58.3%
Peugeot 406
Peugeot 406 MOT pass rate and common problems
The Peugeot 406 passed 58.3% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 14 percentage points below the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the 406 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 406 runs 8.5 points behind the Peugeot average. It is 18th of the 24 Peugeot models in the data. The average 406 arrived at its test 24 years old with 139,198 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.
406 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years (small sample) | 1 | 100% | 27.7 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 2,420 | 58.3% | 14 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 406 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Peugeot 406 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes together account for 44.9% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common 406 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Peugeot 406 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 33.9% of everything testers recorded against failed Peugeot 406 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a 406
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect, position lamp not working and stop lamp not working. 10.2% of failure items.
2
Suspension
Recorded most often: component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength and ball joint excessively worn. 9.1% of failure items.
3
Body, chassis, structure
Recorded most often: exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases and joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. 5.6% of failure items.
4
Brakes
Recorded most often: rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements and service brake imbalance across an axle. 5.5% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific 406 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Peugeot 406 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Peugeot 406 MOT FAQs
What is the Peugeot 406 MOT pass rate?
58.3% of Peugeot 406 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 2,421 tests. That is 14 percentage points below the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 509th of 575 models.
What does a Peugeot 406 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Peugeot 406 cars failing their 2025 MOT was component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength, on 5.9% of failure items. Next were headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect (4.8%) and wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (3.5%).
Which area causes the most Peugeot 406 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 25.2%, followed by brakes at 19.7%.
Does this mean every Peugeot 406 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Peugeot 406 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 406'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.