Peugeot 205: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Peugeot 205 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 4 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 3,413 individual Peugeot 205 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 72.7% first-time pass rate means roughly 27 in every 100 Peugeot 205s presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Peugeot 205 tested had covered 107,102 miles and was built around 1991.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Peugeot 205 bought as a repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Peugeot 205 rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see what damaged Peugeot 205s actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Peugeot 205

1. Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2.7% of tests (15.99x the national rate for this defect)
2. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 3.1% of tests (10.56x the national rate for this defect)
3. Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle., 3.9% of tests (9.83x the national rate for this defect)
4. Audible warning inoperative, 1.9% of tests (9.17x the national rate for this defect)
5. An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 1.9% of tests (5.51x the national rate for this defect)
6. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 5.2% of tests (4.19x the national rate for this defect)
7. A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 1.8% of tests (3.78x the national rate for this defect)
8. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 3% of tests (3.56x the national rate for this defect)
9. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2.2% of tests (2.88x the national rate for this defect)
10. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 5% of tests (2.84x the national rate for this defect)

From 8,492 DVSA-tracked Peugeot 205 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.28% of these flagged Peugeot 205 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Peugeot 205 pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each Peugeot 205 year:

• 1990 Peugeot 205 - 76.8% first-time pass, 622 tests
• 1991 Peugeot 205 - 73.7% first-time pass, 540 tests
• 1992 Peugeot 205 - 69.4% first-time pass, 412 tests
• 1993 Peugeot 205 - 71.6% first-time pass, 310 tests

Peugeot 205 by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

• Petrol Peugeot 205 - 75.1% first-time pass, 2,720 tests
• Diesel Peugeot 205 - 67.9% first-time pass, 644 tests

Other Peugeot models

• Peugeot 208 - 75.2%
• Peugeot Partner - 71.5%
• Peugeot 207 - 59.8%
• Peugeot 308 - 70%
• Peugeot 3008 - 74.7%
• Peugeot 107 - 69.7%
• Peugeot 2008 - 76.4%
• Peugeot 108 - 85.6%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Nissan Qashqai - 72.7%
• Mercedes-Benz Vito - 72.7%
• Volkswagen Touran - 72.7%
• Kia Sorento - 72.6%
• DS Ds4 - 72.6%
• Toyota Landcruiser Amazon - 72.6%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate