Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 310,558 tests

Pass rate climbs 14.3 points across the cohorts — newer 208 examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 269,165

Pass

73.5%

Fail

20.2%

PRS

5.6%

Avg mileage at test

64,508 mi

2018–2020 cohort 41,137

Pass

82.2%

Fail

12.3%

PRS

5.1%

Avg mileage at test

34,421 mi

2021+ cohort 256

Pass

87.9%

Fail

9.8%

PRS

1.9%

Avg mileage at test

20,333 mi

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

Generations on file · 2

Peugeot 208 · UK market

Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.

The picture

76% pass rate masks a diesel reliability gap

76.36% first-time pass from 218,701 tests is mid-table, and the 208 sits at a relatively young 54,571 miles average when tested. The routine failures are the rear number-plate lamp, CV joint boot condition, and tyre tread. The owner reports are where the real picture sharpens: a 2015 1.6 BlueHDI suffered diesel runaway at just under 50,000 miles, writing off the engine and turbo. The 1.2 PureTech petrol has its own record — metal filings causing engine failure on one 2013 example, which Peugeot replaced under goodwill, followed by a pressurised fuel pump failure two years later. A 2016 PureTech at 52,000 miles developed similar warning signs and needed diagnostics at the owner's cost. At this mileage the 208 looks routine on paper. Service history for the 1.2 petrol and diesel engine records are worth scrutinising before relying on the pass rate alone.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 4–18

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 →

4–18

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

17,404 occurrences · 5.6% of tests
02

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

9,802 occurrences · 3.2% of tests
03

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

5,815 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
04

A battery insecure but not likely to fall from carrier

5,564 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
05

Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer

5,160 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
06

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

4,591 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
07

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

4,236 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
08

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated

4,157 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
09

Exhaust system leaking or insecure

3,845 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
10

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

3,573 occurrences · 1.2% 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 2 failures

£68–£130

If every one of this 208'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 14.3-point gap between bands means the year you buy Peugeot 208 has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

87.9%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 87.9% — a 14.3-point improvement. Tests in this band average 20,333 miles — roughly 44K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: does not clear the windscreen effectively, blade defective — 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

73.5%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 73.5% pass rate against a fleet average of 87.9% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, constant velocity boot split or insecure, no…, and insecure but not likely to fall from carrier. Average mileage on test for this band is 64,508 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme. Honest John records: "Report of problems with 2013 Peugeot 208 1.6THP 165, bought used in 2016, now with 42,367 miles. First, low pressure fuel tank lifter pump failed. Then high pressure injection pump…"

Best band to buy: 2021+ (87.9% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (73.5% pass). That's a 14.3-point spread across 269,165 older tests and 256 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

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Book a mobile mechanic

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

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

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

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Owner reports · Honest John

What owners actually report.

Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.

Recent owner-reported faults

22 Jul 2021
2015 Peugeot 208 1.6 BlueHDI Allure breakdown with "diesel runaway" which has finished the engine and turbo. The vehicle is six years old and has done just shy of 50k miles - service history is up-to-date. Owner has been advised to replace the engine.
15 Jan 2020
Report of problems with 1.2 Puretech 82PS engine of 2016 Peugeot 208 at 52,000 miles, 12 months after used purchase. Engine became noisy, various warning lights on dash, etc. Transported to supplying used car dealer, paid £200 for diagnostics, they thought it might be inlet valves and 'cleaned' them. Apparently this cleared all the dash lights and error codes.
3 Jan 2020
Report of various problems with Peugeot 2013 1.2 Puretech over 76,500 miles. In 2017 engine failure due to metal filings. Eventually Peugeot replaced engine "under goodwill". In 2019 pressurised fuel pump problems; again Peugeot replaced pump FoC, although owner had to pay for diagnostic and labour.
18 Aug 2019
Report of failure of clutch of Peugeot 208 ETG at 18,000 miles. Repair cost £1700.
19 Jun 2019
Report of catalogue of problems with 2015 Peugeot 208 1.2 Puretech 110 Allure, bought used (didn't say when). L ong list of issues include Engine Management lights, brakes, discs, A/C, dampers.
15 Jun 2019
Report of engine failure of Peugeot 2012 208 1.2 Puretech at 55,800 miles. In February 2019 low oil pressure warning light came on when driving, oil level checked to find no oil. No evidence of oil leak. Car was taken to the dealership and no fault discovered, so was filled up with oil. By June 2019, engine warning light came on for immediate engine repair needed. Oil level checked and over 2 litres put in, orange warning light still on.
12 Feb 2019
Depending on the age of the car a 1.2 Puretech might be due a software update for the engine ecu. There's has been a software update campaign for the older Puretech 130s that Peugeot / Citroen main dealers will carry out when you take the car in for a service / other work.
28 Jan 2019
Faults reported with Peugeot 208 bought used in 2015 with 25,000 miles and now with 72,000 miles (engine not specified). From October 2016, in conjunction with other repair work (brakes, tyre, exhaust brackets welded) owner repeatedly reported that the oil warning light was frequently illuminating but that no oil could be seen leaking from under the car; however, the actual oil level was dropping very rapidly. In April 2017, the owner responding to a “STOP” warning as the engine warning light illuminated, called the AA (who topped up the oil again) .
7 Oct 2018
Report of problems with 2013 Peugeot 208 1.6THP 165, bought used in 2016, now with 42,367 miles. First, low pressure fuel tank lifter pump failed. Then high pressure injection pump failed. Then an injector failed. All sorted out, but then the same problems started occurring again.
13 Oct 2017
Report of "very very significant juddering” from drivetrain of 2014 Peugeot 208 1.2 Puretech Active when moving away in first gear. Owner notices this every journey, especially when driving in towns.
23 Jun 2017
Report of touchscreen failing in 2013 Peugeot 208, no longer under warranty.
26 Jul 2016
Folding mechanism of driver's seat of 3-door 32,000 mile 2012 Peugeot 208 failed. Peugeot offered a 25% discount on a replacement seat, bringing the cost down to £574, but if the car was properly Peugeot maintained and if the driver was not excessively heavy, this should not have happened.

Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 16 reports indexed, top 12 shown

Recall history

45 UK recalls on record.

The 208 has 45 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a 208?

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 208 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.