Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Peugeot Bipper 2012: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 54 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2012 Peugeot Bipper were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Coil spring (front).

Summary

The 2012 Peugeot Bipper follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 1,314 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
54 in every 100
Did not pass first time
46 in every 100599 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
13 yearsabout 99,108 miles
First tests counted
1,314

What failed most often

  1. Coil spring (front)21 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Shock absorbers (rear)15 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Individual sidelight or tail light (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 2012 Peugeot Bipper 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.

Suspension

Four faults. The strongest is the macpherson strut (front): 9.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 593 of 599 failed first attempts (99.0%) 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.

Macpherson strut (front)

Failed on 26 first tests9.0 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Many MacPherson strut top bushes are designed to have significant lateral play when the suspension hangs free, so a top bush is rejected only when the play comes from wear or maladjustment. A top bush or bearing with excessive wear or free play is Major. Rubber or synthetic bushes are rejected only for serious deterioration of the bonding or flexible material.

Shock absorbers (rear)

Failed on 87 first tests5.0 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Slight seepage that leaves a film of fluid on a shock absorber does not fail it. Severe leakage, or damage so that it does not function, is Major. A shock absorber missing or likely to become detached is graded Dangerous, though a missing one is only rejected if shock absorbers were fitted as standard.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 42 first tests, 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Shock absorbers (front)

Failed on 40 first tests3.6 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Slight seepage that leaves a film of fluid on a shock absorber does not fail it. Severe leakage, or damage so that it does not function, is Major. A shock absorber missing or likely to become detached is graded Dangerous, though a missing one is only rejected if shock absorbers were fitted as standard.

Coil spring (front)

Failed on 125 first tests3.0 times as often as similar carsLikely 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 count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Noise, emissions and leaks

Three faults. The strongest is the diesel emissions not tested: 7.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Diesel emissions not tested

Failed on 22 first tests7.5 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

An emissions test on a diesel that is unable to be completed is graded Major. The failure wording 'not tested' carries the same Major grade.

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

Failed on 42 first tests5.4 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Diesel engine warning light

Failed on 32 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

An engine malfunction indicator lamp that is illuminated to show a malfunction is graded Major on a diesel, but only on the diesels the test covers, which depends on the vehicle type and when it was first used. DVSA lists it under exhaust emissions for compression ignition engines, and the detail line for the row also names an inoperative lamp.

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

Lamps and electrical

Two faults. The strongest is the individual sidelight or tail light (rear): 2.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Individual sidelight or tail light (rear)

Failed on 33 first tests2.7 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.

Individual direction indicators (rear)

Failed on 29 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

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.

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.

Engine oil leaks (front)

Noted on 116 first tests2.3 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
54in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
7in 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 54.4% of 1,314 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 61.2%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 39 not fixed make the 46 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

40608010020122015Older carsNewer cars
4060801002012Older carsNewer 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, 57 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200844 in every 100384
200950 in every 1001,042
201053 in every 1002,468
201154 in every 1003,113
2012 This car54 in every 1001,314
201357 in every 1001,853
201457 in every 1001,807
201558 in every 1002,200
201658 in every 1001,184
201762 in every 1001,247

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

The 2012 Peugeot Bipper follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Coil spring (front), about 21 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 54.4% of 1,314 first MOTs on the 2012 Peugeot Bipper passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 61.2%. Among 599 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Macpherson strut (front) appears more often than on similar cars (4.4% of those tests; 26 observed failures; about 9.0× 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 Bipper at the first attempt were Coil spring (front) (21.1%), Shock absorbers (rear) (14.7%) and Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (9.1%), 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: Macpherson strut (front) (4.4% of those tests; 26 observed failures; about 9.0× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Macpherson strut (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (4.4% of those tests; 26 observed failures; about 9.0× 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 Bipper include Macpherson strut (front), Diesel emissions not tested, Shock absorbers (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 2012 Peugeot Bipper (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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