Peugeot 108 (2014-2022) review - Reliability and Safety
Solid crash test performances and a proven reliability record should make the Peugeot 108 a safe car to own
Despite the updated styling, many of the 108’s components are carried over from the old 107. As before, the car is produced at PSA/Toyota’s efficient plant in the Czech Republic. While it’s built to a price, most of the parts are robust, reliable and well proven.
The 1.0-litre engine, in particular, has been used in Peugeot, Citroen and Toyota city cars for years, and we’ve heard of very few problems from owners of the old model.
We’re also pleased to report that Peugeot has been performing well of late in the Auto Express Driver Power satisfaction survey. In 2014, the brand came 17th out of 33 manufacturers – winning ‘most improved’ plaudits – while in 2015 Peugeot repeated the trick with another climb up the chart, to 10th overall. That put it ahead of Audi, BMW and Mercedes, among many others.
For reliability, owners ranked Peugeot (as a manufacturer) 12th, but build quality was only rated 17th overall. Hopefully, as one of its newer models, the 108 should help lift those scores in future; we’ll wait and see.
One area where the city car has improved significantly over its predecessor is on safety. The 107 scored three stars in Euro NCAP crash tests, but when the new model was put through its paces in 2014, it scored four stars overall, achieving a decent 80 per cent rating for both adult and child protection. However, this is still below the best in the class – for comparison, the Skoda Citigo gets a full five-star rating.
Nevertheless, with six airbags and stability control as standard, the 108 should offer peace of mind from a safety perspective. Plus, on more expensive Allure and Feline models, buyers have the option to specify lane-departure warning and City Braking systems.
Warranty
Peugeot offers a three-year/60,000-mile warranty on the 108, which would have seemed reasonable a few years back. However, it now looks uncompetitive against packages from rivals like Kia, Hyundai and Toyota. The Kia Picanto benefits from a seven-year/100,000-mile deal, the Hyundai i10 has a five-year/unlimited-mileage warranty and the Toyota Aygo is supplied with five years and 100,000 miles of cover.
Servicing
Peugeot 108s fitted with the Toyota-designed 1.0-litre engine require maintenance every 16,000 miles or 12 months, with the annual intervals sure to come sooner for most drivers. In comparison, the older 1.2 PureTech models need a service every year or 10,000 miles.