Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 164,819 tests

Pass rate climbs 15.3 points across the cohorts — newer 2008 examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 132,789

Pass

73.8%

Fail

19.9%

PRS

5.9%

Avg mileage at test

62,929 mi

2018–2020 cohort 31,655

Pass

82.5%

Fail

11.9%

PRS

5.2%

Avg mileage at test

37,763 mi

2021+ cohort 375

Pass

89.1%

Fail

8.0%

PRS

2.1%

Avg mileage at test

24,452 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

The picture

Peugeot 2008: mixed MOT record across 117,119 tests

The Peugeot 2008 is a subcompact crossover SUV (B-segment) produced by the French automaker Peugeot. Unveiled at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show and positioned below the 3008, the first 2008 replaced the Peugeot 207 SW, as Peugeot did not release a station wagon version of its 208.

MOT data from 117,119 tests puts this car on a 77.2% first-time pass rate, roughly in line with the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 51,588 miles. The most common fail item is failed number plate light, followed by transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc.

Buyers weighing up a used 2008 should treat the failure breakdown as a pre-purchase checklist. The pass rate is reasonable, but the gap between first attempt and a clean sheet narrows with age and mileage.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 12–22

Below the fleet average — generally reasonable to insure. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.

Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →

12–22

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

Hide wear items to see the model's real defects.

01

A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

10,843 occurrences · 6.6% of tests
02

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

9,680 occurrences · 5.9% of tests
03

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated

3,711 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
04

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

3,211 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
05

A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps

3,104 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
06

A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED

2,711 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
07

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

2,550 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
08

Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn

2,220 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
09

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

2,207 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
10

Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

1,574 occurrences · 1.0% of tests

Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.

Worst-case fix budget · top 3 failures

£76–£165

If every one of this 2008's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 15.3-point gap between bands means the year you buy Peugeot 2008 has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

89.1%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 89.1% — a 15.3-point improvement. Tests in this band average 24,452 miles — roughly 38K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: blade defective, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.

Band to be cautious about

73.8%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 73.8% pass rate against a fleet average of 89.1% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no…, inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, and constant velocity boot severely deteriorated. Average mileage on test for this band is 62,929 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (89.1% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (73.8% pass). That's a 15.3-point spread across 132,789 older tests and 375 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.

Item 01 · Amazon UK

H7 / W21W bulb pack

A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.

Search Amazon UK

Item 02 · Amazon UK

Digital tyre-tread depth gauge

Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Hycote

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Peugeot Black 12.5ml

£6.59

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Hycote

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Peugeot Cherry 12.5ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Peugeot Diablo Red Pearlescent 12.5ml

£6.59

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Hycote

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Peugeot Indigo Blue 12.5ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

Book a mechanic at your door.

Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.

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Recall history

31 UK recalls on record.

The 2008 has 31 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a 2008?

Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.

If you own a 2008 and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.