Peugeot 204

Peugeot 204 at a glance

Project D12: a small Peugeot under four metres

Design work on Project D12 began in 1960, and Driven to Write puts the whole gestation at eight years, counting front-drive studies from the late 1950s. The brief, as Lancaster Insurance's 2019 history puts it, was a car for five adults, shorter than four metres and with an engine inside the 6 CV fiscal class. Peugeot's design chief Paul Bouvot drew the body, Pininfarina added the finishing styling, and Pininfarina's 1961 Jacqueline concept had already shown the theme. Peugeot later described the 204 as the first car it developed with a project-based organisation.

The car was launched in Paris in April 1965. About 5,000 orders were placed before the official introduction, and 72 per cent of all 204s were eventually delivered in France, with West Germany the next-largest market. The estate (Break) followed in autumn 1965, the 2+2 coupé and the two-seat cabriolet in 1966 (the cabriolet in October) and the Fourgonnette van later that year.

Engineering firsts: transverse alloy engine and front drive

The 204 brought several firsts to Peugeot at once: front-wheel drive, a transverse engine, an overhead camshaft, front disc brakes and independent suspension on all four wheels. The all-alloy 1,130 cc four sat across the car with the four-speed gearbox directly below it, sharing its oil, and drove the front wheels through equal-length driveshafts. Gear changes were made with a column lever.

At the front, MacPherson struts and lower wishbones were mounted on a stout subframe with an anti-roll bar; at the rear, trailing arms on a transverse beam supported the rear struts. Peugeot designed and made its own dampers. The saloon measured 3,990 mm long on a 2,595 mm wheelbase and weighed 851 kg.

The diesel made the 204 unusual among small cars. A 1,255 cc Indenor diesel of 29 kW (40 PS) arrived in late 1968 for the Break and van, and contemporary sources called it the smallest diesel in a series-production car. It grew to 1,357 cc and 33 kW (45 PS) in April 1973 and reached the saloon in September 1975. About 150,000 diesel 204s were built, fewer than 30,000 of them saloons, with a claimed 5.7 l/100 km and 130 km/h. In June 1973 a 204 diesel prototype set eight endurance records at Montlhéry, with drivers including Jean Todt, Jean Guichet and Hannu Mikkola.

Road tests, rallies and the best-seller years

Autocar tested a 204 saloon in September 1966 and recorded 138 km/h (86 mph), 0-60 mph in 22 seconds and 8.8 l/100 km (32 mpg). In Britain it cost GBP 903, against GBP 835 for a Triumph 1300, and the magazine found the finish and equipment "austere and disappointing in relation to price". Motor's test of the coupé in October 1968 gave 140 km/h on the MIRA banked circuit, 0-60 mph in 17.3 seconds and 9.4 l/100 km, at GBP 1,299.

The 204 proved its toughness in Africa: all six cars entered in the East African Safari Rally finished, taking the first six places in the 1,101-1,300 cc class, and Peugeot also lists a 1-2-3 on the 1,000 Miles of Tanganyika. English Wikipedia dates the Safari result to 1966, Peugeot's 2015 release to 1967.

At home the 204 became France's best-selling car in 1969, 1970 and 1971, before the Simca 1100 took first place in 1972; that front-drive rival came from the Poissy firm covered in our Simca history. A 1968 update brought a revised tail and slightly larger bumpers. From 1969 the longer 304 used the 204's centre section, and in 1970 the coupé and cabriolet switched to 304 specification, leaving the 204 as saloon, estate and van.

Why the 204 ended

Production ended in July 1976 with no direct replacement. The 304 and, from 1977, the 305 covered its place in the range, while French Wikipedia names the 104 as the 6 CV successor for 1977. English Wikipedia counts 1,604,296 cars; Classic & Sports Car gives 1,387,473, and Peugeot's own anniversary release says over 1.6 million.

Peugeot 204 today: what to check when buying

Corrosion is the main concern. Octane's buying guide to the closely related 304 cabriolet, published in May 2024, advises checking the underside for structural rot and every panel for soundness, especially on cars that have spent their whole life in Britain, and warns that replacement panels are hard to find. Look closely at sills, floors, the subframe mountings and the lower edges of doors and wings. The cabriolet's rear lights are unique to that body, so check they are present and intact.

Octane rates the 204's mechanicals as durable but notes that parts can be hard to source outside France; French classified sites and owners' clubs are the usual route. Because engine and gearbox share their oil, ask for evidence of regular oil changes.

Coupés and cabriolets cost far more than saloons. In November 2026 Classic Trader listed a 1968 cabriolet at EUR 35,200 and a 1974 Break at EUR 13,500, while a 1967 cabriolet had been offered privately at EUR 17,650 earlier in 2026. Older expired listings on the same site show saloons at EUR 1,400 to 12,500, so condition and body style decide the price.

The 204 has its place in our Peugeot catalogue and in our history of Peugeot. It also belongs among the best classic cars of the 1960s, and more cars of the era are in the classic cars section.