At a glance
How 18,681 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 50 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 50 in every 1009,358 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 14 yearsabout 81,832 miles
- First tests counted
- 18,681
What failed most often
- Individual sidelight or tail light (front)19 in every 100 failed tests
- Drive shaft joints and boots (front)15 in every 100 failed tests
- Coil spring (front)13 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.
These are patterns across 2011 Peugeot 207 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.
Steering
One fault: steering rack (front), 5.1 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 9,347 of 9,358 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.
Steering rack (front)
What it means
Steering gear casing retaining devices dangerously loose, or visible relative movement to the chassis or bodywork, is graded Dangerous. A casing not properly attached, or fractured, is Major, but a fracture that affects the stability or attachment of the casing is Dangerous. A gaiter damaged but still keeping dirt out is Minor, and Major once missing or no longer doing so.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Suspension
One fault: wheel bearings (rear), 4.8 times as often as on similar cars.
Wheel bearings (rear)
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 164 first tests, 4.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
Body and structure
Two faults. The strongest is the drive shaft joints and boots (front): 3.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Drive shaft joints and boots (front)
Exhaust system (rear)
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.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 693 first tests, 3.8 times as often as on similar cars.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
Lamps and electrical
Two faults and one wear pattern. The strongest is the headlight aim not tested (front): 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.
Headlight aim not tested (front)
What it means
Headlamp aim recorded as not tested, or unable to be tested, is a Major failure. These results must only be used where it becomes apparent during the test that the item cannot be tested, and this could not have been identified before starting. The reason must be included in the additional information box.
Individual direction indicators (rear)
What it means
Direction indicators must be amber, though vehicles first used before a set date may have white at the front and red at the rear when the indicators are combined with stop or position lamps, and sequential or dynamic ones are not a reason to fail. A lamp that is missing, inoperative or has more than half of a multiple light source not functioning is graded Major. A flashing rate outside the permitted range is graded Minor.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 377 first tests, 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.
Brake light
What it means
All stop lamps missing or not working is graded Dangerous, and so is a stop lamp that stays on when the brakes are released. A stop lamp that is missing or not working is Major. On some vehicles with LED rear lamps, part of the stop lamp can go out when the rear fog lamp is lit, which is not regarded as a defect.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
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.
All direction indicators (rear)
Track rod end (front)
Exhaust system (front)
Headlight (front)
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
- 50in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 11in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 39in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 49.9% of 18,681 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 61.1%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 11 fixed and the 39 not fixed make the 50 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
Petrol and diesel
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.
Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 49 in every 100 | 3,983 |
| 2007 | 50 in every 100 | 13,729 |
| 2008 | 48 in every 100 | 15,279 |
| 2009 | 48 in every 100 | 19,894 |
| 2010 | 49 in every 100 | 21,385 |
| 2011 This car | 50 in every 100 | 18,681 |
| 2012 | 52 in every 100 | 12,178 |
| 2013 | 55 in every 100 | 2,551 |
| 2014 | 68 in every 100 | 934 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage matters most on a 2011 Peugeot 207.
Of 2011 Peugeot 207 vehicles with under 57,000 miles, 63 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 109,000 miles or more, 44 in every 100 did.
Petrol or diesel?
| Typical mileage | Passed first time, as tested | Passed first time, same mileage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 72,602 miles | 52 | 50 |
| Diesel | 98,418 miles | 47 | 50 |
Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 98,418 against 72,602). 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 57,000 | 74,000–90,000 | 109,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual sidelight or tail light (front) | 4.5 | 10.7 | 11.5 |
| Drive shaft joints and boots (front) | 7.1 | 8.9 | 6.6 |
| Coil spring (front) | 3.8 | 7.1 | 7.5 |
| Headlight aim | 2.1 | 5.5 | 7.1 |
| Brake light | 3.6 | 4.8 | 5.1 |
Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.
When a car fails
of failed cars had one item to fix.
of failed cars had three or more items to fix.
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.
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.
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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