Is the Peugeot 406 reliable?

The Peugeot 406 has an average MOT pass rate of 71% across 9 years, based on 6,613 tests in 2024. That's 11 points below the national average of 82%. The most reliable year is 1996 with a 77% pass rate.

Which year Peugeot 406 is best?

The 1996 Peugeot 406 has the highest MOT pass rate at 77%, while the 2003 model has the lowest at 68%. There's a 9 percentage point spread between the best and worst years.

Peugeot 406 Running Costs, MOT Pass Rates & Reliability

Peugeot 406

Reliability, running costs, and MOT data across 9 years from 6,613 real MOT tests.

Avg Pass Rate

71%

Total Tests

6,613

Best Year

1996 (77%)

Years Covered

How reliable is the Peugeot 406?

vs national average-11% (82% avg)

vs Peugeot brand average-12% (83% avg)

Best to worst year spread9 percentage points

Reliability trendDeclining over years

Peugeot 406 by Year

Year	Pass Rate	Tests	Avg Mileage
2004	68%	373	142,734 mi
2003	68%	1,181	150,072 mi
2002	69%	1,132	144,648 mi
2001	70%	973	142,375 mi
2000	70%	752	140,312 mi
1999	71%	902	127,727 mi
1998	71%	783	126,345 mi
1997	73%	377	124,640 mi
1996	77%	140	123,050 mi

Checking a specific Peugeot 406?

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About the Peugeot 406

The Peugeot 406 has been tested 6,613 times in 2024 MOT data across 9 model years (1996 to 2004), with an average pass rate of 71%. That's 11 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 1996 model is the most reliable with a 77% pass rate from 140 tests. The 2003 model has the lowest at 68%. The 9 point spread between years means reliability varies somewhat, but no year is dramatically different.

Reliability Trend

Older PEUGEOT 406s tend to have better MOT pass rates than newer ones, with an average decline of 4 percentage points across model years.

Mileage Across Years

The oldest model in our data (1996) averages 123,050 miles, while the newest (2004) averages 142,734 miles. Older models have covered serious mileage, so suspension and drivetrain wear are worth checking.

Compared to the Peugeot brand average of 83%, the 406 is 12 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.