Used Peugeot 308 CC review and buying guide (2009 to 2015): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Peugeot 308 CC should you buy?

Pass on a four-speed automatic 308 CC: that's the AL4 gearbox, one of the car's two known drivetrain faults. Peugeot replaced it from January 2010 with a six-speed auto paired with the 1.6 THP 156, so a later automatic isn't an AL4, and a manual sidesteps the gearbox question entirely. Whichever you look at, it's the engine's paperwork that decides it.

The other known fault is the 1.6 THP petrol's timing chain, and it covers every year the 308 CC was sold, so a 2015 car isn't safer than a 2009 one on age alone. Judge a THP on its chain receipts and how it sounds from cold. Neither known fault touches the 2.0 HDi diesel, but there's too little on it to call it the better buy.

Which Peugeot 308 CC engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

The 1.6 THP petrol is the risky engine: its timing chain stretches and the hydraulic tensioner fails, letting the timing jump, typically between 40,000 and 80,000 miles. When a 2015 308 CC's chain failed at 43,000 miles, the repair bill was £3,500, and the engine has used a litre of oil for each 800 miles since. Don't buy a THP without bills showing chain work.

Steer clear of the four-speed AL4 automatic. Old, overheated or contaminated fluid wears its pressure solenoids, and the box starts banging into gear or sticking in third, usually from 60,000 to 100,000 miles. The six-speed auto that replaced it from January 2010 came paired with the 1.6 THP 156, so it swaps the gearbox worry for the chain risk rather than avoiding both.

Don't read the 2.0 HDi diesel's clean sheet on known faults as proof it's the safe pick, because there's very little on it either way. The one owner's report on a 2009 HDi isn't encouraging: it went through two clutches, the first failing just as the warranty ran out and the second at 44,000 miles. On an HDi, check the clutch for slip and ask for receipts for any replacement.

What should you check when viewing a used Peugeot 308 CC?

On a 1.6 THP, insist on hearing it start from cold. A loud metallic rattle as it fires up is the chain, and an engine light or limp mode points the same way. Ask for receipts for any chain work and the mileage it was done at, then check the dipstick and ask how often it's topped up.

On an automatic, watch the dash for a gearbox warning or flashing Sport and Snow lights, and feel for thumps as it changes or a car that won't go past third. Ask when the gearbox fluid was last changed, since neglected fluid is what wears out the AL4. If nobody can answer, don't buy an early auto.

Put the folding roof through several full cycles. One owner's roof failed within three days of buying a 2009 car and spent 3 to 4 weeks being fixed, and another had the roof electrics die with the roof down. That second car also had instrument failures and a squeaking driver's window, so try every window, switch and gauge.

A gong warning means the battery isn't holding its charge and needs replacing. On a Pearl White car, look for blistered paint, as one owner of a 2015 car found. One 2011 car went back to the dealer 8 times in 18 months for engine management faults, a high-pressure fuel pump and the head gasket. Ask for proof of recall work on steering rack mountings that could work loose on some 2011 cars and an overheating diesel fuel filter heater on 2012 to 2014 HDis.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

What does a used Peugeot 308 CC cost to run?