Used Peugeot Bipper review and buying guide (2009 to 2018): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Peugeot Bipper should you buy?

Buy a Bipper with the ordinary manual gearbox rather than the EGC (2-Tronic) automated manual offered with the 1.3 HDi. The EGC uses a hydraulic actuator to change gear, and that actuator is the Bipper's one known weak spot, with failures reported from as little as 17,000 miles. There's nothing to show that any year between 2009 and 2018 is better or worse than another, so the gearbox matters more than the plate.

If you need to see out of the back, the Tepee passenger version is the easier one to live with. It didn't reach the UK until October 2009 because it had to wait for a one-piece lift-up tailgate. The van's side-hinged rear doors are split unevenly instead, and that leaves a large blind spot over the driver's shoulder on a right-hand-drive car.

Which Bipper engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

Pick the manual gearbox, because the EGC (2-Tronic) automated manual sold with the 1.3 HDi is where the Bipper's known trouble sits. It's the same Dualogic unit as in the Fiat Fiorino and Qubo: a normal gearbox with a hydraulic actuator doing the shifting. That actuator can crack and leak its fluid onto the electrics, and the pump and accumulator behind it can fail too. The manual doesn't have those parts, though that's all that sets it apart.

When the EGC goes wrong, the car can jump out of gear, won't select first or reverse, or slips into neutral in traffic. The repair can be anything from a simple brake switch to a whole new pump and accumulator. One owner whose diesel automated Bipper did mostly short runs cured its hesitation with a fuel additive and premium diesel, and didn't need a new actuator.

What should you check when viewing a used Bipper?

On an EGC automated Bipper, watch the dash for a gearbox warning light and select first and reverse several times from a standstill. A refusal to engage, a lurch out of gear or a sudden drop into neutral on the move points to the actuator, pump or accumulator. Look for fluid weeping around the actuator, and ask for receipts for any gearbox work that's already been done.

Ask whether the front strut top bearings have ever been replaced, since failures have been reported on Bippers and on the closely related Citroen Nemo and Fiat Qubo. One 2009 Bipper failed its MoT at 25,924 miles with both top bearings partly seized, and the parts took more than a fortnight to arrive.

Build quality from the Turkish factory has drawn complaints. One owner of a car from this family listed door mouldings coming loose in the first week, a wheel arch liner that came adrift, a failed electric window switch and rattling rear door hinges that had to be replaced. That car later developed an oil leak at the crankshaft pulley, so look around the pulley for fresh oil while the bonnet's up.

On a diesel, ask whether the engine mountings have been replaced, because one owner had them fail more than once. A 'gong' warning sound means the battery isn't holding enough charge and needs replacing, so don't let a seller pass it off as normal.

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 Bipper cost to run?