Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 34,668 tests

Pass rate climbs 12.3 points across the cohorts — newer 508 examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 24,224

Pass

73.9%

Fail

20.7%

PRS

4.8%

Avg mileage at test

113,596 mi

2018–2020 cohort 8,482

Pass

86.6%

Fail

10.6%

PRS

2.5%

Avg mileage at test

46,790 mi

2021+ cohort 1,962

Pass

86.1%

Fail

12.1%

PRS

1.4%

Avg mileage at test

35,723 mi

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

The picture

Peugeot 508: mixed MOT record across 22,321 tests

The Peugeot 508 is a mid-size/large family car produced by the French automaker Peugeot since 2010, and followed by the 508 SW, an estate version, in 2011. Since 2012, the 508 has been the flagship model by Peugeot, slotted above the 208 and 308 in size.

MOT data from 22,321 tests puts this car on a 75.1% first-time pass rate, roughly in line with the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 94,548 miles. The most common fail item is failed number plate light, followed by tyre tread below the legal limit.

The Peugeot 508 is a handsome, upmarket large saloon that makes an appealing alternative to the ever-rising tide of SUVs from premium brands.

Buyers weighing up a used 508 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 24–35

Above average — worth comparing quotes before buying. 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 →

24–35

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

1,752 occurrences · 5.1% of tests
02

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

1,085 occurrences · 3.1% of tests
03

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

748 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
04

A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

700 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
05

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated

588 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
06

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

530 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
07

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

528 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
08

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

508 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
09

A tyre cords visible or damaged

433 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
10

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

404 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 4 failures

£228–£530

If every one of this 508'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 12.8-point gap between bands means the year you buy Peugeot 508 has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

86.6%

2018–2020 registration

the 2018–2020 band climbs to 86.6% — a 12.8-point improvement. Tests in this band average 46,790 miles — roughly 67K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: does not clear the windscreen effectively, 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. The stricter post-2018 MOT test rules meant manufacturers had to tighten up emissions and electrical checks, but this band still shows far fewer major failures on suspension and bodywork than the older fleet.

Band to be cautious about

73.9%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 73.9% pass rate against a fleet average of 86.6% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, and fractured or broken. Average mileage on test for this band is 113,596 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (86.6% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (73.9% pass). That's a 12.8-point spread across 24,224 older tests and 8,482 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

Item 03 · Amazon UK

Brake pad measurement gauge

Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.

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

View at My Motor World →

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

View at My Motor World →

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.

Get a quote →

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.

Where it falls short

Limited UK market for this type of car. Ride is too firm in most situations.

Recall history

15 UK recalls on record.

The 508 has 15 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a 508?

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 508 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.