Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Peugeot 206 2007: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 56 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2007 Peugeot 206 were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Individual sidelight or tail light (front).

Summary

The 2007 Peugeot 206 follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 2,111 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
56 in every 100
Did not pass first time
44 in every 100929 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
18 yearsabout 70,451 miles
First tests counted
2,111

What failed most often

  1. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)13 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Drive shaft joints and boots (front)10 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)9 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 2007 Peugeot 206 vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Body and structure

Two faults. The strongest is the fuel tank: 19 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 928 of 929 failed first attempts (99.9%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.

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.

Fuel tank

Failed on 20 first tests19 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A fuel tank, pipe or hose that is insecure is Major, and graded Dangerous when so insecure there is a risk of fire. The check covers all permanently attached fuel tanks, including gas tanks and cylinders, and hydrogen tanks on fuel cell vehicles count as fuel tanks. A missing heat shield fails a vehicle only where there is a risk of fire with other fuel system components.

Exhaust system (rear)

Failed on 52 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Exhaust fumes causing a danger to health of persons on board are graded Dangerous, and so is a silencer likely to become detached. Fumes entering the cabin are Major. One or more missing or defective mountings does not necessarily make the exhaust insecure, since testers assess the overall security of the system.

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

Suspension

Four faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar ball joint (front): 4.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-roll bar ball joint (front)

Failed on 27 first tests4.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

On an anti-roll bar ball joint, DVSA fails a suspension pin, bush or joint that is excessively worn as Major. One likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.

Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 39 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover is Major, and so is one that no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. A cover that is only severely deteriorated is Minor. DVSA uses one wording for the dust cover on any suspension joint.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front)

Failed on 49 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Excessive wear on an anti-roll bar linkage ball joint is Major. A joint likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 49 first tests, 3.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 85 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A suspension joint dust cover that is severely deteriorated is Minor. It becomes Major once it is missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, so what matters is whether it still keeps dirt out. DVSA words this for any suspension joint dust cover, and files it here under anti-roll bars.

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 not tested, 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Petrol emissions not tested

Failed on 36 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

On a petrol car, an emissions test recorded as not tested or unable to be completed is failed as Major. DVSA's wording gives no reason why.

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.

Individual sidelight or tail light (rear)

Noted on 29 first tests14 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Wheel bearings (rear)

Noted on 20 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Non-component advisories (front)

Noted on 94 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Engine oil leaks (front)

Noted on 34 first tests2.2 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
56in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
9in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
35in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 56.0% of 2,111 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 65.0%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 9 fixed and the 35 not fixed make the 44 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol1,77967,402 miles5655
Diesel33295,086 miles5860

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.

Same model, other years

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

40608010020002007Older carsNewer cars
40608010020002007Older cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 55 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
199950 in every 100366
200053 in every 100808
200152 in every 1002,132
200251 in every 1003,468
200352 in every 1004,682
200453 in every 1006,777
200554 in every 1006,383
200654 in every 1004,805
2007 This car56 in every 1002,111
200855 in every 100975
200949 in every 100465

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2007 Peugeot 206.

Of 2007 Peugeot 206 vehicles with under 47,000 miles, 67 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 98,000 miles or more, 55 in every 100 did.

Under 47,000429 tests
67
47,000–63,000422 tests
59
63,000–78,000 Typical car417 tests
54
78,000–98,000426 tests
45
98,000 and over415 tests
55

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol67,402 miles5655
Diesel95,086 miles5860

Figures are in every 100 first tests. At the same mileage there is no clear difference between the two.

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 47,00063,000–78,00098,000 and over
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)2.17.08.4
Drive shaft joints and boots (front)4.43.64.8
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)3.74.13.4
Headlight aim1.64.37.2
Windscreen wipers1.63.62.7

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

When a car fails

23in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

53in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

9in 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 2007 Peugeot 206 follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Individual sidelight or tail light (front), about 13 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 56.0% of 2,111 first MOTs on the 2007 Peugeot 206 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 65.0%. Among 929 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Fuel tank appears more often than on similar cars (2.2% of those tests; 20 observed failures; about 19× 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 2007 Peugeot 206 at the first attempt were Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (13.4%), Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (10.3%) and Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front) (9.2%), 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: Fuel tank (2.2% of those tests; 20 observed failures; about 19× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Fuel tank shows up more often than on similar cars (2.2% of those tests; 20 observed failures; about 19× 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 2007 Peugeot 206 include Fuel tank, Anti-roll bar ball joint (front), Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover (front). 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 2007 Peugeot 206 (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.

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