Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Peugeot 208 2014: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 62 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2014 Peugeot 208 were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Petrol emissions (with catalyst).

Summary

A 2014 Peugeot 208 passed first time about 2 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2013 and 2015 model years.

At a glance

How 26,463 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
62 in every 100
Did not pass first time
38 in every 10010,032 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
11 yearsabout 67,876 miles
First tests counted
26,463

What failed most often

  1. Petrol emissions (with catalyst)19 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Drive shaft joints and boots (front)10 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Petrol engine warning light8 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 2014 Peugeot 208 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.

Noise, emissions and leaks

Three faults. The strongest is the petrol emissions (with catalyst): 7.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 10,029 of 10,032 failed first attempts 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.

Petrol emissions (with catalyst)

Failed on 1,872 first tests7.6 times as often as similar carsStrong 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.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 43 first tests, 15 times as often as on similar cars.

Petrol emissions not tested

Failed on 387 first tests4.8 times as often as similar carsLikely 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.

Petrol engine warning light

Failed on 783 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

The malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) on a petrol engine is a Major failure when it is illuminated indicating a malfunction. The detail line DVSA gives for the same row also names an inoperative lamp. The test covers only certain petrol vehicles, depending on their age, size and fuel type.

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

Three faults. The strongest is the exhaust system (rear): 4.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Exhaust system (rear)

Failed on 398 first tests4.3 times as often as similar carsLikely 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.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 791 first tests, 7.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Exhaust system (front)

Failed on 550 first tests3.5 times as often as similar carsLikely 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.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 653 first tests, 3.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Drive shaft joints and boots (front)

Failed on 1,037 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A constant velocity boot that is only severely deteriorated is Minor. It is Major once it is missing, split or insecure so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. A transmission joint excessively worn is Major, and graded Dangerous when it is so worn it is likely to fail.

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

One fault and one wear pattern. The strongest is the number plate lights (rear): 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Number plate lights (rear)

Failed on 637 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Registration plate lamps must light up the rear registration plate and operate at the same time as the position lamps. A missing or inoperative lamp is Major when the plate has only one lamp or all its lamps are not working, and Minor when the plate has several lamps or light sources and not all have failed. A lamp throwing direct white light to the rear is also Minor.

Headlight aim not tested (front)

Failed on 87 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

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.

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

Brakes

One fault: brake performance (roller test, rear), 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake performance (roller test, rear)

Failed on 518 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

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.

Wheel bearings (rear)

Noted on 121 first tests4.7 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Anti-roll bar (front)

Noted on 24 first tests4.0 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Suspension spring mounting area (rear)

Noted on 30 first tests3.9 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Chassis condition (rear)

Noted on 40 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Transmission oil leaks (front)

Noted on 183 first tests3.1 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
62in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
8in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
30in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 62.1% of 26,463 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 69.9%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 30 not fixed make the 38 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol19,56063,478 miles6361
Diesel6,90284,242 miles6165

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.

40608010020142020Older carsNewer cars
40608010020142020Newer 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, 64 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
201258 in every 10012,691
201359 in every 10029,442
2014 This car62 in every 10026,463
201568 in every 10025,627
201670 in every 10024,269
201770 in every 10016,718
201873 in every 10014,676
201977 in every 10016,409
202081 in every 10012,749
202182 in every 10013,918
202287 in every 10016,267

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2014 Peugeot 208.

Of 2014 Peugeot 208 vehicles with under 47,000 miles, 79 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 91,000 miles or more, 52 in every 100 did.

Under 47,0005,423 tests
79
47,000–61,0004,969 tests
65
61,000–75,000 Typical car5,629 tests
59
75,000–91,0005,117 tests
55
91,000 and over5,318 tests
52

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol63,478 miles6361
Diesel84,242 miles6165

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 84,242 against 63,478). 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 47,00061,000–75,00091,000 and over
Petrol emissions (with catalyst)1.79.18.0
Drive shaft joints and boots (front)2.04.25.0
Petrol engine warning light0.53.54.3
Number plate lights0.72.73.7
Suspension arm ball joint (front)0.62.24.3

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

When a car fails

32in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

41in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

7in 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.

A 2014 Peugeot 208 passed first time about 2 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2013 and 2015 model years. In 2025, 62.1% of 26,463 first MOTs on the 2014 Peugeot 208 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 69.9%. Among 10,032 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Petrol emissions (with catalyst) appears more often than on similar cars (18.7% of those tests; 1,872 observed failures; about 7.6× 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 2014 Peugeot 208 at the first attempt were Petrol emissions (with catalyst) (18.7%), Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (10.3%) and Petrol engine warning light (7.8%), 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: Petrol emissions (with catalyst) (18.7% of those tests; 1,872 observed failures; about 7.6× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Petrol emissions (with catalyst) shows up more often than on similar cars (18.7% of those tests; 1,872 observed failures; about 7.6× 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 2014 Peugeot 208 include Petrol emissions (with catalyst), Petrol emissions not tested, Exhaust system (rear). 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 2014 Peugeot 208 (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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