Peugeot 107 review

Overview

The 2012 second-facelift Peugeot 107 Active is a very small four-seat hatchback, selected here with five doors and a conventional 1.0-litre manual drivetrain. It belongs to the original 107 generation, not the 108 that followed. Its purpose is local transport with easy parking and a modest purchase commitment, rather than long-distance family travel. RoadMatch's review is an original research-based judgement without a personal road-test claim. The independent assessments make a consistent distinction between its useful urban character and its limited luggage capacity and refinement. Today the right individual example matters more than the facelift styling: sound maintenance, a dry cabin and a healthy clutch are stronger reasons to buy than a tidy photograph alone.

Exterior and interior

The final front-end revision gives this 107 a recognisable face, but the basic interior remains an uncomplicated, inexpensive design. Active's air-conditioning is a useful reason to favour it over a bare specification, provided it still works. Check whether the driver's seat and steering adjustment suit you and try the pedal spacing with normal shoes. The open storage areas and modest trim should be inspected for damage rather than judged against a much newer premium car. Look around the rear glass hatch and lamps, then lift the luggage carpet to check for moisture. Small repaired dents may be tolerable at this budget; poor structural repairs or recurring water entry are different and more consequential concerns.

Practicality

The 107 provides four seats and only 139 litres of quoted seats-up luggage space. Those limits are fundamental rather than minor disadvantages to mention after purchase. Five doors improve access to the two rear places, but adults should still check their legroom and the door opening. The small glass-hatch aperture can make a bulky item difficult to load even if its volume seems compatible on paper. Try your usual shopping bags or compact mobility equipment directly. Fold and relatch the split rear seatbacks and check the parcel cover. A household requiring a fifth seat or a large pushchair every day needs a different car. Child restraints must be verified against both manuals and the actual rear-seat installation.

Driving experience

The case for the 107 is strongest in narrow streets and frequent parking. Published assessments find its small footprint and simple petrol controls useful, while pointing out that faster-road noise and comfort trail newer city cars. Our interpretation is to choose it for the journeys it is good at rather than expect one budget car to do everything equally well. Repeat slow clutch operation and first-to-reverse changes during the viewing, because a short straight-road run misses an important part of its job. On a rough section, listen for suspension knocks and rattles. Steering that pulls or brakes that vibrate require diagnosis; they are not acceptable merely because the car is small and inexpensive.

Performance

The period technical guide lists a 50 kW three-cylinder engine, marketed as 68 horsepower; that is approximately 67 mechanical bhp. The manual's manufacturer zero-to-62-mph benchmark is 14.2 seconds. It is enough for careful local progress but does not provide generous acceleration reserve when joining a fast road with passengers. The 2-Tronic automated manual has different operating behaviour and is excluded from this recommendation. During a demonstration, check warm response and whether the engine revs climb normally with road speed. Clutch slip, a persistent warning light or irregular running should be investigated before purchase. The useful performance quality is consistency within a modest brief, not optimistic claims that the car feels like a stronger engine model.

Fuel economy

The 2012 range includes manual and 2-Tronic certification columns, and earlier facelift material contains different emissions figures. We therefore omit an official mpg field rather than merge several versions into a misleading headline. Our annual plan assumes 50 mpg, plainly an editorial scenario rather than measured consumption or extracted owner data. A light 1.0-litre petrol can serve short urban use sensibly, but cold weather, traffic and frequent brief journeys still affect fuel spending. Check tyre pressures and servicing after purchase and assess consumption across several tanks. At low annual mileage, an unexpectedly expensive repair may matter more than a modest fuel saving. A sound individual 107 is a better economical purchase than a neglected one carrying a persuasive brochure number.

Reliability

The reliability judgement has moderate confidence and should not be read as a failure probability. This older city car needs an evidence-led inspection even where its drivetrain is relatively simple. Compare servicing invoices with the MOT mileage progression and ask about previous cooling-system work. Check for leaks in the passenger and luggage areas; damp trim can create a continuing nuisance rather than a one-off cleaning task. The clutch should be assessed under repeated urban use, not only at one successful pull-away. Inspect exhaust and underbody condition and cost any upcoming wear items before negotiating. A repair reserve remains necessary because a low purchase price does not guarantee that every future bill will also be small.

Safety

The exact linked historical safety context is Euro NCAP's 2012 Peugeot 107 reassessment. It is not the 2014 Peugeot 108 result, and the historical protocol cannot be equated directly with today's testing. No protected rating, score or artwork is reproduced. The UK period guide shows that ESP and additional airbag provision require careful specification checking; cornering stability terminology is not itself proof of full electronic stability control. Confirm fitted options from the VIN and inspect warning-lamp behaviour. Sound tyres, seatbelts and correctly fitted child restraints are important immediate checks. Use GOV.UK's registration-based recall procedure and ask Peugeot to verify campaign completion. Neither a valid MOT nor a generic warranty statement clears all recall obligations.

Technology and features

Active offers a basic radio/CD and auxiliary-audio setup with air-conditioning rather than a modern connected cabin. Bluetooth and USB provision shown elsewhere in the range should not be assumed standard on this selected version, and no modern feature tags are asserted. If a seller advertises a replacement multimedia unit, test it with your phone and inspect the installation for insecure cables or warning messages. Try every blower speed, sustained cooling, the electric front windows and central locking. The limited technology can make everyday operation uncomplicated, but only if it matches your expectations. Buyers who need seamless smartphone navigation or a reversing camera as standard should look beyond this early city-car specification.

Running costs

The £2,200–£4,200 used-price range is RoadMatch's 3 October 2026 editorial planning estimate, not a current listing survey. At 8,000 miles, assumed 50 mpg and petrol at £1.50 per litre, fuel is about £1,091 using 4.54609 litres per imperial gallon. A rounded £100 tax allowance and £350–£800 for routine servicing, MOT and tyre wear yield roughly £1,600–£2,000 per year. Actual tax needs a registration check and insurance a personal quote; no commercial group values are copied. Depreciation, finance and major repairs are excluded. An upcoming clutch or extensive corrosion repair would sit outside that routine band. Keeping acquisition money in reserve is especially important when even a moderate bill is a significant fraction of the car's price.

Advantages and disadvantages