Peugeot 208: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Peugeot 208 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 1.5 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 180,164 individual Peugeot 208 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 75.2% first-time pass rate means roughly 25 in every 100 Peugeot 208s 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 208 tested had covered 58,006 miles and was built around 2015.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Peugeot 208 sits 1.5 points below the national average, ranked 1,611 of 2,005 models. On one bought as 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. See how it stacks up against the Ford Fiesta.

Looking at a specific Peugeot 208 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 the median recorded closing bid for a damaged Peugeot 208: £400 at UK salvage auction, from 49 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Peugeot 208

1. Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits, 1.6% of tests (5.8x the national rate for this defect)
2. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 2.5% of tests (4.86x the national rate for this defect)
3. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 1.4% of tests (3.89x the national rate for this defect)
4. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 3.5% of tests (3.49x the national rate for this defect)
5. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 5.1% of tests (3.31x the national rate for this defect)
6. A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps, 2.2% of tests (2.44x the national rate for this defect)
7. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 2.5% of tests (2.03x the national rate for this defect)
8. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 1.5% of tests (1.93x the national rate for this defect)
9. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 1.8% of tests (1.42x the national rate for this defect)
10. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 4.3% of tests

From 180,026 DVSA-tracked Peugeot 208 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.61% of these flagged Peugeot 208 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Peugeot 208

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Peugeot 208 before it actually fails on it.

1. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 12.8% of tests (4.49x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 5.5% of tests (1.71x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. A tyre seriously damaged, 22.7% of tests (1.47x the national rate for this advisory)
4. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 15.7% of tests (1.28x the national rate for this advisory)
5. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 16.3% of tests (1.22x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
6. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 23.6% of tests
7. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 5.7% of tests
8. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 4.4% of tests
9. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2.1% of tests
10. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 1.5% of tests

From 180,026 DVSA-tracked Peugeot 208 tests, 2024.

Peugeot 208 pass rate by model year

From its 2012 to its 2019 model year, the Peugeot 208's first-time pass rate has risen 20.6 points, from 66.3% to 86.9%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Peugeot 208 year:

• 2012 Peugeot 208 - 66.3% first-time pass, 14,143 tests
• 2013 Peugeot 208 - 67.9% first-time pass, 32,705 tests
• 2014 Peugeot 208 - 71.6% first-time pass, 28,731 tests
• 2015 Peugeot 208 - 76.8% first-time pass, 27,426 tests
• 2016 Peugeot 208 - 79.2% first-time pass, 25,802 tests
• 2017 Peugeot 208 - 80% first-time pass, 17,584 tests
• 2018 Peugeot 208 - 82.5% first-time pass, 15,274 tests
• 2019 Peugeot 208 - 86.9% first-time pass, 17,060 tests
• 2020 Peugeot 208 - 84.1% first-time pass, 276 tests

Peugeot 208 by fuel type

The Peugeot 208's two most-tested fuel types split by 5.6 points: petrol passes first time 76.8% of the time (142,038 tests) against 71.2% for diesel (36,820 tests).

• Petrol Peugeot 208 - 76.8% first-time pass, 142,038 tests
• Diesel Peugeot 208 - 71.2% first-time pass, 36,820 tests
• Electric Peugeot 208 - 83.9% first-time pass, 242 tests

Other Peugeot models

• 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%
• Peugeot Boxer - 76.8%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Skoda Fabia - 75.3%
• Toyota Corolla - 75.3%
• Mercedes-Benz 230 - 75.3%
• Mitsubishi L200 - 75.2%
• Volvo Xc90 - 75.2%
• Volvo S60 - 75.2%

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
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

Embed this data

Run a site about the Peugeot 208? Embed the real DVSA pass-rate badge free, linked back to this page.

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/peugeot-208"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/peugeot-208.svg" width="340" height="92" alt="Peugeot 208 MOT Pass Rate: 75.2% - Salvage Prophet"></a>

Run a garage or parts site? Embed the Peugeot 208's top real failure reason instead, linked back here.

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/peugeot-208"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/failure/peugeot-208.svg" width="340" height="106" alt="Peugeot 208 most common MOT failure: Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits (1.6% of tests) - Salvage Prophet"></a>

All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate