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
7
How reliable is the Peugeot 205?
Peugeot 205 by Year
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About the Peugeot 205
The Peugeot 205 has been tested 7,088 times in 2024 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.
Click any year in the table above to see detailed running costs, individual reliability data, and comparisons with similar cars.