carpeep

Peugeot 206, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

25,431 Peugeot 206s are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 53.9% of initial MOT tests, 18.4 points below the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific 206? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Peugeot 206 at the MOT

53.9% of 34,318 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the 206 549th of 575 models.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Peugeot 20653.9%
  • All Peugeot modelsThe 206 is 12.9 pts behind66.8%
  • All cars72.3%

Where 206s fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Peugeot 206 tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment28%
  • Suspension19%
  • Brakes15.6%
  • Body, chassis, structure9.3%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks8.4%

The items testers recorded most often were position lamp not working (5.2%), wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (4.4%) and ball joint excessively worn (3.8%).

The MOT page lists every common 206 MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Peugeot 206 MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The 206's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks 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.28% of 206 failure items

  2. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.19% of 206 failure items

  3. 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.15.6% of 206 failure items

Peugeot 206s in the UK

25,431 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 94% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−94%from 431,927 licensed
Typical year of first use
2004half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2004 or earlier
Declared off the road
40,28261% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Peugeot 206s since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2014431,927
End of 2015373,090
End of 2016312,943
End of 2017248,037
End of 2018190,981
End of 2019144,671
End of 2020110,992
End of 202182,193
End of 202264,624
End of 202350,539
End of 202438,439
End of 202529,272
End of June 202625,431

How old they are

Licensed Peugeot 206s by year of first use.

A further 44 were first used before 1999.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025
2009384
2008864
20071,882
20064,224
20055,683
20045,964
20034,060
20022,990
20011,863
2000675
1999308

206 engines and fuel

1.4 litre engines made up 54% of Peugeot 206 MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.6 litre at 20%. Petrol accounts for 80% of licensed 206s and diesel for 20%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 34,311 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.4 litre54.1%
  • 1.6 litre19.9%
  • 1.1 litre14.5%
  • 2.0 litre10.9%

Fuel type, licensed 206s

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol20,33080%
Diesel5,09820%
Gas3<0.1%

Peugeot 206 recalls

15 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Peugeot 206. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every 206 is affected.

  1. Nov 2012 R/2012/135

    Engine may fail

    206s built May 2010 to Jul 2010 · 1,851 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It is possible that the con-rod bearing shells will not conform to manufacturer specification. This could lead to premature deterioration of the shells and in time cause the engine to fail.
    Remedy
    To replace the con-rod bearing shells

  2. Nov 2008 R/2008/182

    Fuel pipe may leak

    206s built Jul 2008 · 61 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It has been identified that on subject vehicles a fuel pipe may not be correctly sealed. Should this be the case seepage of fuel may occur.
    Remedy
    Recalled vehicles will have the subject fuel pipe checked and replaced as necessary.

  3. Oct 2008 R/2008/155

    Windscreen wipers may fail

    206s built Dec 2005 to May 2006 · 17,551 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It has been identified that on subject vehicles the windscreen wiper mechanism has not been manufactured to specification. As a result in time the windscreen wipers could fail.
    Remedy
    Recalled vehicles will have the windscreen wiper mechanism replaced.

  4. Nov 2006 R/2006/212

    Front right hand seatbelt fixing bolt may fail

    4 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It has been identified on a small number of vehicles that the spacer for the front right-hand seat belt fixing bolt may have been incorrectly fitted. It is therefore possible that in time this could result in the fixing for the assembly becoming insecure.
    Remedy
    Recalled vehicles will have the fitting of the spacer checked for compliance with the specification. If found to be necessary the trim will be repositioned and the assembly re-tightened to the correct torque.

  5. Apr 2005 R/2005/047

    Possible seepage on the diesel fuel return pipe

    2,573 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    There is a risk of a manufacturing non conformity on the fuel injection diesel return pipe. This may lead to the possibility of fuel seepage.
    Remedy
    As a preventive measure likely to be affected vehicles will have the pipe replaced additionally the pipe will be fitted with protective sleeves.

  6. Sep 2004 R/2004/167

    Possibility that the starter motor wiring loom is incorrectly positioned

    206s built Jun 2004 to Jul 2004 · 1,128 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The possibility exists that the starter motor wiring loom has been positioned incorrectly. In consequence there is a risk that this could cause a short circuit.
    Remedy
    Recall likely to be affected vehicles and correctly fit the wiring loom.

  7. May 2004 R/2004/087

    Possibility of erratic operation of the motorized throttle body

    2,735 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The software may cause erratic operation of the motorized throttle which may result in breakage of the throttle stop. This can result in the engine reverting to limp home mode with a possible reduction in braking assistance.
    Remedy
    Subject vehicles will be recalled and the condition eradicated by carrying out an ECU download.

  8. May 2004 R/2004/082

    Possibility that the rear spoiler may detach

    206s built Nov 2001 to Oct 2003 · 5,388 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The spoiler mounting on the rear tailgate may in certain cases have some weak points and cause some noise.This may even lead to the loss of the spoiler
    Remedy
    Recall affected vehicles and replace the 4 spoiler fixing bolts and fit two safety straps
How to check a specific 206 for recalls

Other Peugeot models

The most-tested Peugeot models in 2025, against the 206's 53.9% MOT pass rate.

All 24 Peugeot models

Peugeot 206 FAQs

How many Peugeot 206s are there in the UK?

25,431 Peugeot 206s were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 40,282 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Peugeot 206 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 53.9% first-time pass rate for the Peugeot 206 across 34,318 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Peugeot 206 had any recalls?

15 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Peugeot 206. The most recent was published in November 2012. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.

What should I check before buying a used Peugeot 206?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, suspension and brakes. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check a Peugeot 206'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.

Already found a 206?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Peugeot history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Peugeot VIN check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to October 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.