slow
  • Busy interior design
  • Fiddly and over-complicated software
2024 Peugeot 508 Summary

The humble station wagon has fallen by the wayside in favour of the ever-popular SUV, however, it was once more common for a very good reason.

It offers the space many families crave without having to upsize into a vehicle that can feel big and bulky.

A lot of drivers enjoy the sportier on-road feel and the good-looking styling that often accompanies a wagon. Enter the Peugeot 508 Sportswagon. A model that proves wagons can be hot.

I’m family-testing the top GT plug-in hybrid model this week but there’s not a lot to compare it to because of the interesting engine specs.

So, we’re being a bit cheeky and doing an ‘apples with oranges’ comparo instead.

Being on the premium end, the 508 Sportswagon faces competition from the Audi A4 Allroad 45 TFSI, Genesis G70 Shooting Brake and Volvo V60 Cross Country Ultimate.

It certainly has the looks to turn heads but we’re sussing out whether it’s a practical alternative for families, too.

View full pricing & specs
Interested in a Peugeot 508?
2021 Lexus IS Summary

One question frequently discussed in the skunkworks of the CarsGuide office is: What exactly does Lexus stand for?

When the brand debuted its original export-market IS sedan in 1999 the messaging was more or less clear: Toyota’s premium sub-brand was here to be a Japanese BMW.

The brand even employed Nobuaki Katayama – chief engineer on the iconic Corolla AE86 program – to again take the reins of its small rear-wheel drive sedan program.

As the years went on though, Lexus changed. Fundamentally geared toward the US market, the second-generation (wild IS F aside) became a bit more sedate and softer around the edges, while the third generation strayed even further from the sedan’s performance-inspired roots, leaning into a plush interior, hybrid drive, and even CVT transmissions.

This brings us to today’s Lexus IS. Essentially a heavy facelift of the third generation (which arrived back in 2013), the brand has “reimagined” its core sedan with a tweaked design and updated technology for 2021.

Is it enough to keep it relevant against its ever-present European rivals and the newly arrived threat from Hyundai’s Genesis G70? I took a signature IS300h hybrid for a week to find out.

View full pricing & specs
Interested in a Lexus IS?

Deep dive comparison

2024 Peugeot 508 2021 Lexus IS

Change vehicle