Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Peugeot 308 2008: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 49 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2008 Peugeot 308 were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Drive shaft joints and boots (front).

Summary

The 2008 Peugeot 308 follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 5,515 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
49 in every 100
Did not pass first time
51 in every 1002,808 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
17 yearsabout 101,769 miles
First tests counted
5,515

What failed most often

  1. Drive shaft joints and boots (front)16 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Coil spring (front)13 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Brake light9 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 2008 Peugeot 308 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.

Seat belts and restraints

One fault: seat belt mounting area, 3.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 2,806 of 2,808 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.

Seat belt mounting area

Failed on 58 first tests3.7 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A seat belt anchorage likely to become detached in the event of a collision is graded Dangerous. The load bearing structure near an anchorage, called a prescribed area, is Major when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Anchorage points are inspected for all seat belts fitted, except a belt with no corresponding seat.

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

Brakes

One fault: anti-lock braking system (ABS), 3.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-lock braking system (ABS)

Failed on 173 first tests3.0 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

Body and structure

One fault: drive shaft joints and boots (front), 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Drive shaft joints and boots (front)

Failed on 436 first tests2.4 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.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/07/2008), 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/07/2008)

Failed on 71 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

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

Suspension

One fault: coil spring (front), 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Coil spring (front)

Failed on 368 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a coil spring. When the vehicle is jacked and lowered, a spring that does not correctly locate as the suspension returns to its normal running position is rejected as insecurely attached. A missing spring is Major, and graded Dangerous where directional control is affected.

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.

Airbag warning light

Noted on 24 first tests6.9 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Petrol emissions (with catalyst)

Noted on 23 first tests5.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake performance (plate test, rear)

Noted on 49 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Swivel pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 75 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake performance (roller test, rear)

Noted on 162 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake discs (rear)

Noted on 386 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

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
49in 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
42in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 49.1% of 5,515 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 58.3%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 9 fixed and the 42 not fixed make the 51 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Diesel3,279120,176 miles4749
Petrol2,23681,235 miles5249

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.

406080100200820152020Newer cars
40608010020082020Newer 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, 48 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200745 in every 100556
2008 This car49 in every 1005,515
200949 in every 1008,392
201052 in every 1009,728
201157 in every 1008,047
201255 in every 1008,838
201354 in every 1009,434
201462 in every 10011,161
201567 in every 10012,989
201669 in every 10013,556
201772 in every 1008,588
201877 in every 1008,002
201981 in every 1006,840
202085 in every 1003,618
202183 in every 1001,538
202288 in every 1003,689

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2008 Peugeot 308.

Of 2008 Peugeot 308 vehicles with under 73,000 miles, 58 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 136,000 miles or more, 44 in every 100 did.

Under 73,0001,122 tests
58
73,000–92,0001,063 tests
50
92,000–112,000 Typical car1,123 tests
47
112,000–136,0001,083 tests
46
136,000 and over1,120 tests
44

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Diesel120,176 miles4749
Petrol81,235 miles5249

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 120,176 against 81,235). 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 73,00092,000–112,000136,000 and over
Drive shaft joints and boots (front)7.57.96.8
Coil spring (front)5.67.97.0
Brake light3.74.55.5
Headlight aim2.83.45.0
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)2.05.35.3

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.

54in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

12in 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 2008 Peugeot 308 follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Drive shaft joints and boots (front), about 16 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 49.1% of 5,515 first MOTs on the 2008 Peugeot 308 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 58.3%. Among 2,808 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Seat belt mounting area appears more often than on similar cars (2.1% of those tests; 58 observed failures; about 3.7× 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 2008 Peugeot 308 at the first attempt were Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (15.5%), Coil spring (front) (13.1%) and Brake light (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: Seat belt mounting area (2.1% of those tests; 58 observed failures; about 3.7× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Seat belt mounting area shows up more often than on similar cars (2.1% of those tests; 58 observed failures; about 3.7× 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 2008 Peugeot 308 include Seat belt mounting area, Anti-lock braking system (ABS), Drive shaft joints and boots (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 2008 Peugeot 308 (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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