Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Peugeot RCZ 2010: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 54 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2010 Peugeot RCZ were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Coil spring (front).

Summary

A 2010 Peugeot RCZ passed first time about 6 in every 100 less often than the 2011 model year next to it.

At a glance

How 1,277 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
54 in every 100
Did not pass first time
46 in every 100582 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
15 yearsabout 82,824 miles
First tests counted
1,277

What failed most often

  1. Coil spring (front)20 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Drive shaft joints and boots (front)16 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Petrol engine warning light10 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 2010 Peugeot RCZ 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.

Noise, emissions and leaks

Three faults. The strongest is the diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/07/2008): 4.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 581 of 582 failed first attempts (99.8%) 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.

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

Failed on 37 first tests4.4 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Petrol engine warning light

Failed on 59 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsLikely 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.

Petrol emissions (with catalyst)

Failed on 50 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

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), 3.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Drive shaft joints and boots (front)

Failed on 93 first tests3.4 times as often as similar carsLikely 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.

Suspension

One fault: coil spring (front), 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Coil spring (front)

Failed on 116 first tests2.8 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.

Brakes

One fault: anti-lock braking system (ABS), 2.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-lock braking system (ABS)

Failed on 21 first tests2.0 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.

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.

Engine oil leaks

Noted on 141 first tests2.5 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
9in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
37in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 54.4% of 1,277 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 62.6%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 9 fixed and the 37 not fixed make the 46 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsPassed first time, as tested
Petrol92756
Diesel35051

Figures are in every 100 first tests.

Same model, other years

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

406080100201020112012201320142015Newer cars
406080100201020112012201320142015Newer 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, 58 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
2010 This car54 in every 1001,277
201161 in every 1002,116
201261 in every 1001,762
201363 in every 1001,906
201467 in every 1001,475
201570 in every 1001,025

FAQs

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

A 2010 Peugeot RCZ passed first time about 6 in every 100 less often than the 2011 model year next to it. In 2025, 54.4% of 1,277 first MOTs on the 2010 Peugeot RCZ passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 62.6%. Among 582 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Drive shaft joints and boots (front) appears more often than on similar cars (16.0% of those tests; 93 observed failures; about 3.4× 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 2010 Peugeot RCZ at the first attempt were Coil spring (front) (20.0%), Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (16.0%) and Petrol engine warning light (10.2%), 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: Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (16.0% of those tests; 93 observed failures; about 3.4× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Drive shaft joints and boots (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (16.0% of those tests; 93 observed failures; about 3.4× 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 2010 Peugeot RCZ include Drive shaft joints and boots (front), Petrol engine warning light, Coil spring (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 2010 Peugeot RCZ (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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