Peugeot 308

Diesel mid-size for the Podgorica → Žabljak and cross-border Albania/Kosovo runs

Mid-Size

Long-legged BlueHDi + auto box built for the push up to Durmitor or the cross-border drive to Shkodër, Prizren or Belgrade.

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At a glance

Seats

Gearbox

Automatic

Fuel

Diesel

Luggage

3 bags

Boot

412 L (1,309 L seats folded)

Economy

64 mpg

Who is the Peugeot 308 for?

The mid-size diesel pick for anyone pairing a TGD arrival with multi-day drives to Žabljak, Shkodër or Prizren — auto gearbox and cruise control earn their keep on the Smokovac–Mateševo motorway.

Cross-border road-trippers
Durmitor weekenders
Four adults with full luggage

Best regional use

Cruises the Smokovac–Mateševo motorway effortlessly, swallows a week of hiking kit bound for Durmitor, and covers the Podgorica → Belgrade via Bijelo Polje run on a single tank.

The Peugeot 308 on Podgorica roads

Behind the wheel

The 308 Mk3 is a more grown-up proposition than anything in the B-segment here — a larger car, a quieter cabin, and a different set of priorities. The 1.5 BlueHDi 130 diesel paired with the 8-speed EAT automatic is the common Montenegro rental spec and the combination every multi-day Podgorica renter should look at first. Torque arrives at 1,750 rpm, which matters on the Sozina climb from the coast to Podgorica; the auto box shuffles ratios invisibly in bay traffic; and the small i-Cockpit wheel makes the Podgorica–Kolašin hairpins noticeably less work than a conventional layout.

On Podgorica roads

Montenegro's interior motorway, the Smokovac–Mateševo section opened this decade, is where the 308 pays back its rental premium. A Podgorica-to-Žabljak run that used to punish small cars with three hours of gear-changing on the Morača canyon road now covers 90 % of its distance at steady 120 km/h on modern tarmac, and the 308's diesel settles at 1,800 rpm with the cruise on. Closer to base the 308 is equally happy on the Podgorica–Trebinje cross-border run or the full-day loop out through Kolašin, Lake Skadar and back via the Sozina tunnel.

Space and load

The 412-litre boot is the deciding spec for multi-day Podgorica renters. Four adults' hard cases plus a weekly shop from the Idea supermarket on the Budva road fit without moving anything onto the rear seats; a set of hiking poles, two 50-litre packs and walking boots for a Durmitor weekend travels alongside a toddler's pushchair and the family laundry bag. Fold the 60/40 bench and you have 1,309 litres for awkward cargo — a stand-up paddleboard in its inflatable bag fits, as does a folded patio parasol for a rental villa.

Smokovac–Mateševo motorway inland from Podgorica — The Smokovac motorway toward Podgorica — the 308’s BlueHDi settles into a steady 1,800 rpm cruise here.

Best journeys for this car

The 308 suits the family of four making Podgorica their base for ten to fourteen days. The brief is usually the same: three or four nights doing bay-based days at Virpazar, Cijevna and Zabjelo, then a two-night push inland to Žabljak or across the Croatian border to Dubrovnik, then back to the capital for the final stretch. The 308 is also the correct car for older couples planning a Balkan road-trip that uses Podgorica as a staging point — the quieter cabin and firmer seats are kinder on long motorway legs than a hatchback.

Practical notes

Real-world diesel consumption is 4.5 L/100 km in mixed Montenegrin driving and closer to 4.2 on the motorway — a 52-litre tank delivers over 1,000 km between fills. The length of 4.37 m is the one caveat for a Podgorica rental: it fits the city centre perimeter parking at Benovo and the main Tabacina car park, but some of the narrower Cijevna waterfront bays ask for a three-point turn that a Clio avoids. Diesel is widely available at Jugopetrol and INA stations on the capital road; AdBlue tops up every 8,000 km or so and is flagged on the dashboard well before it matters.

The verdict

Choose the 308 when the itinerary mixes Podgorica base-nights with serious distance legs — the motorway run inland, the cross-border to BiH or Croatia, the Durmitor weekend. Skip it if you're only moving within the Zeta plain and the Adriatic Highway, where a smaller hatch parks easier and costs a third less per week.