MOT Risk Index.co.uk

Peugeot 308 — MOT statistics 2024

The Peugeot 308 failed 35.87% of 133,166 first MOT attempts in 2024 ("first-time", excluding retests). Adjusted for the age of the fleet, its initial-failure ratio is 119.8 (100 = expected for its age profile). This car fails its MOT about 20% more often than expected for its age.

MOT risk index 119.8, 95% CI 119.0–120.7 (100 = national average) 100 119.8 0 200
Index
119.8
100 = age-normal
Raw fail rate
35.87%
n = 133,166
Dangerous /100
14
national ≈11
Diesel − petrol
+7.7 pp
fail-rate gap
Rank
652 of 761
lower index = better

Age-adjusted peer: Peugeot 208 (index 119.5) — the two published results are 0.3 index points apart.

Peugeot 308 common problems: what actually fails the MOT

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment stand out at 21.6 per 100 tests, against 14.9 per 100 tests across UK vehicles of the same ages.

higher bar = fails more oftenrate per 100 tests

Peugeot 308 common problems: what actually fails the MOT — 2024 UK MOT data

family vs national — matched to UK vehicles of the same ages — top component groups, per 100 tests. Legend: This family · National avg. Combined labels: family / national average. A gap here reflects how these vehicles are driven, used and maintained as well as how they were built — an MOT defect is a test outcome, not a breakdown.

Component-group comparison table

Each ratio carries a 95% interval. With 6 groups compared here, roughly one apparent difference in twenty is chance alone.

GroupThis familyCases behind itUK, same agesFamily / national
Lamps & electrical21.6185,12214.91.45×1.45–1.46
Suspension12.9110,60113.60.95×0.95–0.96
Brakes12.1103,52910.01.21×1.20–1.21
Tyres10.892,1819.01.21×1.19–1.21
Body & structure7.059,7454.11.69×1.68–1.70
Visibility6.455,1257.30.88×0.88–0.89
Named defects — items per 100 initial tests, this family vs UK national average; this model measured on 855,385 tests, 2019-2024, national column 2024
What failedper 100 tests (this family)per 100 tests (UK average)ratio family / UKWhat to check
Rear registration plate lamp or light source…A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources5.912.832.09×Try every light and switch — lamps are a top failure
Transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot…A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc4.201.562.70×Ask the seller about: A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or
Spring or spring component fractured or seriously…A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened4.702.861.64×Ask the seller about: A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the…Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements5.183.591.44×Check tyre tread depth across the full width
Brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mma brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm3.432.151.59×Feel for brake judder and pulling on the test drive
Steering ball joint with excessive wear or free playA steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play2.071.221.69×Ask the seller about: A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of…Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning2.201.501.47×Try every light and switch — lamps are a top failure
Aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down…The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements3.132.571.22×Try every light and switch — lamps are a top failure
Tyre seriously damagedA tyre seriously damaged2.562.541.01×Check tyre tread depth across the full width
Suspension pin, bush or joint excessively wornA suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn4.394.870.90×Listen for knocks over bumps — worn joints show up on the test

Named defects ranked by how much more often they appear than the national average — not by raw rate.

Peugeot 308 MOT advisories: what gets flagged

Tyres are highest at 45.5 per 100 tests; Body & structure are lowest at 2.3 per 100 tests — the gap is 43.2 per 100 tests.

higher bar = flagged more oftenadvisory items per 100 initial tests

Peugeot 308 MOT advisories: what gets flagged — 2024 UK MOT data
Advisory rates table
GroupAdvisories per 100
Tyres45.5
Brakes41.1
Suspension18.8
Non-component advisories8.2
Emissions & leaks6.4
Body & structure2.3

Advisories are wear the tester noted but didn't fail — what will need money soon.

Tyres, brakes and suspension: Peugeot 308 against cars of the same age

AgePartPeugeot 308Same age, petrol and dieselDifference
3 yearsTyres5.454.171.28
3 yearsBrakes1.761.77-0.01
3 yearsSuspension1.130.630.50
4 yearsTyres5.924.541.38
4 yearsBrakes2.62.430.17
4 yearsSuspension1.981.210.77
5 yearsTyres6.725.061.66
5 yearsBrakes3.683.090.59
5 yearsSuspension2.982.190.79
6 yearsTyres6.985.541.44
6 yearsBrakes4.523.810.71
6 yearsSuspension4.253.720.53
7 yearsTyres7.525.951.57
7 yearsBrakes5.314.550.76
7 yearsSuspension5.735.680.05
8 yearsTyres7.776.311.46
8 yearsBrakes6.035.380.65
8 yearsSuspension7.537.78-0.25

Failing items per 100 initial tests, 2019-2024. The comparison group is every petrol or diesel car tested at the same age, so weight and drivetrain show up rather than fleet age.

If a car like this fails, does it fail again?

A failure rate does not say whether a failure is a one-off or the start of something. This follows the same vehicles into their next ordinary MOT a year later — retests after a repair are excluded, because they follow a failure by definition. 2019-2024.

After this year's testFails next yearVehicles followed
It failed40.5%57,636
It passed28.7%441,373

A failed test raises next year's chance of failing again by 11.8 percentage points. The failure most likely to come back is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 40.1% of those vehicles fail again next year. Some of this is the vehicle and some is the owner: a car that was let go once tends to be let go again. One caveat: a car that fails may be sold or scrapped rather than tested again, so these figures describe the vehicles that came back.

Adjusted for how much these are actually driven

The headline index adjusts for the fleet's age. Wear, though, follows mileage: a three-year-old taxi and a three-year-old garage queen sit in the same age band. These two rows compare every car with vehicles of the same age, and then with vehicles of the same age and the same annual mileage, 2019-2024, on 851,581 tests. Both stand on the six-year corpus so they are measured on identical data — compare them with each other, not with the headline index above, which is measured on 2024 alone.

Standardised forIndexReading
Age only116.4fails more often than expected
Age and annual mileage113.1fails more often than vehicles driven as much
Share doing under 3,000 miles a year2.9%a normal spread of use

Mileage changes little here (-3.3 points): this fleet is driven about as much as the vehicles it is compared with. One limit to keep in mind: mileage is partly a result of how often a car breaks down — one that spends weeks in the workshop covers fewer miles — so the mileage-matched figure can understate a real weakness. Tests with no usable odometer reading are left out of it.

How the Peugeot 308 compares with cars of its own age and size

Not against the whole fleet — against cars of the same size class tested at the same age, 2019-2024.

AgePeugeot 308Same class, same ageDifferenceTests
3 years13.38%11.28%+2.09 pp49,162
4 years16.21%14.22%+1.99 pp58,862
5 years19.72%17.39%+2.34 pp68,175
6 years23.11%20.73%+2.38 pp72,310
7 years26.86%24.29%+2.56 pp75,392
8 years30.03%28.13%+1.9 pp77,014
9 years35.02%31.99%+3.03 pp78,567
10 years39.84%35.53%+4.3 pp83,479
11 years44.16%38.56%+5.6 pp87,552
12 years45.8%41.18%+4.62 pp73,344
13 years47.84%43.23%+4.61 pp56,527
14 years49.4%44.99%+4.41 pp40,408
15 years50.9%46.28%+4.62 pp22,836
16 years51.59%47.33%+4.26 pp9,043
17 years51.47%47.79%+3.68 pp853

Raw first-time failure rates within each age, so fleet age cannot flatter either side. A positive difference means this model fails more often than its own class at that age.

How does the Peugeot 308 perform as it gets older?

The 308 at age 11 stands out at 42.8%, against 33.2% for all vehicles of the same age.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

How does the Peugeot 308 perform as it gets older? — 2024 UK MOT data

Chart axes: car age, years · failure-rate scale 0–55%.

Takeaway: a 10-year-old 308 has roughly a 37% chance of failing its MOT; from about age 4 it stays above the national age curve.

Data table
AgePeugeot 308All vehiclesGap
311.7%12.4%-0.7 pp
413.6%13.1%+0.5 pp
516.6%15.1%+1.4 pp
622.1%17.5%+4.6 pp
724.7%20.2%+4.5 pp
828.8%23.3%+5.5 pp
931.4%26.5%+4.9 pp
1036.8%30.1%+6.7 pp
1142.8%33.2%+9.6 pp
1242.8%35.7%+7.1 pp
1342.5%38.2%+4.3 pp
1447.7%40.4%+7.3 pp
1550.1%41.6%+8.6 pp
1651.3%43.1%+8.2 pp
1751.3%43.1%+8.2 pp

Is a Peugeot 308 ULEZ compliant?

The share of classifiable 2024 Peugeot 308 MOT tests likely ULEZ compliant by first-registration date is 53.9%.

Based on 132,910 classifiable initial MOT tests. This describes the tested fleet, not a specific car. MOT data do not record Euro class, so likely compliance is inferred from fuel and first-registration date. For the only authoritative answer, check the registration with TfL's official ULEZ checker.

higher = larger share likely compliantinferred from fuel and first-registration date; not a recorded Euro class

Age-band estimate from classifiable initial MOT tests
Vehicle age at testLikely ULEZ-compliant shareTests
Under 3 yearsSuppressed — sample below publication threshold
Check a registration with TfL
n = 84
3–5 years100.0%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 12,629
6–7 years100.0%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 17,772
8 years100.0%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 14,696
9 years50.6%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 13,974
10–14 years21.4%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 54,003
15–17 years39.4%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 19,751
18 yearsSuppressed — sample below publication threshold
Check a registration with TfL
n = 1
19 yearsSuppressed — sample below publication threshold
Check a registration with TfL
n = 0
20+ yearsSuppressed — sample below publication threshold
Check a registration with TfL
n = 0

Peugeot 308 petrol vs diesel: which ages best

Diesel is highest at 38.5%; Petrol is lowest at 30.7% — the gap is 7.7 percentage points.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

Peugeot 308 petrol vs diesel: which ages best — 2024 UK MOT data
Fuel split table
FuelTests% failingGap vs best
Diesel88,39738.5%+7.7 pp
Petrol44,73630.7%+0.0 pp

Chart sample sizes: n=88k · n=45k.

How dangerous are Peugeot 308 MOT failures?

Dangerous defects stand out at 14.0 per 100 tests, against 11.2 per 100 tests nationally.

higher bar = fails more oftenrate per 100 tests

How dangerous are Peugeot 308 MOT failures? — 2024 UK MOT data
Severity table
SeverityThis family /100National /100Family / national
Minor13.9614.220.98×
Major52.7752.751.00×
Dangerous13.9611.151.25×

Chart values: Minor 14.0 · Major 52.8 · Dangerous 14.0.

Per 100 tests on this family. National average: Minor 14.2 · Major 52.8 · Dangerous 11.2 per 100.

Does the month of a Peugeot 308 MOT matter?

Oct is highest at 35.5%; Mar is lowest at 31.2% — the gap is 4.3 percentage points.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

Does the month of a Peugeot 308 MOT matter? — 2024 UK MOT data

Chart scale: 27%–37%.

bars: Peugeot 308 · dashed: all class-4 cars

Month-by-month table
MonthPeugeot 308All vehiclesGap
Jan35.02%31.12%+3.9 pp
Feb33.84%29.99%+3.9 pp
Mar31.18%28.26%+2.9 pp
Apr33.85%29.78%+4.1 pp
May32.31%28.79%+3.5 pp
Jun31.62%28.15%+3.5 pp
Jul33.37%29.33%+4.0 pp
Aug33.93%29.2%+4.7 pp
Sep32.58%28.19%+4.4 pp
Oct35.45%30.34%+5.1 pp
Nov34.86%30.58%+4.3 pp
Dec34.35%29.33%+5.0 pp

Takeaway: the spread between best and worst month is 4.3 percentage points — noticeable seasonality. Seasonality partly reflects registration-date clustering, not weather.

Before reading the shape: most of it is not about cars. Britain changes its registration plates twice a year, and 18.9% of these cars were first registered in March with another17.1% in September — 36% in two months against the 17% an even spread would give. An MOT falls due three years after first registration, so the buying calendar becomes the testing calendar. That shapes how many cars are tested each month — not how often they fail: the busiest months here are not the worst ones, so read the failure line on its own and the volume behind it separately.

Peugeot 308 average mileage by age

At age 8, the middle half of 308s runs from 50,497 miles to 87,838 miles, against 67,690 miles as the median.

further right = more milesmedian is the typical car; band is p25–p75

Bars: Peugeot 308 · dashed: all class-4 cars — 2024 UK MOT data

Chart axes: car age, years · odometer scale 0–134k mi.

Does high mileage mean more Peugeot 308 MOT failures at the same age?

Within the same age group, split by odometer (2024 MOTs), so this separates wear from age: at ages 10–14, 24.8% of those with under 40,000 miles failed first time versus 50.8% of those with over 140,000 miles.Inside this age group, higher mileage goes with more failures.

Does high mileage mean more Peugeot 308 MOT failures at the same age? — 2024 UK MOT data
Peugeot 308: first-time failure by mileage within each age group (2024)
AgeOdometer% failing95% intervalTests
3–5<40k miles10.9%10.2–11.6%7,580
3–540-70k miles20.4%19.1–21.7%3,729
3–570-100k miles23.1%20.5–25.9%953
3–5100-140k miles26.2%21.6–31.5%301 (rough estimate)
3–5140k+ miles20.6%12.5–32.2%63 (rough estimate)
6–9<40k miles16%15.2–16.8%7,481
6–940-70k miles26%25.4–26.6%18,971
6–970-100k miles32%31.2–32.8%12,758
6–9100-140k miles35.4%34.2–36.6%5,707
6–9140k+ miles36.9%34.5–39.3%1,521
10–14<40k miles24.8%23.2–26.5%2,536
10–1440-70k miles35%34.2–35.9%12,056
10–1470-100k miles43.5%42.8–44.2%18,915
10–14100-140k miles47.1%46.3–47.9%15,201
10–14140k+ miles50.8%49.4–52.1%5,209
15+<40k miles28%24.1–32.2%468 (rough estimate)
15+40-70k miles42%40.3–43.7%3,115
15+70-100k miles51.6%50.3–52.8%6,212
15+100-140k miles53.6%52.4–54.8%6,726
15+140k+ miles54.2%52.4–55.9%3,197

line: median · band: middle half of the fleet (p25–p75)

Mileage by age (p25 / median / p75)
Agep25Medianp75Tests
317,95928,03345,8711,617
420,31629,76442,0253,758
528,22139,27053,2977,254
636,24549,29365,6268,502
743,45158,39377,6699,273
850,49767,69087,83814,696
958,28176,40398,16013,974
1061,71381,220103,62012,139
1164,84186,000108,64110,307
1270,41992,358115,9909,978
1371,41693,246117,8469,491
1473,90696,126121,90212,088
1576,52199,432126,07111,062
1678,694101,100127,5547,838
1780,102103,191126,155851

A typical 8-year-old 308 has ~67,690 miles on the clock. Much more — ask why; much less — check for gaps in the MOT history.

Where in Britain the Peugeot 308 fails its MOT most

Kirkcaldy area is highest at 48.3%; Southend-on-Sea area is lowest at 24.1% — the gap is 24.2 percentage points.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

Where in Britain the Peugeot 308 fails its MOT most — 2024 UK MOT data
Toughest areas% failingvs model overall
Kirkcaldy (KY)48.25%+14.7 pp
Dundee (DD)46.72%+13.2 pp
Sunderland (SR)45.1%+11.6 pp
Aberdeen (AB)42.96%+9.4 pp
Hull (HU)41.91%+8.4 pp
Easiest areas% failingvs model overall
Southend-on-Sea (SS)24.09%-9.4 pp
Kingston upon Thames (KT)24.84%-8.7 pp
Twickenham (TW)26.15%-7.4 pp
Romford (RM)26.2%-7.3 pp
London SW (SW)26.34%-7.2 pp

Why do areas differ?

For each external factor we correlate the area fail rate with the factor across postcode areas that have ≥800 tests of this family, then compare the bottom vs top fifth (quintile) of the factor. Correlation, not causation — factors travel together (the north is colder and often poorer; urban areas are denser and less salted). Road surface condition is joined now, for the 91 English areas the DfT publishes, and it explains nothing: the correlation with suspension failures is −0.01 and with body and structure failures 0.07. Potholes wreck wheels and tyres between tests, but by the time a car reaches the bay the road it drives on leaves no measurable trace.

In areas with the highest mot centre density this model fails 8.5 pp more often than in the lowest fifth (r=0.57, n=116 areas with ≥800 tests).

In areas with the highest frost days this model fails 5.9 pp more often than in the lowest fifth (r=0.55, n=116 areas with ≥800 tests).

In areas with the highest road-salt proxy this model fails 6.7 pp more often than in the lowest fifth (r=0.52, n=116 areas with ≥800 tests).

Peugeot 308 Why do areas differ? — 2024 UK MOT data
Values shown in the quintile chart
FactorLow QHigh QGapCorrelation
MOT centre density28.4%37.0%+8.6 ppr=0.57
Frost days31.7%37.5%+5.8 ppr=0.55
Road-salt proxy30.6%37.3%+6.7 ppr=0.52

Factors that only mean something combined

Some conditions are useless on their own and informative multiplied together. Frost days alone say little — Britain barely freezes. Salt tonnage alone says little — it tracks frost. Distance to the sea alone says little. Multiply the first two and divide by the third and you get an index of how hard an area attacks a car's underside, and it lines up with the corrosion defects we actually record. We built five such combinations and tested each against our own data. Three survived; two did not, and the failures are listed here on purpose — a proxy that was never checked is decoration. One survivor only survived on the second attempt: built from a crude stand-in for street parking it failed outright, and rebuilt from the census — terraced streets carrying more cars than they have driveways — it works, and carries information the salt index does not.

Composite area indicators, each tested against a defect rate we measure
CompositeBuilt fromTested againstrVerdict
Underbody corrosionfrost days × salt load ÷ (distance to coast + 1)share of tests with a corrosion defect+0.42holds (116 areas)
Tyre wearrain days × annual miles ÷ age at first tyre advisoryshare of tests failing on tyres+0.45holds (116 areas)
Overnight corrosionterraced housing × cars per household × frost daysshare with a corrosion defect+0.41holds (102 areas) — and adds signal beyond the first index
Deferred maintenancedeprivation × advisory-to-failure conversion ÷ labour ratecars repeating the same advisory−0.26fails (118 areas)
Powertrain stressengine capacity ÷ kerb weightsuspension, brake and emissions failures−0.16fails (22 models)

The deprivation result is the one worth dwelling on. The intuition that poorer areas defer repairs is strong enough that most people treat it as established. We tested it twice — once on raw failure rates (r = 0.04) and again, more fairly, on whether an advisory turns into a failure — and it did not hold any of the three times we tried it — on raw failure rates, on advisory-to-failure conversion, and again with deprivation measured properly inside each nation rather than England alone. We are closing it. What does predict local failure rates is the density of test centres, which is a statement about testing, not about cars.

All external-factor correlations (machine-readable)
Factorrn areasLow-Q fail %High-Q fail %Gap ppLow-Q factorHigh-Q factor
MOT centre density (per 10k vehicles)0.57111628.437.0+8.558.9
Frost days (days/year)0.54511631.737.5+5.911.838
Road-salt proxy (g/m²-yr)0.52311630.637.3+6.7223674.9
Urban share (0–1)-0.34911635.029.3-5.80.41
Distance to coast (km)-0.32411636.632.5-4.1678.7
Income deprivation (score)0.3179730.734.3+3.60.10.2
Terrain gradient (% grade)0.1866933.735.3+1.50.54.2

Deprivation uses England IMD 2019 income score only (Scotland SIMD is a different scale). Salt proxy is a simplified NWSRG-style dry-salt sum from air Tmin; coastalness is distance from the area centroid to the nearest coastline.

Every dot is a postcode area — size = how many were tested there, colour = share failing. These figures are not age-adjusted: coastal and rural areas often run older fleets and salted roads, so higher raw fail rates do not automatically mean a worse local stock of this model.

Map labels: Scotland · N. England · Wales · London · S. West. Colour scale: 27%–41% failing.

Peugeot 308 survival: which cars are still on the road

By age 17 is well below the reference at 1.3%, against 100.0% at the ages 4–6 reference level.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

Peugeot 308 survival: which cars are still on the road — 2024 UK MOT data

Chart axes: car age, years · survival vs ages 4–6 · scale 0–105%.

Survival vs fail rate by age
AgeTestsSurvival vs ages 4–6Fail %
349,16274%13.38%
458,86288.6%16.21%
568,175100%19.72%
672,310100%23.11%
775,392100%26.86%
877,014100%30.03%
978,567100%35.02%
1083,479100%39.84%
1187,552100%44.16%
1273,344100%45.8%
1356,52785.1%47.84%
1440,40860.8%49.4%
1522,83634.4%50.9%
169,04313.6%51.59%
178531.3%51.47%

By age 17, only about 1% as many cars of this family present for MOT as at ages 4–6 (reference n≈66,449); survivors still fail at 51.5% vs 16.2% at age 4. Older cars that still appear are a selected subset — weaker ones have already left.

How many miles does a Peugeot 308 last?

100,000+ miles is highest at 22.0%; 200,000+ miles is lowest at 0.5% — the gap is 21.5 percentage points.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

OdometerTests ≥ thresholdShare of sample
100,000+ miles187,30121.99%
150,000+ miles29,5553.47%
200,000+ miles4,0580.48%

Of 851,837 tests of this family with a usable odometer in 2024, 22.0% had reached 100k miles, 3.5% had reached 150k miles, 0.5% had reached 200k miles. This is a cross-section of cars still presenting for MOT, not a full birth cohort.

How many years is a Peugeot 308 likely to last?

Bought at age 5 is highest at 9.5 years; Bought at age 15 is lowest at 0.9 years — the gap is 8.6 years.

bigger number = longer remaining lifeyears on the observed survival curve

Age nowTypical mileage (p50)Expected years left
5—9.5
8—6.5
10—4.5
12—2.5
15—at least 0.9

estimateEstimate only — not a warranty: a typical 10-year-old example of this family has about 4.5 expected years of further MOT-present life on the 2024 survival curve. Derived from how many cars of each age still appear for test, not from a longitudinal panel.

Peugeot 308 faults that come together

Identification + Road Wheels stand out at 6.38×, against 1.00× if the faults were independent.

above 1.0× = more than expectedbelow 1.0× = less

Group AGroup BTogetherLift
Identification of the vehicleRoad Wheels406.38× (rough estimate)
Identification of the vehicleSeat belts and supplementary restraint systems625.31× (rough estimate)
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systemsSteering5504.52×
Road WheelsSeat belts and supplementary restraint systems674.49× (rough estimate)
Noise, emissions and leaksSeat belts and supplementary restraint systems8524.28×
Identification of the vehicleNoise, emissions and leaks3514.2× (rough estimate)
BrakesIdentification of the vehicle6134.02×
Identification of the vehicleVisibility4494× (rough estimate)
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systemsSuspension1,8553.87×
Identification of the vehicleSteering1963.83× (rough estimate)
Road WheelsSteering2453.75× (rough estimate)
SteeringSuspension7,6993.67×
BrakesSeat belts and supplementary restraint systems1,3223.65×
Identification of the vehicleLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment1,0623.59×
Body, chassis, structureSteering4,3463.42×
Noise, emissions and leaksSteering2,9813.42×
Road WheelsVisibility4893.41× (rough estimate)
BrakesSteering5,3913.39×
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentSeat belts and supplementary restraint systems2,3723.37×
BrakesRoad Wheels6383.28×
Road WheelsTyres6633.27×
Noise, emissions and leaksRoad Wheels3493.27× (rough estimate)
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systemsVisibility8703.26×
Body, chassis, structureNoise, emissions and leaks6,7473.25×
Body, chassis, structureIdentification of the vehicle3943.23× (rough estimate)
Body, chassis, structureSeat belts and supplementary restraint systems9353.22×
BrakesNoise, emissions and leaks8,2263.17×
Identification of the vehicleTyres4943.12× (rough estimate)
Body, chassis, structureSuspension15,4243.08×
Identification of the vehicleSuspension6203.08×
Road WheelsSuspension7903.07×
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentNoise, emissions and leaks15,4073.05×
BrakesSuspension18,9513.03×
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentRoad Wheels1,1463.03×
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentSteering9,2513×
Body, chassis, structureBrakes11,0702.92×
Noise, emissions and leaksVisibility5,5132.88×
Noise, emissions and leaksSuspension9,6632.81×
BrakesLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment25,2732.75×
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentVisibility18,5322.73×
BrakesTyres13,1122.67×
BrakesVisibility9,3112.67×
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentSuspension31,6582.6×
SteeringVisibility2,9632.53×
Body, chassis, structureRoad Wheels3902.5× (rough estimate)
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systemsTyres9232.45×
SteeringTyres4,0012.42×
Body, chassis, structureLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment17,7172.41×
TyresVisibility8,6832.4×
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentTyres22,7792.38×
SuspensionVisibility10,8612.35×
Noise, emissions and leaksTyres6,2682.32×
SuspensionTyres14,4342.22×
Body, chassis, structureVisibility6,1982.22×
Body, chassis, structureTyres7,9702.02×
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentSeat belt installation check17too few (rough estimate)
BrakesSeat belt installation check7too few (rough estimate)
Seat belt installation checkSuspension7too few (rough estimate)
Seat belt installation checkVisibility5too few (rough estimate)
Body, chassis, structureSeat belt installation check5too few (rough estimate)

Defects in «Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems» and «Steering» appear together 4.52× more often than chance (550 co-occurrences in the same test; lift≥1.3, n≥500).

Lift = how many times more often both groups appear on the same test than if independent. A pair is listed from 5 tests with both faults; the lift is shown from 20, and called above chance only when its 95% interval excludes 1 (see rough estimates).

Is low mileage better for a Peugeot 308?

Cars driven under 5,000 miles a year is well below the reference at 25.2%, against 40.2% for cars driven 8,000–12,000 miles a year.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

BandFail %Tests
<5k miles/year25.23%97,392
8–12k miles/year40.22%255,268
Gap (low − normal)-14.99 pp—
By fuel and age

Diesel

AgeLow-use fail %nNormal fail %nGap pp
511.43,19321.7216,014-10.32 pp
612.943,96525.5319,876-12.6 pp
716.774,56129.3723,316-12.59 pp
818.85,02132.825,110-13.99 pp
922.965,18238.1625,251-15.2 pp
1026.65,36542.8625,704-16.27 pp
1129.835,17247.6625,465-17.83 pp
1231.264,16549.6720,757-18.41 pp
1334.683,29051.8615,248-17.18 pp
1437.32,45353.7810,315-16.47 pp

Petrol

AgeLow-use fail %nNormal fail %nGap pp
59.565,61520.096,953-10.53 pp
612.284,83024.115,616-11.83 pp
714.414,22628.014,355-13.6 pp
817.314,14833.253,916-15.94 pp
923.084,50739.854,735-16.78 pp
1027.925,57747.495,799-19.57 pp
1133.526,85552.126,879-18.59 pp
1234.77,02652.675,067-17.97 pp
1336.936,62954.073,148-17.14 pp
1439.785,60955.151,739-15.37 pp

At matched ages 5–14, cars averaging under 5k miles/year fail at 25.2% vs 40.2% for 8–12k miles/year — 15.0 pp lower (n_low=97,392, n_normal=255,268). In this family low annual use is associated with fewer MOT fails, not more — the ‘garage queen’ penalty is not visible in overall fail rates. Diesel alone: 23.9% low-use vs 39.0% normal (-15.2 pp).

Which Peugeot 308 engine is best?

diesel 1.2–1.5 is highest at 127.2; petrol 1.0–1.2 is lowest at 80.1 — the gap is 47.1 points.

below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age

Engine bands against this model's own failure rate at the same ages
FuelCapacityvs own age normRaw fail %Tests
petrol1.0–1.2 litre80.116.47%109,937
petrol1.5–1.8 litre96.940.6%132,188
diesel1.8–2.0 litre99.431.53%66,649
petrol1.8–2.0 litre100.542.36%491 (rough estimate)
petrol1.2–1.5 litre100.644.21%32,757
diesel1.5–1.8 litre103.634.93%511,072
diesel1.2–1.5 litre127.225.38%1,702 (rough estimate)

Splitting this model by fuel alone hides the thing that actually differs. Within the same badge, the diesel 1.5–1.8 runs at 103.6 against this model's own age norm while the petrol 1.0–1.2 runs at 80.1 — a spread of 23.5 points between two cars that share a name.

Read this one with more care than the rest of the page. Age is held constant, but who buys which engine is not: the largest capacity in a range is often a performance or executive variant that is garaged, cherished and lightly driven, while the smallest is frequently a fleet or entry car worked hard from new. The gap below is real in the test records; how much of it is the engine and how much is the owner, this data cannot separate. Bands under 100 tests are not shown; bands under 5,000 tests are rough estimates.

Best year for a Peugeot 308, and the years to avoid

Build year 2013 is highest at 108.6; Build year 2020 is lowest at 86.2 — the gap is 22.4 points.

below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age

build year vs the same model at the same age · 100 = as expected

Peugeot 308 build year vs the same model at the same age · 100 = as expected — 2024 UK MOT data
Peugeot 308 by build year, tests 2019–2024. Below 100 is better than the model's own age norm.
Every build year with its confidence interval
Build yearvs own age norm95% CIRaw fail %TestsVerdict
202086.280.7–91.712.35%7,547better
201992.889.6–9614.77%21,726better
201810299.4–104.517.94%34,525no different
201791.889.9–93.817.56%49,045better
2016101.499.9–102.821.56%90,232no different
201596.294.9–97.523.86%87,511better
201498.196.7–99.428.12%76,497better
2013108.6107.2–109.935.44%66,502worse
201297.596.3–98.735.45%67,311better
201189.688.5–90.835.69%66,375better
2010100.999.9–101.943.46%92,515no different
2009103.4102.4–104.347.33%97,457worse
2008105.2104.2–106.250.42%83,980worse
2007106.9104.1–109.752.73%10,656worse

The best build year here is 2020 and the weakest is 2013. Comparing build years sounds simple and is not: within a single year of testing, a car's build year and its age are the same number, so a naive comparison of years is a comparison of ages wearing a disguise. Each year below is measured against the same model at the same age in other cohorts, across six years of testing — 11 of 14 years come out distinguishable from their own model's age norm.

Two limits worth knowing before you act on this. Age, test year and build year are locked together by arithmetic, so the test-year effect is taken from the observed national failure level of each year rather than estimated — it is an adjustment, not a solution.

Peugeot 308 MOT repair costs

The MOT-failure repair budget per test runs from £81.33 to £154.53, against £54.85 for the test itself.

bigger number = costs morepounds per test, MOT-failing faults only

MOT repairs, budget
£81–155
per test, repairs only
The test itself
£54.85
statutory cap, unchanged since 2010
How the figure is built: chance of failing × typical price of that repair
ComponentFails per 100 testsTypical repairIts priceContribution
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment21.6 (nat. 18.09)Battery replacement (standard 12V lead-acid)£140£30.24
Suspension12.9 (nat. 15.36)Suspension coil spring (single corner)£180£23.22
Brakes12.1 (nat. 11.25)Front brake pads (parts + labour, typical hatchback)£150£18.15
Tyres10.8 (nat. 8.7)Tyre (single mid-range 16" fitted)£90£9.72

Multiply how often each component fails on this model by what that repair usually costs, and you get the amount an owner should expect to budget per test for MOT-failing faults only — roughly £81 to £155, on top of the test fee itself. It is a budgeting figure, not a quote: the spread between a set of pads and a set of discs is most of the range.

Prices are modal quotes from a hand-kept catalogue of published UK garage guides — we do not scrape the booking sites, their terms forbid it, so this list is short and updated by hand with a source and date against each line. Each line prices one typical repair in that group, not a full remedy, and only groups our catalogue actually covers are counted. The contrast worth noticing is the second card: the legal maximum for the test has been £54.85 since 2010, while the repairs it uncovers have followed inflation the whole time.

For scale from a different direction: Warrantywise, which sees used-car warranty claims rather than test failures, puts the average claim at £2,052 across the ten highest-claim models it ranks and £539 for Honda, the lowest-claim make in its index (Warrantywise index 2026, 1.6 million claims, cars aged 3–15). Those sit an order of magnitude above the figures in this table, and the gap is the point: a warranty claim is a gearbox or an engine, which almost never fails an MOT, while the faults that do fail one are corrosion, lamps and tyres, which no warranty pays for. The two numbers answer different questions and neither replaces the other.

Peugeot 308 running costs for a fleet

Vehicles failing at age 10 stand out at 37.0%, against 17.0% at age 5, tested in the same year.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

Fails per 100 at age 5
17
vehicles needing work
At age 10
37
other cars of this model tested at age 10 in 2024
Repairs per 100
£8,133
plus £5,485 in test fees
Off the road
1d
median; 46.72% cleared same day
Failure rate and typical odometer by age
AgeFailsMedian odometerTestsGap vs age 5
311.69%28,0331,617-4.9 pp
413.57%29,7643,758-3.0 pp
516.56%39,2707,254+0.0 pp
622.09%49,2938,502+5.5 pp
724.67%58,3939,273+8.1 pp
828.81%67,69014,696+12.3 pp
931.42%76,40313,974+14.9 pp
1036.77%81,22012,139+20.2 pp
1142.75%86,00010,307+26.2 pp
1242.83%92,3589,978+26.3 pp
1342.49%93,2469,491+25.9 pp
1447.68%96,12612,088+31.1 pp
1550.14%99,43211,062+33.6 pp
1651.28%101,1007,838+34.7 pp
1751.35%103,191851+34.8 pp

The number a fleet manager needs is not the failure rate, it is the year the car starts costing more. Between cars aged 10 and cars aged 11, both tested in 2024, the failure rate of this model is 5.98 percentage points higher — the steepest one-year step in this cross-section of different cars, and a natural planning point for replacement.

Repair spend uses the same modal prices as the section above, so it inherits the same limits: one typical repair per component group, not a full remedy. Downtime is the gap between the failed test and the passed re-test, which is the window a vehicle is legally off the road.

Peugeot 308 rust problems: where they corrode

Age-standardised corrosion susceptibility is well below the reference at 0.61×, against 1.00× for the national age-standardised rate.

above 1.0× = rusts more than averagebelow 1.0× = rusts less

How it rusts
0.61×
0.47% of tests record a corrosion defect vs 0.77% typical — age-standardised
Salt Belt exposure
75th
percentile among the models published here, from its tests across 116 postcode areas

This Peugeot 308 fails on corrosion much less often than average once age is held constant, and its owners live in areas that are saltier than most for the models we publish. Both point the same way and reinforce each other: it resists corrosion even though its owners live in saltier areas than most.

Corrosion is the one failure mode that is as much about geography as about the car. We keep the two apart on purpose: a model can look rusty simply because it is popular in Scotland, and a model can look clean simply because it is bought in Surrey. Blending them into a single score would hide which of the two is doing the work.

Exposure is this model's tests weighted by an area corrosion index built from frost days, salt load and distance to the coast — the composite validated at r = 0.42 against corrosion defects we actually record. It is published as a rank, not a raw score, because every mainstream model skews towards low-corrosion areas for the simple reason that most of Britain's cars are in the south. Susceptibility is standardised to the national age profile, so an old fleet does not get labelled a rusty model.

Does a Peugeot 308 advisory become a failure?

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment are highest at 29.8%; Identification of the vehicle is lowest at 3.2% — the gap is 26.7 percentage points.

higher = more likelypercentage is the observed transition probability

chance the same component fails at the next MOT, given an advisory now

Peugeot 308 chance the same component fails at the next MOT, given an advisory now — 2024 UK MOT data
Peugeot 308, advisory → failure conversion by component group, chained tests 2019–2024. Chart labels and rates: Lamps & electrical 29.8% · Suspension 19.8% · Steering 19.6% · Brakes 12.8% · Body & chassis 12.7% · Noise, emissions, leaks 11% · Tyres 10.7% · Visibility 7.9%.
Advisory today → failure at the next test, with how long you have
ComponentFails next timeTypical lead timeMiles of warningAdvisories tracked
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment29.8%12 months5,7828,415
Suspension19.8%12 months6,30873,614
Steering19.6%12 months5,7767,307
Brakes12.8%12 months6,210155,063
Body, chassis, structure12.7%12 months5,64011,786
Noise, emissions and leaks11.0%12 months5,09235,671
Tyres10.7%12 months6,456184,283
Visibility7.9%12 months6,980672
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems3.7%12 months6,0164,400
Identification of the vehicle3.2%12 months6,56410,333

This is the question an advisory note actually raises, and it needs six years of test history to answer. We followed the same vehicles from one MOT to the next across 2019–2024 and measured how often a component that was merely advised came back as a genuine failure at the next test.

Read it as a budgeting horizon, not a prophecy: the most likely component above turns into a failure for about 30 in 100 cars, and the median gap is 12 months and roughly 5,782 miles. The rest were repaired, sold, scrapped, or simply held. Rows with fewer than 500 tracked advisories are not shown.

What will fail next on a Peugeot 308?

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment after a failure at age 15-19 are highest at 31.8%; Visibility after a passed at age <3 is lowest at 2.3% — the gap is 29.5 percentage points.

higher = more likelypercentage is the observed transition probability

Probability of each component failing at the next test, by age and last result
AgeLast testMost likely next failuresCars tracked
<3passedTyres 4.8% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 3.8% · Visibility 2.3%23,054
<3advisoryTyres 7.1% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 5.3% · Brakes 3.4%9,079
<3failureLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 8.1% · Tyres 7.0% · Brakes 3.8%4,657
3-5passedLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 7.2% · Tyres 5.3% · Suspension 3.2%84,235
3-5advisoryLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 10.2% · Tyres 7.7% · Brakes 5.0%49,665
3-5failureLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 12.7% · Tyres 8.9% · Suspension 6.3%31,203
6-8passedLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 10.3% · Suspension 7.1% · Tyres 6.0%75,509
6-8advisoryLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 13.9% · Suspension 9.1% · Tyres 8.4%57,026
6-8failureLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 17.5% · Suspension 12.4% · Tyres 9.8%54,269
9-11passedLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 13.3% · Suspension 11.1% · Brakes 6.7%59,924
9-11advisoryLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 18.3% · Suspension 14.6% · Brakes 10.3%55,835
9-11failureLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 23.3% · Suspension 18.3% · Brakes 13.2%81,488
12-14passedLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 17.8% · Suspension 12.9% · Body, chassis, structure 9.1%22,313
12-14advisoryLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 24.8% · Suspension 17.6% · Brakes 12.2%27,396
12-14failureLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 29.3% · Suspension 21.6% · Brakes 15.2%45,402
15-19passedLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 19.0% · Suspension 15.0% · Body, chassis, structure 13.5%986
15-19advisoryLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 28.1% · Suspension 20.0% · Body, chassis, structure 15.9%1,300
15-19failureLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 31.8% · Suspension 22.2% · Body, chassis, structure 15.7%2,692

The same chains, cut differently: given a car's age and how its last test went, which component most often causes trouble at the following one.

The pattern that repeats across every family: a failure at one test roughly doubles the chance of a failure on the same component at the next one, and an advisory sits about half-way between a clean pass and a failure. Age bands in years; probabilities are per car, not per defect item.

Peugeot 308 ownership: what six years of MOTs show

The ten-day re-test pass rate is highest at 50.9%; The later re-test pass rate is lowest at 2.4% — the gap is 48.5 percentage points.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

Fixed same day
46.72%
of failures re-tested
Fails /10k miles
0.488
miles actually driven
Clean streaks
31.73%
3+ tests, nothing noted
Odometer anomaly
1.748%
reading went backwards

Failing is usually a same-week event, not a disaster. Of 208,544 failures followed through to their re-test, 46.72% were repaired and passed the same day and 50.89% within ten days; the median gap is 1 day. 521,561 defect items were cleared in the process.

Per mile driven, not per year. Dividing failures by the miles that actually went onto the odometers between consecutive tests gives 0.488 failures per 10,000 miles, on a median of 5,790 miles a year across 163,890 chains. This is the number to compare between models — an annual rate quietly rewards cars that barely leave the drive.

Two populations hide inside one model. 31.73% of these cars strung together three or more tests with nothing recorded at all, while 34.68% carried the same advisory three times or more — the same fault, noted, ignored, noted again. When you buy used you are buying one of those two histories, and the MOT record shows which.

Odometer anomalies: 1.748% of 164,001 chains show a reading lower than the previous test, with a median drop of 36,007 miles. We call this an anomaly and not fraud on purpose — instrument swaps, imports, unit mix-ups and keying errors all land in the same bucket. Obvious typos (drops under 100 miles or over 90% of the reading) are already excluded.

Peugeot 308 safety recalls and how to check yours

DVSA recall campaigns stand out at 60.

bigger number = more recorded casescompare like-for-like scope, not sample size alone

recall campaigns launched per year

Peugeot 308 recall campaigns launched per year — 2024 UK MOT data
Campaigns launched per year for the Peugeot 308. Source: DVSA vehicle safety recalls. Chart values: 2012: 1 · 2013: 2 · 2014: 3 · 2015: 2 · 2016: 8 · 2017: 4 · 2018: 4 · 2019: 3 · 2020: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2025: 8 · 2026: 3.
Most recent safety recall campaigns for the Peugeot 308
ReferenceLaunchedVehiclesConcern
R/2026/22803/06/20263,494VSM software Interior door handles
R/2025/54221/04/2026645VSM software missing AEB telltale in case of blind camera.
R/2026/02021/01/202647Peugeot Cross carline Fuel Injection common rail.
R/2025/34418/08/2025604Emission recall – On Board Diagnostics
R/2025/27718/07/20251,062Peugeot Fuel Pipe
All 60 campaigns
ReferenceLaunchedBuild datesVehiclesConcern
R/2026/22803/06/202601/11/2023 – 12/02/20263,494VSM software Interior door handles
R/2025/54221/04/202616/02/2024 – 12/07/2024645VSM software missing AEB telltale in case of blind camera.
R/2026/02021/01/202628/08/2025 – 07/10/202547Peugeot Cross carline Fuel Injection common rail.
R/2025/34418/08/202514/10/2016 – 14/05/2021604Emission recall – On Board Diagnostics
R/2025/27718/07/202502/04/2024 – 17/04/20251,062Peugeot Fuel Pipe
R/2025/26515/07/202512/10/2015 – 01/02/201911,291Peugeot 308 Seat belt fastening
R/2025/24603/07/202513/01/2021 – 31/01/20237,383Peugeot DV5R Engines Camshaft Chain.
R/2025/18513/05/202516/10/2023 – 26/06/20182,113Too Low Exhauxt Temperature.
R/2025/05413/02/202515/02/2023 – 13/09/202417Peugeot 308 408 3008 5008 Fuel Pipe Leakage
R/2025/04507/02/202527/06/2023 – 20/02/2024307Peugeot 208308 eVCU update
R/2025/02927/01/202531/08/2023 – 25/09/20242,529Peugeot 308408 Door ECU software update.
R/2024/23729/05/202408/06/2022 – 07/06/20232Peugeot 308 E-call not working due to duplicate IMEI
R/2024/10121/02/202428/06/2023 – 15/01/202428Peugeot 308 VIN label wrong rear axle data.
R/2023/29009/10/202316/03/2023 – 30/08/202376On affected vehicles due to a potential lack of electric parking brake application when th
R/2023/05823/02/202322/08/2022 – 05/01/20239Affected vehicles may have an incorrect torque on several fixation points which could resu
R/2023/04513/12/202221/02/2017 – 01/04/2017952On the affected vehicles the operation of the brake vacuum pump may be affected by materia
R/2023/03513/12/202203/04/2017 – 11/12/202025,148On the affected vehicles the operation of the brake vacuum pump may be affected by materia
R/2022/06715/03/202222/02/2021 – 28/01/202217THE EXTERNAL DOOR HANDLE SLIDERS MIGHT NOT BE MANUFACTURED TO THE CORRECT SPECIFICATION
R/2020/32620/01/202117/06/2013 – 01/04/201722,580THE BRAKE VACUUM PUMP MAY BE AFFECTED BY MATERIAL DETACHING FROM THE TIMING BELT
R/2020/33113/11/202001/04/2019 – 15/07/2019959THE FILTERING PERFORMANCE OF THE DIESEL PARTICULATE FILTER MAY NOT MEET THE REQUIRED SPECI
R/2020/20709/07/202023/02/2015 – 13/03/201538THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE INTERNAL CORROSION PROTECTION OF THE SUBFRAME IS NOT DURAB
R/2019/35118/10/201912/01/2017 – 30/03/2019117THE CALIBRATION OF THE ENGINE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE COULD CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE DIESEL PARTICL
R/2019/33026/09/201925/09/2013 – 15/05/20169,218DUE TO THE CALIBRATION OF THE ENGINE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE THE NOX EMISSIONS MAY NOT COMPLY
R/2019/13626/04/201928/01/2018 – 07/05/20182,686A PLASTIC COMPONENT INSIDE THE EXHAUST LINE COULD UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS DAMAGE THE DIES
R/2018/18519/07/201827/04/2018 – 30/05/201847Engine oil gallery sealing plug incorrectly tightened
R/2018/17617/07/201823/02/2017 – 23/03/2018683Engine could overheat leading to failure
R/2018/12710/05/201808/11/2017 – 09/11/2017124AIRBAGS MAY NOT BE TRIGGERED IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION
R/2018/04814/02/201802/10/2013 – 30/04/20151,579ENGINE MAY OVERHEAT
R/2017/34015/12/201701/10/2017 – 30/11/2017416ENGINE COMPONENT MAY NOT BE TO SPECIFICATION
R/2017/21506/07/201702/10/2013 – 04/04/20177,394STARTER SUPPLY WIRE MAY CHAFE
R/2017/16624/05/201703/12/2014 – 22/01/20151,051FRONT WISHBONE RETAINING BOLTS MAY NOT BE TO SPECIFICATION
R/2017/14024/04/201715/05/2016 – 12/10/20166,768STARTER MOTOR MAY NOT OPERATE CORRECTLY
R/2016/23814/10/201621/08/2015 – 05/04/2016235TYRES MAY DEFLATE UNEXPECTEDLY
R/2016/19518/08/201604/12/2015 – 08/12/2015206GLASS PANEL MAY DETACH WITHOUT WARNING
R/2016/16014/07/201615/01/2014 – 12/06/201486FUEL MAY LEAK
R/2016/05631/03/201624/08/2015 – 11/11/2015679DOOR MAY OPEN UNEXPECTEDLY
R/2016/05831/03/201625/08/2015 – 11/11/20151,176DOOR MAY OPEN UNEXPECTEDLY
R/2016/05331/03/201628/08/2015 – 11/11/20151,347DOOR MAY OPEN UNEXPECTEDLY
R/2016/04310/03/201621/01/2016 – 10/02/201625OIL LEAK MAY DAMAGE ENGINE
R/2015/26004/01/201611/09/2015 – 11/11/20151,369DOORS MAY OPEN UNEXPECTEDLY
R/2015/24109/12/201503/09/2012 – 19/12/201412,833FUEL MAY LEAK
R/2015/10026/05/201518/07/2013 – 02/12/201414,840POSSIBILITY OF LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL
R/2014/17517/12/201405/09/2013 – 15/11/2013184THE INCORRECT GEAR MAY BE SELECTED
R/2014/02627/02/201409/01/2014 – 14/01/2014148FUEL MAY LEAK AND CREATE FIRE RISK
R/2014/02627/02/201409/01/2014 – 14/01/2014148FUEL MAY LEAK AND CREATE FIRE RISK
R/2013/11809/10/201319/07/2013 – 19/07/201318REAR SCREEN COULD DETACH
R/2013/02520/02/201310/12/2012 – 10/12/20128LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL
R/2012/11901/11/201214/06/2011 – 29/07/2011642STEERING MAY DETACH
R/2011/01722/02/201127/10/2009 – 20/07/20102,834FUEL MAY LEAK
R/2010/22216/12/201015/12/2006 – 31/03/200924,220BRAKING ASSISTANCE MAY NOT PERFORM CORRECTLY
R/2010/22109/12/201004/12/2009 – 21/09/201013,263BRAKE MAY BE INADVERTENTLY APPLIED
R/2010/15706/10/201006/07/2007 – 07/03/20082,903LIGHTS MAY FAIL WITHOUT WARNING.
R/2010/02815/03/201010/11/2009 – 11/12/20095STEERING POWER ASSISTANCE MAY BE REDUCED
R/2010/02608/03/201016/11/2006 – 19/10/2009532SEAT MAY COLLAPSE WITHOUT WARNING
R/2010/00904/03/201010/09/2007 – 17/11/20077,165POSSIBLE INADVERTENT OPENING OF THE ENGINE BONNET
R/2009/10519/10/200924/05/2007 – 27/03/200821,354LIGHTS MAY SWITCH OFF UNEXPECTEDLY
R/2009/10719/10/200923/03/2009 – 14/04/2009456BREAKING EFFICIENCY MAY BE REDUCED
R/2009/03316/04/200902/05/2008 – 21/11/2008385SHORT CIRCUIT MAY OCCUR
R/2008/18408/12/200816/09/2008 – 17/09/200813LIGHTING HARNESS COULD OVERHEAT RESULTING IN LOSS OF SOME VEHICLE FUNCTIONS
R/2008/09417/06/200827/02/2008 – 09/06/20087,360FUSE BOX MAY CAUSE EQUIPMENT OPERATIONAL FAILURES

DVSA lists 60 safety recall campaigns for the Peugeot 308, covering roughly 223,818 vehicles in total. A recall is the manufacturer fixing a fault for free, so an open recall on your car costs nothing to clear.

Counter-intuitive, and measured on our own data: across the 25 families published here, more recalls go with a lower MOT Risk Index (r = −0.52). Heavily recalled models are not worse cars in the test bay — an active manufacturer removes the fault before it becomes an MOT failure.

Check whether a specific car has an outstanding recall — free, by registration — at DVSA's recall service. Source: DVSA vehicle safety recalls (check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk), OGL.

Peugeot 308 inspection results in other countries

United Kingdom MOT stands out at 35.9%, against 26.0% nationally.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

Same model, different national inspection regimes
CountryTestThis model failsNational averagePositionSample
United KingdomMOT (class 4)35.87%26.01%+9.9 pp133,166
NetherlandsAPK52.2%50.8%+1.4 pp43,235
NorwayPKK37.6%33.7%+3.9 pp8,821
FinlandKatsastus33.7%26.3%+7.4 pp7,034

The verdict is consistent across every regime where the difference is clear, which is the strongest form this comparison takes: independent inspectorates, different rulebooks, same direction of travel.

What Finland fails it for — share of recorded faults
Fault areaShare
Axles, wheels and suspension34.9%
Brake systems24.3%
Environmental hazards19%
Chassis and body10.5%
Steering equipment8.5%

Useful as a cross-check on the UK defect table above: the categories are named differently, but a component that dominates in both regimes is a genuine weak point of the model rather than an artefact of one country's testing style.

The exact faults Netherlands records — APK defect codes, 2024
CodeFaultRecordedType
210Tyre pressure not at the correct value8,862failure
205Tyre with insufficient tread7,634failure
497Number-plate light not working or missing5,029failure
AC1Tyre down to 1.6–2.5 mm of tread3,730advisory
516Dipped headlight incorrectly aimed3,453failure
RA2Excessive leak of other fluids2,921advisory
AC5Mechanical brake parts showing wear1,798advisory
203Tyre damaged1,714failure

Worth dwelling on how mundane the top of that list is: tyre pressure, tread depth, headlight aim. The Dutch APK records 1.208 defects per inspection against a much higher national failure rate than Britain's, and the reason is not that Dutch cars are worse — it is that the two regimes draw the line between "note it" and "fail it" in different places. Codes are the RDW's own; the English wording here is our translation of the Dutch original.

Britain is not the only country that inspects every car every year, and the Peugeot 308 is on the road in all of them. Each national regime writes its own rules, so the pass rates below are not comparable to each other — what does travel across a border is whether a model sits above or below its own country's average.

Rows with fewer than 500 inspections are not published. Sources: RDW open data — Meldingen Keuringsinstantie + Geconstateerde Gebreken + Gekentekende voertuigen (2024), CC0. Not an RDW endorsement.; Statens vegvesen — Periodisk kjøretøykontroll (PKK) 2024, CC BY 4.0; Traficom — Periodic inspections of cars by model / by model and fault object 2024, CC BY 4.0. Adapted; licences and full notice.

Peugeot 308 MOT: quick answers

Peugeot 308 MOT Risk Index stands out at 119.8, against 100 for a car with the same age profile.

below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age

What is the Peugeot 308 first-time MOT pass rate?
64.13% of first attempts passed in 2024 (133,166 tests). This is the first-time figure: retests after repair are excluded. Basis: first-time, excluding retests.
Why does this number differ from other sites?
Other sites often report a pass rate that includes retests or counts all attempts. Our 35.87% figure is the first-time initial failure rate, using 133,166 primary tests as the denominator (first-time, excluding retests). The age-adjusted MOT initial-failure ratio 119.8 is shown separately because raw rates compare fleet age as well as cars.

Compare the Peugeot 308 with other cars

Seat Ibiza is highest at 120.6; Peugeot 208 is lowest at 119.5 — the gap is 1.1 points.

below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age

Same brand

All Peugeot MOT statisticsPeugeot 208 MOT statsPeugeot 3008 MOT stats

Similar risk

Peugeot 208 (index 119.5)Nissan Juke (index 120.3)Seat Ibiza (index 120.6)

Same size class

how Citroen C4 compareshow Peugeot 2008 compareshow Audi Q3 compares

By build year

Peugeot 308 2007Peugeot 308 2008Peugeot 308 2009Peugeot 308 2010Peugeot 308 2011Peugeot 308 2012Peugeot 308 2013Peugeot 308 2014Peugeot 308 2015Peugeot 308 2016Peugeot 308 2017Peugeot 308 2018Peugeot 308 2019Peugeot 308 2020

By area

Peugeot 308 MOT failure rate by postcode area

By failure group

Peugeot 308 body, chassis and structure failuresPeugeot 308 brakes failuresPeugeot 308 vehicle identification failuresPeugeot 308 lamps, reflectors and electrics failuresPeugeot 308 noise, emissions and leaks failuresPeugeot 308 road wheels failuresPeugeot 308 seat belts and airbags failuresPeugeot 308 steering failuresPeugeot 308 suspension failuresPeugeot 308 tyres failuresPeugeot 308 visibility failures

Inspections abroad

Peugeot 308 in NorwayPeugeot 308 in FinlandPeugeot 308 in the Netherlands


Data details & how to cite

Scope: class-4 vehicles (cars), initial tests only, outcomes pass / fail / fixed-on-the-spot at the station (PRS counts towards the failure rate — the defect was present at arrival). Index = observed initial failures ÷ failures expected for this fleet's exact age profile, ×100; margin of error is a 95% confidence interval. Covers ALL generations together — a 3-year-old and a 15-year-old are very different cars; a generation split is on the roadmap. Dataset release dataset_release_id=dvsa-2024-v2, frozen baseline; headline claim_id=family-stats:peugeot-308:dvsa-2024-v2. Full method: methodology.

Cite: MOT Risk Index (2026). Peugeot 308 MOT statistics 2024 (data release dvsa-2024-v2; downloadable dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, doi:10.5281/zenodo.22975051). https://motriskindex.co.uk/cars/peugeot-308/ · Published 2026-07-30.