Peugeot Partner years to avoid — 434,669 MOT tests ranked

Inspect most carefully: 2016, 2017, 2018. Strongest in the data: 2006 or 2012. The ranking uses 434,669 MOT tests across 20 registration years (2023–2025) and compares each year with all UK cars of the same age. Fuel-type signal: diesels show an average 13.9-point pass-rate deficit on this model. That may reflect mileage and use as well as the car itself, so inspect DPF and emissions history rather than treating fuel type as a verdict.

Every Partner year, ranked

The age-adjusted MOT index sets 100 as the pass rate of all UK cars registered in the same year and tested in the same calendar year. Higher is better. This prevents an old car being labelled a “bad year” simply because it is old.

RankYearIndexVs same-agePass rateTests
1 2012 Strong 98.2 -1.8 pts 69.4% 34,169
2 2006 Strong 97.5 -2.5 pts 61.9% 6,348
3 2007 95.6 -4.4 pts 60.7% 7,133
4 2005 95.4 -4.6 pts 59.9% 4,823
5 2008 95.0 -5.0 pts 60.2% 8,483
6 2004 95.0 -5.0 pts 59.3% 3,850
7 2020 94.9 -5.1 pts 84.9% 30,221
8 2010 94.8 -5.2 pts 62.2% 15,317
9 2009 94.7 -5.3 pts 61.1% 11,503
10 2015 94.3 -5.7 pts 73.0% 39,193
11 2011 94.1 -5.9 pts 63.3% 20,599
12 2014 93.6 -6.4 pts 69.4% 41,680
13 2002 93.6 -6.4 pts 59.2% 1,810
14 2019 92.7 -7.3 pts 81.1% 39,145
15 2013 92.3 -7.7 pts 65.6% 28,351
16 2003 92.3 -7.7 pts 57.3% 3,307
17 2021 91.5 -8.5 pts 81.9% 15,361
18 2016 Inspect 90.7 -9.3 pts 72.0% 39,573
19 2017 Inspect 90.1 -9.9 pts 74.1% 41,513
20 2018 Inspect 89.7 -10.3 pts 76.1% 42,290

Why 2016 and 2017 and 2018 rank lower

The 2016 cohort passes 72.0% of tests (-9.3 points versus same-age cars) at a median 86,457 miles, with lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment the leading failure system. The 2017 cohort passes 74.1% of tests (-9.9 points versus same-age cars) at a median 83,256 miles, with lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment the leading failure system. The 2018 cohort passes 76.1% of tests (-10.3 points versus same-age cars) at a median 75,175 miles, with lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment the leading failure system. This is population-level evidence, not a known-fault list: service history, engine version and the individual MOT record can outweigh the registration-year average.

How to use this before buying

  • Rankings describe the cohort, not the car. A cherished 2016 example beats a neglected 2006 one — always run the specific reg through the free MOT history check.
  • Read the advisories. Repeated notes for the same component across years mean the owner has been ignoring it. Decode them in our advisory library.
  • Fuel matters on this model. The diesel deficit (13.9 points) usually traces to DPF and emissions kit on low-mileage use — check for P2463-type soot codes on the test drive.
  • Scan before you pay. A 2-minute OBD scan reveals stored faults the dashboard hides — see our scanner guide.

FAQs

Which Partner years should I avoid?

Based on 434,669 MOT tests adjusted against cars of the same age, 2016, 2017, 2018 are the lower-scoring outliers. That is a prompt for closer inspection, not proof that every car from those years is bad.

What is the best Partner year to buy used?

2006 and 2012 lead the age-adjusted MOT ranking. The score compares each registration year with all UK cars of the same age; the specific car's history and condition still take priority.

Is the Partner reliable overall?

Across 434,669 tests, the median age-adjusted index is 94.2 (100 equals the pass rate of all cars registered in the same year). Use the spread between years as one signal, then check the individual registration.

Methodology: index = 100 + the model-year cohort’s MOT pass-rate difference versus all UK vehicles registered in the same year and tested in the same calendar year. Class 4 initial tests only; retests excluded; at least 1,500 tests per page. “Inspect” years are below both the same-age baseline and the model’s median index by at least 2 points. Association is not proof of a model-year defect. DVSA anonymised data 2023–2025, OGL v3.0.