Peugeot 208 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Peugeot 208 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Peugeot 208 passed on its first attempt in 77.9%, and its overall record sits +0.6 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Peugeot 208 in the 2023–2025 data: 723,065 tests across 12 model years (2012–2023). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Peugeot 208 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Peugeot 208, the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Peugeot 208's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Peugeot 208 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Peugeot 208, each with how many of the model's 723,065 tests it was noted on.

• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 44,919 Peugeot 208 tests, 6.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (Major) — noted on about 21,335 Peugeot 208 tests, 3.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Battery(ies) insecure but not likely to fall from carrier" (Minor) — noted on about 13,323 Peugeot 208 tests, 1.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp not working on dipped beam" (Major) — noted on about 12,952 Peugeot 208 tests, 1.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits" (Major) — noted on about 11,320 Peugeot 208 tests, 1.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps" (Rectified) — noted on about 9,818 Peugeot 208 tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Peugeot 208 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Peugeot 208 model year on record is 2023 (95.5% across 760 tests), and the weakest is 2012 (74.3%). The gap between them is 21.2 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Peugeot 208 reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.7 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Peugeot 208 Owners

These checks follow this Peugeot 208's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Peugeot 208.

• the lights — “registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”

  Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.

• the battery — “battery(ies) insecure”

  Check the battery is secure and its terminals are clean and tight — a loose battery is a fail on its own, and a weak one shows up as slow cranking on a cold morning.

• the exhaust and emissions — “catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits”

  Listen for a blow at idle and have someone rev it gently. Then look at the tailpipe smoke: blue is oil, white when warm is coolant, black is over-fuelling. Any of those and the emissions test is the least of it.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Peugeot 208. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: Peugeot 208 MOT & Reliability