Is the Peugeot 205 reliable?

The Peugeot 205 has an average MOT pass rate of 74% across 7 years, based on 7,088 tests in 2026. That's 8 points below the national average of 82%. The most reliable year is 1990 with a 80% pass rate.

Which year Peugeot 205 is best?

The 1990 Peugeot 205 has the highest MOT pass rate at 80%, while the 1996 model has the lowest at 66%. There's a 14 percentage point spread between the best and worst years.

Peugeot 205

Reliability, running costs, and MOT data across 7 years from 7,088 real MOT tests.

Avg Pass Rate

74%

Total Tests

7,088

Best Year

1990 (80%)

Years Covered

About the Peugeot 205

The Peugeot 205 has been tested 7,088 times in 2026 MOT data across 7 model years (1990 to 1996), with an average pass rate of 74%. That's 8 points below the national average of 82%, so check the year-by-year data carefully before buying. Available as petrol and diesel.

Best and Worst Years

The 1990 model is the most reliable with a 80% pass rate from 1,931 tests. The 1996 model has the lowest at 66%. The 14 point spread between years means reliability varies somewhat, but no year is dramatically different.

Reliability Trend

Older PEUGEOT 205s tend to have better MOT pass rates than newer ones, with an average decline of 6 percentage points across model years.

Mileage Across Years

The oldest model in our data (1990) averages 107,231 miles, while the newest (1996) averages 123,274 miles. Older models have covered serious mileage, so suspension and drivetrain wear are worth checking.

Compared to the Peugeot brand average of 83%, the 205 is 9 points lower, placing it among the less reliable Peugeot models.