Peugeot
407
17,920 MOT tests analysed. runs below the UK fleet average — here's where 407s pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 13.1 points below the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — buyers should expect more first-time fails than the typical UK car.
Pass
64.4%
Pass-after-fix
6.3%
Fail
28.5%
Avg miles
125,188
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Diesel cars registered before September 2015 are typically pre-Euro 6 — subject to daily charges in London ULEZ (£12.50), Birmingham CAZ (£8), Bristol CAZ (£9), and Glasgow LEZ. Daily charges if driven in the zone: London £12.50 · Birmingham £8.00 · Bristol £9.00 .
The picture
Peugeot 407: challenging MOT record across 15,391 tests
The Peugeot 407 is a large family car (D-segment) produced by the French automaker Peugeot from 2004 to 2011. It was available in saloon, coupé and estate variants, with both diesel and petrol engines.
MOT data from 15,391 tests puts this car on a 64.3% first-time pass rate, well below the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 122,713 miles. The most common fail item is transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, followed by failed number plate light.
Honest John owner records point to anti-roll bar and suspension bushes failing prematurely and turbocharger reliability concerns as the recurring problems to check before buying used.
The 407's pass rate warrants caution in the used market. Factor in likely first-test remedial work on the common failure items and get a pre-purchase inspection that covers the specific items this car trips on most.
ABI Insurance Group
Group 6–24
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 →
6–24
out of 50
Top ten reasons for rejection.
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- 01
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated
1,223 occurrences · 6.8% of tests
- 02
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
1,161 occurrences · 6.5% of tests
- 03
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
1,159 occurrences · 6.5% of tests
- 04
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
693 occurrences · 3.9% of tests
- 05
Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective
598 occurrences · 3.3% of tests
- 06
Warning device shows system malfunction
521 occurrences · 2.9% of tests
- 07
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
487 occurrences · 2.7% of tests
- 08
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
485 occurrences · 2.7% of tests
- 09
A tyre cords visible or damaged
463 occurrences · 2.6% of tests
- 10
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
452 occurrences · 2.5% 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
£18–£115
If every one of this 407'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 →
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Build your own retest budget.
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
Headlight restoration kit
Yellowed lenses fail the light-output test. A restoration kit lifts the haze in an afternoon for £20.
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 →
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Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Peugeot Diablo Red Pearlescent 12.5ml
£6.59
View at My Motor World →
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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.
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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.
What's good
Good, sharp steering and handling. Excellent 2.2 173PS diesel engine.
Recent owner-reported faults
- 30 May 2012
9th Least Reliable 3-5 year old family car in 2012 analysis of Warranty Direct Claims records on [www.reliabilityindex.com](http://www.reliabilityindex.
- 25 Jan 2012
More reports of turbo oil starvation on 1.6HDI leading to expensive catastrophes. The cure is not just a new turbo, but new oil pipe, pump, pick-up, etc etc. Ford dealer prices for repairs are £1,200 for parts alone. There was a Ford TSB45/2008 about this. Newer engines (2008+) have modified parts. Apparently you can get a new turbo for £350 plus £120 for a "kit" of modified pipes/pick-up unions etc. from Transitpartsuk (International Parts Ltd) to fit next week. eBay supplier TransitpartsUK The oil starvation is due to the oil in the oil feed pipe carbonising because drivers switch off the engines directly from too hot, without idling while the turbo spools down and cools down.
- 1 Jan 0001
Clonks from the front usually indicate excessive wear in the front suspension ball joints. A pin corrodes, causing excessive wear. Peugeot will sometimes pick up the parts cost if the car is Peugeot maintained and less than 5 years old. On earlier 407s front wheel hub lower bearings can suffer severe wear and were modified for later 407s. Reports of repeated EGR valve failure on 2.0HDI 136, possibly from trying to drive at too low revs. Problem of 1.6 and 2.0 16v diesels slipping into limp home mode put down to throttle butterflies sticking or their spindles wearing prematurely causing them to stick. The throttle position sensor identifies this and sends a message to the ECU to limit the engine to limp home mode. End of plastic dipstick of 1.6 HDI engine can break and drop into sump requiring removal of sump to retrieve it. Central Dash Display, Part No. 659349 fails and from March to September 2007 replacement parts were simply not available. Seems to be an unexplained problem of 407 diesel 6-speed automatics cutting out, pinpointed to be in relation to the ECU or Electrical Components Unit. Front suspension, and steering joints of early 407s can become badly worn by 30,000 miles and need replacing. Hose for Power steering can corrode through and leak on to the front o/s tyre also at 30,000. Tyre pressure sensors where fitted corrode and need replacing at over £100 each. Remember, on diesels, dual mass flywheels may only last 50,000 miles; diesel particulte filters may only last 80,000 miles.
Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 3 reports indexed
Recall history
14 UK recalls on record.
The 407 has 14 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.
Buying or keeping a 407?
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 407 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.