Peugeot 406: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Peugeot 406 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 15.1 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 3,076 individual Peugeot 406 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 61.6% first-time pass rate means roughly 38 in every 100 Peugeot 406s 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 406 tested had covered 139,627 miles and was built around 2001.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Peugeot 406 sits 15.1 points below the national average, ranked 1,927 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 406 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 406s at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Peugeot 406

1. 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, 9.3% of tests (9.85x 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., 4.4% of tests (8.46x the national rate for this defect)
3. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 3.4% of tests (5.73x the national rate for this defect)
4. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 5.6% of tests (5.56x the national rate for this defect)
5. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 5.7% of tests (4.37x the national rate for this defect)
6. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 4.4% of tests (4.23x the national rate for this defect)
7. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 7.8% of tests (3.31x the national rate for this defect)
8. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 4.1% of tests (2.17x the national rate for this defect)
9. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 4% of tests (2.16x the national rate for this defect)
10. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 10% of tests (1.99x the national rate for this defect)

From 3,076 DVSA-tracked Peugeot 406 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.12% of these flagged Peugeot 406 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Peugeot 406

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 406 before it actually fails on it.

1. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 11% of tests (8x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow, 5.1% of tests (4.64x the national rate for this advisory)
3. 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, 6.1% of tests (4x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 21.8% of tests (3.92x the national rate for this advisory)
5. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 18.4% of tests (3.9x the national rate for this advisory)
6. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 10.9% of tests (3.83x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
7. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 8.7% of tests (3.27x the national rate for this advisory)
8. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 16.5% of tests (3.19x the national rate for this advisory)
9. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 5.9% of tests (2.96x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
10. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 28.7% of tests (2.34x the national rate for this advisory)

From 3,076 DVSA-tracked Peugeot 406 tests, 2024.

Peugeot 406 pass rate by model year

From its 2000 to its 2003 model year, the Peugeot 406's first-time pass rate has fallen 5.8 points, from 64.8% to 59%, an unusual pattern where even its newest years fail more than its oldest. First-time pass rate for each Peugeot 406 year:

• 1998 Peugeot 406 - 60.2% first-time pass, 226 tests
• 1999 Peugeot 406 - 62.6% first-time pass, 270 tests
• 2000 Peugeot 406 - 64.8% first-time pass, 421 tests
• 2001 Peugeot 406 - 64.6% first-time pass, 565 tests
• 2002 Peugeot 406 - 61.7% first-time pass, 596 tests
• 2003 Peugeot 406 - 59% first-time pass, 610 tests

Peugeot 406 by fuel type

The Peugeot 406's two most-tested fuel types split by 0.7 points: diesel passes first time 61.9% of the time (2,055 tests) against 62.6% for petrol (992 tests).

• Diesel Peugeot 406 - 61.9% first-time pass, 2,055 tests
• Petrol Peugeot 406 - 62.6% first-time pass, 992 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

• Alfa Romeo 147 - 61.7%
• Renault Clio - 61.6%
• Renault Trafic - 61.6%
• Suzuki Wagon-R+ - 61.5%
• Citroen C-Crosser - 61.5%
• Peugeot 407 - 61.3%

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