Wheel bearing · 2026
Peugeot 208 wheel bearing cost
A wheel bearing replacement on a Peugeot 208 typically costs £84–£279 per wheel fitted at a UK independent garage. The 208 uses a press-in front bearing with a magnetic ABS encoder ring, and a rear bearing built into the rotating drum or disc hub on a stub axle. The rear is the quick job; the front needs the hub carrier off and a hydraulic press.
Front vs rear: what's the Peugeot 208's bearing design?
The design decides the bill. A bolt-on hub unit is a dearer part but a quick fit; a press-in bearing is cheap but needs dismantling and a hydraulic press. Here's how the 208 is built:
| Position | Design | What that means |
|---|---|---|
Front | Press-in bearing | 208 (2012 on) front bearings press into the hub carrier like the 207 before it — 82 mm bearings with an integrated magnetic ABS encoder ring. Straightforward with a press, very difficult without one. |
Rear | In brake drum/hub | Torsion-beam rear with the bearing built into the drum or disc hub: drum cars carry the bearing in the drum, disc cars use rear discs supplied with the bearing and ABS ring pre-fitted; both are retained by a staked hub nut torqued to roughly 180–200 Nm. |
Peugeot 208 wheel bearing replacement cost
A single wheel bearing on a Peugeot 208 typically costs £84–£279 per wheel fitted at a UK independent garage. Sealed hub units cost more in parts but less in labour; press-in bearings the reverse — the total lands in a similar band. Main dealers charge 30–50% more, and London and the South East sit at the top of the range.
Key things to know
- Humming that rises with speed is the classic symptom — though UK forum threads show tyre wear and brake discs are frequent misdiagnoses on the 208.
- Buying rear discs or drums with the bearing and ABS ring already fitted avoids bench-pressing the old bearing out — a common garage shortcut worth asking about.
- Owners report incorrectly sized replacement rear hub nuts sold online — the nut must match the stub axle, and incorrect torque on the stub-axle design causes premature bearing wear.
- The front bearing's magnetic encoder side must face the ABS sensor and must never be pressed against.
Good question
Questions Okay gets asked a lot
How much does a wheel bearing cost for a Peugeot 208?
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Expect £84–£279 per wheel fitted at a UK independent garage in 2026, covering the bearing or hub unit plus labour. On the 208 the front is a press-in — cheaper part, more labour and the rear is a built into the drum/hub, so quotes can differ front to rear. Main dealers charge more; use our cost calculator to adjust for your region.
Is the rear wheel bearing on a Peugeot 208 sold with the brake drum or disc?
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Often, yes — and it's usually the smart buy. Because the 208's rear bearing is housed in the rotating drum or disc hub itself, parts suppliers sell complete drums and rear discs with the bearing and magnetic ABS ring already pressed in. Fitting one turns the job into: hub cap off, unstake the nut, swap the assembly, torque a new nut to spec and restake. The bare-bearing route saves a little on parts but adds press work.
What does a worn wheel bearing sound like on a Peugeot 208?
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The classic sign is a humming, droning or growling noise that rises with road speed and often changes when cornering — louder turning one way, quieter the other. On the 208 the same noise is regularly confused with tyre wear, so have the wheels spun and checked for play before paying for a bearing. A bearing with noticeable play or roughness is an MOT failure, so don't leave it once it's audible.
Get a price for your Peugeot 208
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