71%
Peugeot 205
Peugeot 205 MOT pass rate and common problems
The Peugeot 205 passed 71% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 1.3 percentage points below the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was service brake imbalance across an axle.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the 205 compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
66.8%
Peugeot average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The 205 runs 4.2 points ahead of the Peugeot average. It is 9th of the 24 Peugeot models in the data. The average 205 arrived at its test 34.4 years old with 108,081 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
205 MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 to 10 years (small sample) | 1 | 0% | 72.3 pts below |
| 11 years and over | 3,267 | 71% | 1.3 pts below |
Too few tests fall into some age groups to compare them reliably. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where 205 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Peugeot 205 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes together account for 52.3% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common 205 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Peugeot 205 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 31.7% of everything testers recorded against failed Peugeot 205 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a 205
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working, rear fog lamp not working, headlamp aim too low and horn not working. 13.2% of failure items.
2
Brakes
Recorded most often: service brake imbalance across an axle, service brake performance efficiency below requirements and service brake performance excessively binding. 8.9% of failure items.
3
Visibility
Recorded most often: washers not working. 3.6% of failure items.
4
Suspension
Recorded most often: component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength. 3.3% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific 205 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Peugeot 205 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Peugeot 205 MOT FAQs
What is the Peugeot 205 MOT pass rate?
71% of Peugeot 205 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 3,268 tests. That is 1.3 percentage points below the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 338th of 575 models.
What does a Peugeot 205 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Peugeot 205 cars failing their 2025 MOT was service brake imbalance across an axle, on 4.1% of failure items. Next were position lamp not working (4.1%) and washers not working (3.6%).
Which area causes the most Peugeot 205 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 30.2%, followed by brakes at 22%.
Does this mean every Peugeot 205 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Peugeot 205 that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific Peugeot 205's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.