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Is the Peugeot 3008 reliable?

Reliabilty is a little mixed bag when it comes to the 3008. There are known faults and problems (see below), but as Peugoet is a key player in the UK there are plenty of dealers and specialist availble making it easy to source parts. 

In What Car?'s reliability survey the 3008 scored poorly. It came 28th our of 34 cars in the family SUV category and Peugeot as a brand didn't do much better either, finish 21st our of 32 brands surveyed. 

Engine: The wet timing belt that runs through the engine oil in the Puretech petrol engine can be prone to failure, which will cause serious engine damage (see above): it can wear prematurely, and fragments of it then block oil pathways, causing low oil pressure.

On cars with more than 40,000 miles, check the belt has been replaced. Also make sure the oil levels are correct, because these can affect its longevity.

On diesels, clogged-up particulate filters are common and will need to be manually regenerated or replaced, while the AdBlue pumps and injectors can fail. Take a long test drive to make sure, but it’s best to avoid a diesel if you don’t cover a lot of motorway miles.

Electrics: Central locking system can suffer from technical faults, and dashboard displays can be prone to software glitches. Check that all the systems are functioning as they should.

Gearbox: On an automatic car, any shuddering or delays when changing gear could be a sign of a gearbox oil leak, a faulty coupling or a worn clutch. Make sure the transmission shifts smoothly and when it should.

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Body: Be wary of cars fitted with a panoramic sunroof: they can leak water into the cabin.

Handbrake: The electric handbrake is meant to release automatically when you pull away but is prone to getting stuck and requiring a manual override.

An expert’s view

Paul Steane, Independent Peugeot Specialists: “The 1.2 Puretech has wet belt issues, can burn oil and carbon deposits can block up the inlet manifolds.

"Depending on how bad the damage is, it can cost up to £800 to get the wet belt replaced in the Puretech engine, and if the belt snaps then the whole engine will need to be swapped.

"An oil light will be the first sign, for low oil pressure, which is the first indication that the wet belt is breaking up. Then we do an investigation to check the oil and the oil pressure.”

Also worth knowing

If you’re considering a 3008 as a tow car, we’d recommend the 2.0 BlueHDi diesel that can tow up to 2000kg.

In 2021, the 3008 adopted Peugeot’s ‘sabre-tooth’ LED daytime-running lights and a frameless grille. Opt for a pre-April 2017 1.6-litre diesel model and you’ll only pay £20 road tax.

Matt Saunders

Matt Saunders Autocar
Title: Road test editor

As Autocar’s chief car tester and reviewer, it’s Matt’s job to ensure the quality, objectivity, relevance and rigour of the entirety of Autocar’s reviews output, as well contributing a great many detailed road tests, group tests and drive reviews himself.

Matt has been an Autocar staffer since the autumn of 2003, and has been lucky enough to work alongside some of the magazine’s best-known writers and contributors over that time. He served as staff writer, features editor, assistant editor and digital editor, before joining the road test desk in 2011.

Since then he’s driven, measured, lap-timed, figured, and reported on cars as varied as the Bugatti Veyron, Rolls-Royce PhantomTesla RoadsterAriel Hipercar, Tata Nano, McLaren SennaRenault Twizy and Toyota Mirai. Among his wider personal highlights of the job have been covering Sebastien Loeb’s record-breaking run at Pikes Peak in 2013; doing 190mph on derestricted German autobahn in a Brabus Rocket; and driving McLaren’s legendary ‘XP5’ F1 prototype. His own car is a trusty Mazda CX-5.