The Peugeot 307 to go for is a manual built after 2002, which dodges the early cars' flywheel and ABS faults; skip the AL4 automatic unless there are receipts showing its fluid has been changed.
2 known faults in our database; owners report 46.1 mpg, 91% of the official figure. Everything below is built from that data and the archived owner history, not from a press car.
Found a Peugeot 307 for sale? Check the advert before you go and see it
Paste the Peugeot 307 advert and we read it against its known faults, the MOT history and the DVLA record, then tell you what to ask the seller and what to look at on the day. Free, about a minute, no card.
Check a Peugeot 307 advert (free) →The safer 307 is a manual that isn't one of the earliest 2001 or 2002 cars. Those first cars carry extra faults on top of the usual list: water can get into the ABS control unit and leave it needing replacement, and the early diesels can develop clutch judder as the damper inside the dual-mass flywheel wears out.
Whatever the year, the four-speed AL4 automatic is the one gearbox the known-fault record singles out. Old or never-changed fluid wears its pressure solenoids, and somewhere between 60,000 and 100,000 miles it starts thumping into gear or locking itself in third. A manual sidesteps that, though clutch failures turn up across the range, so judge the clutch carefully whatever you buy.
The electrics are the 307's weak spot at any age. The Multiplex wiring can fail outright, fuseboxes take on damp, and trip computers, service indicators and column stalks pack up, so test every switch before you agree a price. The SW estate, sold until 2008, adds a big sunroof whose frame can let water in, so check the headlining around it for stains.
The diesels carry by far the longer list of trouble, and the early 2.0 HDI is the one to treat most carefully. Its dual-mass flywheel can be finished by 25,000 miles, HDIs in general can hesitate and hit flat spots because of an engine control unit fault, and worn or sticking throttle butterflies can drop a 307 into limp-home mode.
The 2.0 HDI RHY and RHZ engines with a particle filter rely on an additive tank strapped beside the fuel tank ahead of the rear beam, so refilling it needs the car on a lift and a dealer tool to reset the counters. The filter warning is set to come on at around 70,000 miles, depending on how often it's needed to regenerate, and the EGR valve and exhaust pressure sensors on these engines are close to service items.
The 16-valve 1.6 HDi (the 90 and 110, from 2004) has a known turbo fault: oil turns to carbon inside the narrow pipe that supplies the turbo's bearings, starving them until they're worn out. A new turbo on its own won't cure it, since the oil feed pipe needs renewing too, so if a turbo's been fitted, ask what else was changed. The end of its plastic dipstick can also snap off into the sump, which then has to come off.
There's little on record specific to the petrol engines, which isn't the same as proof they're sound. On any 307, the bolt holding the alternator belt tensioner can shear off in the block. For the gearbox, a manual's the lower risk, though clutch failures turn up across the range; if you want an automatic, only take an AL4 with receipts showing its fluid's been changed.
Work every electrical item first, because so many of the 307's listed faults are electrical. Try the indicator stalk gently (owners have broken them by forcing), the horn, the central locking, the trip computer and the heater fan on every speed, since a wiring fault can take out its resistors. Look in the fusebox for damp, and watch for an ABS warning on the dash.
On the drive, an automatic shouldn't bang into gear, flash its Sport and Snow lights or stay stuck in third. On a diesel, feel for judder as the clutch bites and hesitation under acceleration. A 1.6 HDi that whines or growls from the turbo as it pulls, smokes blue or grey under load or drops suddenly into limp mode is showing that oil-feed fault. Watch for an Antipollution fault warning with lost power too, which one owner's 2004 2.0 HDI SW threw at 114,000 miles.
Check the windscreen for cracks and leaks, make sure the tailgate shuts first time, and on an SW inspect the rear glass, as rear windows have shattered, with stress from slamming the tailgate from one side the suspected cause. On a diesel, look at the heat shields around the turbo and downpipe; one report describes oil-soaked shields breaking up and starting fires. On an estate, wind down the spare wheel cradle, which one owner found can seize.
Ask for proof of recall work. In 2002 the steering lock assembly was replaced because a stiff or seized ignition lock could burn out the starter motor, and front shock absorber lower yokes were checked for cracks. A 2003 recall on automatics repositioned a wiring loom that could let the engine start in gear. On a diesel, ask for receipts for any dual-mass flywheel and particle filter additive work, and on a 1.6 HDi with a replacement turbo, for the new oil feed pipe as well.
Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.
Buy one built after 2002, and a manual if you can, because the 2001 and 2002 cars are the ones with water getting into the ABS control unit, juddering diesel clutches and most of the recalls, on top of the electrical faults every 307 shares.
The earliest cars were also the subject of most recalls. In 2002 a batch was filled with the wrong brake fluid and needed brake and clutch fluid replaced, and on others the front left anti-roll bar link could rub the brake pipe on full left lock, so the pipe was repositioned or renewed. Indicator stalks on cars from May 2001 broke when forced, and the free fix for them had been withdrawn by 2007.
Later cars bring their own risks, so newer doesn't mean trouble-free. The 16-valve 1.6 HDi arrived with its turbo oil-feed fault from 2004, the 2.0 HDI RHY and RHZ engines carry the particle filter and its additive tank, and the AL4 automatic wears out between 60,000 and 100,000 miles at any age. The SW, built until 2008, adds sunroof frame leaks and power steering faults.
Check the mileage against the service paperwork, because some 307s had a mileometer that over-read until a dealer software update corrected it, so ask whether that's been done. Press the brake pedal hard to make sure it's firmly attached, as pedals have come loose on these, and check the engine fires up cleanly, since poor starting is another complaint against the 307.
Real-world economy on this generation: Peugeot 307 44.2 mpg, Peugeot 307 SW 48.3 mpg.
Sellers rarely admit these faults outright
Paste any Peugeot 307 advert and we check it against the faults, the MOT record and these figures in seconds.
Check an advert now (free) →Owners report 46.1 mpg across the Peugeot 307 engines with data, about 91% of the official figure, from 346 submissions.
Peugeot 307 Real MPG by engine →The Peugeot 307 to go for is a manual built after 2002, which dodges the early cars' flywheel and ABS faults; skip the AL4 automatic unless there are receipts showing its fluid has been changed. Our database holds 2 known Peugeot 307 faults, and the sections above say which generation and engine carry them.
Work every electrical item first, because so many of the 307's listed faults are electrical. Read the MOT history for repeat advisories and ask for invoices for any work the seller mentions. Then paste the advert into the free check, which reads it against every known Peugeot 307 fault before you travel.
Owners report 46.1 mpg on average, about 91% of the official figure, from 346 submissions. The known faults page lists a rough repair cost against each fault. Peugeot 307 Real MPG by engine.
If you used the Honest John car-by-car reviews before the site closed in 2026, this is where the Peugeot 307 buying advice now lives. It is written from the archived owner reports and model notes (archived page, 43 items read for this model), our own known-faults database, the confirmed service intervals and the Real MPG figures. Every number on the page comes from that data, not from the text. The same data feeds our free advert check.
CarAdCheck is not affiliated with Honest John or Volkswagen Financial Services. What happened to Honest John, and where each feature lives now.
The Peugeot 307 is one decision. Reading the advert, the history and the seller are the rest, and these cover them.
Looking at a Peugeot 307 right now? Check the advert before you go and see it.