The Peugeot 308 to go for is a Mk2 2.0 BlueHDi diesel, the lesser risk though one still needed a new engine, while the 1.2 PureTech petrol is the one to skip after repeated cambelt and engine failures.
6 known faults, 5 rated high severity in our database; owners report 50.4 mpg, 83% of the official figure. Everything below is built from that data and the archived owner history, not from a press car.
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Check a Peugeot 308 advert (free) →The Mk2 308, sold from 2013 to 2021, is the one to buy, and the 2.0 BlueHDi diesel is its lesser risk: no serious known fault names it, unlike the 1.5 and 1.6 BlueHDi, the 1.6 THP and the 1.2 PureTech. It isn't spotless, though. One owner of a 2014 estate had spent £6,000 on repairs, a new engine and clutch among them, so check the AdBlue system and history on any diesel.
The 1.2 PureTech petrol is the Mk2 engine to skip, with two serious known faults: a wet belt that breaks up at 33,000 to 65,000 miles, and heavy oil use that ends in a new engine at 14,500 to 56,000 miles. A 2015 car needed a new engine for low compression at 42,000 miles and another's crankshaft broke up at 35,000. If you still want one, don't buy it without a receipt for the belt, now due every 6 years or 62,000 miles.
On the Mk1 (T7) from 2007 to 2013, buy a manual and skip the AL4 four-speed automatic, a known weak point that starts shifting harshly and losing pressure between 60,000 and 100,000 miles. Skip the 1.6 THP petrol too, since its timing chain can stretch and its tensioner fail between 40,000 and 80,000 miles. The 1.6 HDi diesel isn't named by a known fault, but owners have reported clutch hydraulic, turbo and injector trouble on it, so check those closely.
Newer cars badged Hybrid 100, 110, 136 or 145 use the third-generation 1.2, which runs a timing chain in oil instead of the wet belt, with no set change interval, though there aren't any owner reports on them to go on yet. If you're offered a 1.5 BlueHDi, its camshaft chain can stretch and snap between 50,000 and 90,000 miles on 2017 to 2023 cars, and it shares the AdBlue tank fault with the 1.6 BlueHDi.
The 2.0 BlueHDi is the Mk2 diesel to pick: the AdBlue tank fault names the 1.5 and 1.6 BlueHDi, and the timing chain fault the 1.5, not the 2.0. It's not clean, though. One owner's 2014 estate needed a new engine, clutch and AdBlue sensor, and a 2015 GT Line, either a 1.6 or a 2.0, had its AdBlue tank collapse. Its cambelt's due every 10 years or 125,000 miles, with the water pump done alongside.
Treat the 1.6 and 1.5 BlueHDi with care. The pump built into their AdBlue tank can fail, bringing up an AdBlue warning and a countdown to the engine refusing to restart, and the fix is usually a whole new tank; one owner's 1.6 GT Line needed one at 28,480 miles, just after its warranty ran out. The 1.5's camshaft chain can also stretch and snap between 50,000 and 90,000 miles, and its dry cambelt's due every 60,000 miles or 60 months.
Avoid the 1.2 PureTech petrol if you can. Its wet cambelt runs in oil and is now due every 6 years or 62,000 miles, after the maker cut it from 10 years or 109,000 miles. Heavy oil use is its other known fault, ending in a new engine at 14,500 to 56,000 miles. Beyond that, one owner paid £1,100 to have carbon cleaned off a PureTech 130's valves, and older 130s had an engine software update campaign at main dealers, so ask whether that's been done.
On a Mk1, pick a manual. The AL4 auto is a known weak point, and two owners reported theirs failing at around 4 years old even after the fluid was changed. The 1.6 THP's chain and tensioner can fail between 40,000 and 80,000 miles on cars up to 2018, which takes in any Mk2 with that engine, and one THP 150's replacement tensioner broke up too. The 1.6 HDi's cambelt is due every 10 years or 87,000 miles, with the water pump done at the same time.
Ask for the cambelt invoice on any 1.2 PureTech older than 6 years or past 62,000 miles, and pull the dipstick, since one 2014 petrol estate was burning up to a litre per 1,000 miles by 85,000. Owners have seen a 'Take to garage' message with a belt failure at 38,000 miles, an 'Engine Fault' warning with no change in how the car drove, and an oil pressure warning on one whose crankshaft had broken up.
On a 1.5 or 1.6 BlueHDi, an AdBlue warning, an engine management light or a countdown saying it won't restart points to the tank pump, and that's a new tank. On a Mk1 1.6 HDi, a nasty rattle from low down can be the rear lower engine mount. One Mk1 diesel estate showed a 'risk of filter clogging' message that was put down to the pump feeding the DPF additive, so ask when the additive tank was last refilled.
Listen at the back of a Mk2 over bumps. Owners of 2015 cars have reported creaking, rattling and grating from the rear axle, one had a cracked weld found on it, and a modification kit cured one car's rattle. Check the air conditioning blows cold, since several 2014 cars lost their refrigerant, and Peugeot supplied one owner a free condenser as a known weakness, though not the fitting.
On a Mk1 AL4 auto, flashing Sport and Snow lights, a Gearbox Fault message, thumps into gear or being stuck in third mean the box is failing. For a Mk2, ask for proof of the recall work: new front wishbone bolts on 2013 and 2014 cars, the starter motor relay and starter supply wire recalls issued in 2017, an airbag control fix on some late 2017 cars, and the fix for a plastic exhaust part that could damage the DPF on cars sold from 2016 to 2018.
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 a Mk1 308 as a manual and leave the AL4 automatic and the 1.6 THP petrol alone, since both carry known faults; a 1.6 HDi's worth a look if its clutch hydraulics, turbo and injectors check out. It's a 5-star Euro NCAP car, and the estate's three rear seats will each take a child seat. The high boot lip makes loading awkward, though, and some drivers find reflections in the curved dial covers distracting in bright sun.
The 1.6 HDi's owner reports take in clutch master and slave cylinders going at around 3 years old, two new injectors on a 2011 car, a rear engine mount that rattles and an ABS fault on a 2009 car. One 2009 1.6 HDi 110 estate went through three turbos in a row because the catalytic converter's core had collapsed and blocked the exhaust, so the turbos overheated.
The THP's chain trouble shows up between 40,000 and 80,000 miles as a loud metallic rattle on a cold start. Separately, a dealer told one owner of a 2008 1.6 120 Sport that its timing chain needed changing at 65,000 miles. One 2009 1.4 used 2 litres of oil in 3,500 miles, a 2008 1.6 VTi auto got through a litre every 500 miles, and rear light clusters failed on one 2008 car at 44,000 miles, which cost its owner £395.
Real-world economy on this generation: Peugeot 308 49.7 mpg, Peugeot 308 SW 50.4 mpg, Peugeot 308 50.5 mpg.
Buy a Mk2 with the 2.0 BlueHDi and you've got the better 308, though one 2014 estate still needed a new engine; skip the 1.2 PureTech petrol. It's a big step up from the Mk1 in design and build quality, and it holds a 5-star Euro NCAP rating. The manual change can feel clunky in traffic, and if you like the wheel set high, it'll hide the dials.
The 1.2 PureTech's problems arrive early. Owners have reported belt failures at 33,782 miles on a 2014 car and at 38,000 on a 2015, a car needing a new engine for low compression at 42,000, a crankshaft breaking up at 35,000, and a clutch still slipping at 34,000 miles after only the slave cylinder was changed. One 2018 car's belt was found delaminating at a routine service and was replaced free.
On the diesels, the AdBlue tank pump on the 1.5 and 1.6 BlueHDi can fail from under 30,000 miles, and the 1.5's camshaft chain can snap between 50,000 and 90,000. AdBlue can need topping up as soon as 6,000 miles, though later cars let you do it yourself. If a Mk2 you're looking at has the 1.6 THP petrol, its chain fault's years run to 2018, so the cold-start rattle check applies.
Away from the engines, owners have reported rear axle noises on 2015 cars, air conditioning losing its gas on 2014 cars, a front damper failing at 24,000 miles and water getting in by the clutch pedal on one 2014 car. One 2016 GT Line estate kept making emergency stops for no reason at 22,000 miles, and the dealer bought it back.
Real-world economy on this generation: Peugeot 308 50.5 mpg, Peugeot 308 SW 51.5 mpg, Peugeot 308 44.5 mpg.
Sellers rarely admit these faults outright
Paste any Peugeot 308 advert and we check it against the faults, the MOT record and these figures in seconds.
Check an advert now (free) →Owners report 50.4 mpg across the Peugeot 308 engines with data, about 83% of the official figure, from 1,400 submissions.
Peugeot 308 Real MPG by engine →The Mk2 estate's load floor is flat and roomy, and folding the rear seats is an easy job, so bulky loads go in without a fight. There's a proper sense of quality to the GT's cabin, and its engine sound generator is a bit of fun on an everyday drive.
It's a relaxed, pleasant car to drive and it feels refined on the move, with a ride that's genuinely impressive for a family hatchback. The GT keeps that comfortable ride too, so going for the GT badge doesn't mean trading comfort away.
The Peugeot 308 to go for is a Mk2 2.0 BlueHDi diesel, the lesser risk though one still needed a new engine, while the 1.2 PureTech petrol is the one to skip after repeated cambelt and engine failures. Our database holds 6 known Peugeot 308 faults, 5 rated high severity, and the sections above say which generation and engine carry them.
The Mk2 308, sold from 2013 to 2021, is the one to buy, and the 2.0 BlueHDi diesel is its lesser risk: no serious known fault names it, unlike the 1.5 and 1.6 BlueHDi, the 1.6 THP and the 1.2 PureTech. On the fault record the Mk1 (T7) (2007 to 2013) carries 2 known faults against 4 on the Mk2 (T9) (2013 to 2021). Each generation's section above gives the detail. Peugeot 308 faults by generation.
Ask for the cambelt invoice on any 1.2 PureTech older than 6 years or past 62,000 miles, and pull the dipstick, since one 2014 petrol estate was burning up to a litre per 1,000 miles by 85,000. 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 308 fault before you travel.
Owners report 50.4 mpg on average, about 83% of the official figure, from 1,400 submissions. Wet belt (1.2 PURETECH, 1.2 VTI): 62,000 miles or 6 years, whichever comes first, so budget for it if the history does not show it done. The known faults page lists a rough repair cost against each fault. Peugeot 308 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 308 buying advice now lives. It is written from the archived owner reports and model notes (archived page, 93 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.
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The Peugeot 308 is one decision. Reading the advert, the history and the seller are the rest, and these cover them.
Looking at a Peugeot 308 right now? Check the advert before you go and see it.