Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Peugeot 108 2018: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 84 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2018 Peugeot 108 were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Tyre condition (front).

Summary

The 2018 Peugeot 108 follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 8,105 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
84 in every 100
Did not pass first time
16 in every 1001,325 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
7 yearsabout 31,981 miles
First tests counted
8,105

What failed most often

  1. Tyre condition (front)13 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Brake pads (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Tyre tread depth (front)11 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2018 Peugeot 108 vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Brakes

One fault and two wear patterns. The strongest is the brake discs (front): 3.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,325 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Brake discs (front)

Failed on 98 first tests3.9 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

A brake disc or drum must be significantly worn before it is rejected, and being worn below the manufacturer's recommended limits is not a reason in itself. Significantly and obviously worn is Major, as is contamination with oil or grease. A disc or drum that is fractured, insecure, seriously weakened or missing is graded Dangerous.

Brake performance (roller test, front)

Failed on 36 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A wheel with no recorded braking effort on the roller test is graded Dangerous. Inadequate effort, a brake grabbing severely, abnormal lag and excessive fluctuation in effort are each Major. So is significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied, which indicates a binding brake.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 23 first tests, 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake pads (front)

Failed on 152 first tests2.0 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

A pad worn down to its wear indicator, or contaminated with oil or grease, is Major. A pad worn below the set thickness limit, missing or incorrectly mounted is Dangerous. The manual treats an illuminated brake wear indicator as no reason for failure, although DVSA also lists an illuminated indicator as a Major row.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: petrol emissions (with catalyst), 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Petrol emissions (with catalyst)

Failed on 43 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Emissions levels over the manufacturer's specified limits are Major, as are levels over default limits, which apply when no exact match is found for the vehicle. Dense blue or clearly visible black smoke at idle, held for a set period, is Major, except for certain older vehicles and two stroke engines where smoke is unavoidable. An induction or exhaust leak that could affect emissions levels is Major too.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 112 first tests58 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Wheel condition (front)

Noted on 34 first tests3.6 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Exhaust system (front)

Noted on 20 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 97 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
84in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
3in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
13in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 83.7% of 8,105 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 87.1%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 3 fixed and the 13 not fixed make the 16 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

406080100201420152016201720182019202020212022Older carsNewer cars
4060801002018Older carsNewer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
201474 in every 1006,827
201577 in every 10017,535
201680 in every 10016,470
201783 in every 10011,708
2018 This car84 in every 1008,105
201986 in every 1004,991
202087 in every 1004,468
202190 in every 1004,004
202293 in every 100556

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2018 Peugeot 108.

Of 2018 Peugeot 108 vehicles with under 19,000 miles, 90 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 48,000 miles or more, 77 in every 100 did.

Under 19,0001,621 tests
90
19,000–28,0001,636 tests
85
28,000–37,000 Typical car1,697 tests
84
37,000–48,0001,509 tests
82
48,000 and over1,642 tests
77

What to check at your mileage

How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.

Under 19,00028,000–37,00048,000 and over
Tyre condition (front)1.71.72.6
Brake pads (front)0.22.22.6
Tyre tread depth (front)0.22.72.6
Windscreen wipers (front)2.31.11.6
Brake discs (front)0.80.91.8

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.

When a car fails

51in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

19in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

6in every 100

of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).

Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

The 2018 Peugeot 108 follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Tyre condition (front), about 13 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 83.7% of 8,105 first MOTs on the 2018 Peugeot 108 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 87.1%. Among 1,325 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Brake performance (roller test, front) appears more often than on similar cars (2.7% of those tests; 36 observed failures; about 3.2× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2018 Peugeot 108 at the first attempt were Tyre condition (front) (13.3%), Brake pads (front) (11.5%) and Tyre tread depth (front) (11.0%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Brake performance (roller test, front) (2.7% of those tests; 36 observed failures; about 3.2× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Brake performance (roller test, front) shows up more often than on similar cars (2.7% of those tests; 36 observed failures; about 3.2× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2018 Peugeot 108 include Brake performance (roller test, front), Petrol emissions (with catalyst). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2018 Peugeot 108 (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Check any vehicle’s MOT history

Full MOT history, mileage records, and reliability insights for any UK vehicle.

Run a free check