Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Peugeot 3008 2012: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 53 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2012 Peugeot 3008 were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Individual sidelight or tail light (front).

Summary

At the same mileage, a diesel 2012 Peugeot 3008 passed first time more often than a petrol one: 53 in every 100 against 47 in every 100.

At a glance

How 9,117 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
53 in every 100
Did not pass first time
47 in every 1004,282 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
13 yearsabout 97,512 miles
First tests counted
9,117

What failed most often

  1. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)13 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Suspension arm ball joint (front)12 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Brake light (rear)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 2012 Peugeot 3008 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.

Brakes

Three faults. The strongest is the electronic parking brake: 20 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 4,282 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.

Electronic parking brake

Failed on 87 first tests20 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

An electronic parking brake is applied electronically but must still be maintained in operation by direct mechanical means. It may apply automatically in certain conditions, such as when the ignition is switched off or when the driver's door is opened. A control that is missing, defective or inoperative is Major, and so is a malfunction warning.

Electronic stability control

Failed on 129 first tests3.4 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

An ESC warning lamp is failed only when the tester is certain it indicates an ESC malfunction, because the lamp takes various forms and the owner's handbook may need checking. The system is also called ESP, VDC or DSC, among many other names. Every failure row is Major, covering the lamp, wheel speed sensors, wiring, other components and the switch.

Anti-lock braking system (ABS)

Failed on 185 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

ABS is failed as removed only where it has obviously been removed, because not every vehicle in the age range where removal is not permitted has ABS. A warning lamp that does not light or shows an ABS fault is Major, as is a missing or excessively damaged wheel speed sensor. Every failure row for this component is Major.

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

Suspension

Two faults. The strongest is the other suspension component ball joint (front): 8.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Other suspension component ball joint (front)

Failed on 116 first tests8.3 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

Under DVSA's general suspension wording, a ball joint that is excessively worn is Major. One 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 42 first tests, 11 times as often as on similar cars.

Wheel bearings (front)

Failed on 98 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Excessive play in a wheel bearing, or a bearing that is excessively rough, is Major. Play so excessive that the bearing is likely to break up or directional control is impaired is Dangerous, and so is a bearing so rough that it is likely to overheat or break up.

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

Seat belts and restraints

Two faults. The strongest is the seat belt condition (rear): 3.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Seat belt condition (rear)

Failed on 104 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Any sign of overstretching is a deficiency, and so is a cut anywhere on a child seat belt. On other belts the size of a cut decides it, with a stricter limit at the webbing edge than away from it. Webbing significantly stretched or weakened has rows in both Major and Dangerous grades.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 53 first tests, 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Airbag warning light

Failed on 179 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

The airbag warning lamp (SRS MIL in DVSA's wording) is failed only if it indicates a system malfunction, which is Major. A lamp lit to show the passenger airbag is disabled is not to be regarded as a defect. Dashboard messages are not a defect in their own right, though they can help the tester confirm a malfunction.

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. The strongest is the brake light (rear): 2.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake light (rear)

Failed on 465 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

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.

Individual sidelight or tail light (rear)

Failed on 185 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A position lamp showing red light to the front or white light to the rear is Major. Rear lamps must show a steady red light, and front ones can show white, predominantly white with a blue tinge, or yellow if combined in a yellow headlamp. With a multiple light source, up to half not working is Minor and more than half is Major.

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.

Suspension arm ball joint (front)

Noted on 224 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Headlight

Noted on 42 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 796 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
53in 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
38in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 53.0% of 9,117 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 62.3%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 9 fixed and the 38 not fixed make the 47 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Diesel8,21398,567 miles5353
Petrol67082,592 miles5147

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.

406080100201220152020Older carsNewer cars
40608010020122020Newer 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, 54 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200941 in every 100529
201046 in every 1006,398
201150 in every 1008,268
2012 This car53 in every 1009,117
201350 in every 1009,687
201458 in every 1007,387
201564 in every 1007,459
201663 in every 1006,091
201773 in every 10015,555
201878 in every 10017,605
201982 in every 10018,076
202086 in every 10011,065
202189 in every 10011,090
202289 in every 1008,450

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2012 Peugeot 3008.

Of 2012 Peugeot 3008 vehicles with under 74,000 miles, 62 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 123,000 miles or more, 49 in every 100 did.

Under 74,0001,820 tests
62
74,000–90,0001,788 tests
53
90,000–105,000 Typical car1,865 tests
51
105,000–123,0001,847 tests
50
123,000 and over1,796 tests
49

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Diesel98,567 miles5353
Petrol82,592 miles5147

Figures are in every 100 first tests. At the same mileage, diesel passed more often (53 against 47 in every 100).

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 74,00090,000–105,000123,000 and over
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)3.46.37.0
Suspension arm ball joint (front)2.56.36.6
Brake light (rear)3.25.35.5
Track rod end (front)1.45.36.4
Coil spring (front)4.25.04.5

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

When a car fails

26in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

49in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

13in 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.

At the same mileage, a diesel 2012 Peugeot 3008 passed first time more often than a petrol one: 53 in every 100 against 47 in every 100. In 2025, 53.0% of 9,117 first MOTs on the 2012 Peugeot 3008 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 62.3%. Among 4,282 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Other suspension component ball joint (front) appears more often than on similar cars (2.7% of those tests; 116 observed failures; about 8.3× 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 2012 Peugeot 3008 at the first attempt were Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (13.1%), Suspension arm ball joint (front) (11.6%) and Brake light (rear) (10.9%), 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: Other suspension component ball joint (front) (2.7% of those tests; 116 observed failures; about 8.3× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Other suspension component ball joint (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (2.7% of those tests; 116 observed failures; about 8.3× 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 2012 Peugeot 3008 include Other suspension component ball joint (front), Electronic parking brake, Electronic stability control. 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 2012 Peugeot 3008 (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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