Peugeot 306: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Peugeot 306 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 13.5 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 4,152 individual Peugeot 306 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 63.2% first-time pass rate means roughly 37 in every 100 Peugeot 306s 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 306 tested had covered 109,143 miles and was built around 1999.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Peugeot 306 sits 13.5 points below the national average, ranked 1,892 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. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Peugeot 306 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 recorded closing bids for damaged Peugeot 306s at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Peugeot 306

1. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 3.5% of tests (9.87x the national rate for this defect)
2. 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., 3.7% of tests (7.15x the national rate for this defect)
3. Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 4% of tests (5.37x the national rate for this defect)
4. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 6.7% of tests (5.18x the national rate for this defect)
5. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 4.7% of tests (4.66x the national rate for this defect)
6. 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, 3.4% of tests (3.65x the national rate for this defect)
7. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 3.4% of tests (3.25x the national rate for this defect)
8. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 3.4% of tests (3.2x the national rate for this defect)
9. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 3.6% of tests (2.33x the national rate for this defect)
10. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 4.2% of tests (2.19x the national rate for this defect)

From 4,152 DVSA-tracked Peugeot 306 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.83% of these flagged Peugeot 306 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Peugeot 306

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 306 before it actually fails on it.

1. A flexible brake hose excessively damaged, deteriorated, chafed, twisted or stretched, 6% of tests (10.7x the national rate for this advisory)
2. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 23.6% of tests (4.24x the national rate for this advisory)
3. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 11.1% of tests (3.88x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 4.7% of tests (3.56x the national rate for this advisory)
5. 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, 5.3% of tests (3.49x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
6. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 8.7% of tests (3.29x the national rate for this advisory)
7. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 4.5% of tests (3.27x the national rate for this advisory)
8. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 18.6% of tests (3.01x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
9. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 5.9% of tests (2.97x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
10. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 9.7% of tests (2.05x the national rate for this advisory)

From 4,152 DVSA-tracked Peugeot 306 tests, 2024.

Peugeot 306 pass rate by model year

From its 1997 to its 2001 model year, the Peugeot 306's first-time pass rate has risen 0.8 points, from 63.8% to 64.6%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Peugeot 306 year:

• 1996 Peugeot 306 - 67% first-time pass, 200 tests
• 1997 Peugeot 306 - 63.8% first-time pass, 348 tests
• 1998 Peugeot 306 - 64.5% first-time pass, 504 tests
• 1999 Peugeot 306 - 61.5% first-time pass, 736 tests
• 2000 Peugeot 306 - 63.2% first-time pass, 1,084 tests
• 2001 Peugeot 306 - 64.6% first-time pass, 833 tests

Peugeot 306 by fuel type

The Peugeot 306's two most-tested fuel types split by 2.9 points: petrol passes first time 64.9% of the time (2,432 tests) against 62% for diesel (1,685 tests).

• Petrol Peugeot 306 - 64.9% first-time pass, 2,432 tests
• Diesel Peugeot 306 - 62% first-time pass, 1,685 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

• Daihatsu Hijet - 63.3%
• Volkswagen Beetle - 63.2%
• Volvo S40 - 63.2%
• Isuzu Tf - 63.2%
• Suzuki Carry - 63.1%
• Mazda Cx-7 - 63.1%

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?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate