71%
Peugeot 205 pass rate
Used Peugeot 205 buying guide
In 2025, Peugeot 205 cars passed 71% of 3,268 initial MOT tests, 1.3 points below the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific 205? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Peugeot 205 MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
−1.3
percentage points below average
Ranked on pass rate the 205 sits 338th of 575 models in the data. Peugeot as a brand averaged 66.8%, so this model runs 4.2 points ahead of its own brand.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Peugeot 205 MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the 205 compares with similar cars.
205 fuel types
Petrol was the most common fuel among Peugeot 205 cars tested in 2025. Diesel still made up 18% of tests.
Where the 205 fails its MOT
Where Peugeot 205 cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.
The specific items testers recorded most often were service brake imbalance across an axle (4.1%), position lamp not working (4.1%) and washers not working (3.6%). See every common 205 MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Peugeot 205 that failed, not a claim that every 205 has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used 205?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at in each.
1
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting. 30.2% of 205 failure items.
2
Brakes
Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing. 22% of 205 failure items.
3
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 13.3% of 205 failure items.
4
Body, chassis, structure
Look underneath and along the sills for corrosion, and check for damaged or poorly repaired panels. 9.1% of 205 failure items.
5
Visibility
Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly. 8.3% of 205 failure items.
None of this replaces the car's own record. Run a free MOT history check on the registration to see every test, advisory and recorded mileage for that car.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing Peugeot 205 failures cluster around lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes tells you what to inspect. It tells you nothing about whether the car is safe to buy. An MOT does not show money still owed on the car, a write-off, a theft record or a clocked odometer.
Check the exact 205 you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Peugeot history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used Peugeot models
The most-tested Peugeot models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the 205.
Used Peugeot 205 FAQs
Is the Peugeot 205 reliable?
MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 71% first-time pass rate for the Peugeot 205 across 3,268 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
What should I check before buying a used Peugeot 205?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, brakes and suspension. Then check the individual car's history: outstanding finance, insurance write-off records, stolen markers, mileage and previous keepers. None of these appear in the MOT record or on the V5C.
How do I check a Peugeot 205's history?
Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.