diff --git a/bot/cogs/utils.py b/bot/cogs/utils.py
index 65c729414f..62d46d5a1c 100644
--- a/bot/cogs/utils.py
+++ b/bot/cogs/utils.py
@@ -38,56 +38,58 @@ async def pep_command(self, ctx: Context, pep_number: str):
         else:
             return await ctx.invoke(self.bot.get_command("help"), "pep")
 
-        # Newer PEPs are written in RST instead of txt
-        if pep_number > 542:
-            pep_url = f"{self.base_github_pep_url}{pep_number:04}.rst"
-        else:
-            pep_url = f"{self.base_github_pep_url}{pep_number:04}.txt"
-
-        # Attempt to fetch the PEP
-        log.trace(f"Requesting PEP {pep_number} with {pep_url}")
-        response = await self.bot.http_session.get(pep_url)
-
-        if response.status == 200:
-            log.trace("PEP found")
-
-            pep_content = await response.text()
-
-            # Taken from https://github.com/python/peps/blob/master/pep0/pep.py#L179
-            pep_header = HeaderParser().parse(StringIO(pep_content))
-
-            # Assemble the embed
-            pep_embed = Embed(
-                title=f"**PEP {pep_number} - {pep_header['Title']}**",
-                description=f"[Link]({self.base_pep_url}{pep_number:04})",
-            )
-
-            pep_embed.set_thumbnail(url="https://www.python.org/static/opengraph-icon-200x200.png")
-
-            # Add the interesting information
-            if "Status" in pep_header:
-                pep_embed.add_field(name="Status", value=pep_header["Status"])
-            if "Python-Version" in pep_header:
-                pep_embed.add_field(name="Python-Version", value=pep_header["Python-Version"])
-            if "Created" in pep_header:
-                pep_embed.add_field(name="Created", value=pep_header["Created"])
-            if "Type" in pep_header:
-                pep_embed.add_field(name="Type", value=pep_header["Type"])
+        possible_extensions = ['.txt', '.rst']
+        found_pep = False
+        for extension in possible_extensions:
+            # Attempt to fetch the PEP
+            pep_url = f"{self.base_github_pep_url}{pep_number:04}{extension}"
+            log.trace(f"Requesting PEP {pep_number} with {pep_url}")
+            response = await self.bot.http_session.get(pep_url)
+
+            if response.status == 200:
+                log.trace("PEP found")
+                found_pep = True
+
+                pep_content = await response.text()
+
+                # Taken from https://github.com/python/peps/blob/master/pep0/pep.py#L179
+                pep_header = HeaderParser().parse(StringIO(pep_content))
+
+                # Assemble the embed
+                pep_embed = Embed(
+                    title=f"**PEP {pep_number} - {pep_header['Title']}**",
+                    description=f"[Link]({self.base_pep_url}{pep_number:04})",
+                )
 
-        elif response.status == 404:
+                pep_embed.set_thumbnail(url="https://www.python.org/static/opengraph-icon-200x200.png")
+
+                # Add the interesting information
+                if "Status" in pep_header:
+                    pep_embed.add_field(name="Status", value=pep_header["Status"])
+                if "Python-Version" in pep_header:
+                    pep_embed.add_field(name="Python-Version", value=pep_header["Python-Version"])
+                if "Created" in pep_header:
+                    pep_embed.add_field(name="Created", value=pep_header["Created"])
+                if "Type" in pep_header:
+                    pep_embed.add_field(name="Type", value=pep_header["Type"])
+
+            elif response.status != 404:
+                # any response except 200 and 404 is expected
+                found_pep = True  # actually not, but it's easier to display this way
+                log.trace(f"The user requested PEP {pep_number}, but the response had an unexpected status code: "
+                          f"{response.status}.\n{response.text}")
+
+                error_message = "Unexpected HTTP error during PEP search. Please let us know."
+                pep_embed = Embed(title="Unexpected error", description=error_message)
+                pep_embed.colour = Colour.red()
+                break
+
+        if not found_pep:
             log.trace("PEP was not found")
             not_found = f"PEP {pep_number} does not exist."
             pep_embed = Embed(title="PEP not found", description=not_found)
             pep_embed.colour = Colour.red()
 
-        else:
-            log.trace(f"The user requested PEP {pep_number}, but the response had an unexpected status code: "
-                      f"{response.status}.\n{response.text}")
-
-            error_message = "Unexpected HTTP error during PEP search. Please let us know."
-            pep_embed = Embed(title="Unexpected error", description=error_message)
-            pep_embed.colour = Colour.red()
-
         await ctx.message.channel.send(embed=pep_embed)
 
     @command()