Suzuki Alto MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Suzuki Alto took 50,246 MOT tests in Britain and passed 67% of them first time, below the national average of 71% for all cars. The figures below come from the DVSA's record of every test, so they show what testers actually found on these cars rather than what owners report.
- MOT tests in 2023
- 50,246
- First-time pass rate
- 67%
- All cars
- 71%
What the Alto fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Lights and electrics15.6% (all cars 11.3%)
- Brakes8.3% (all cars 6.8%)
- Suspension7.9% (all cars 9.0%)
- Visibility7.6% (all cars 4.8%)
- Tyres6.4% (all cars 6.4%)
- Body and structure4.0% (all cars 3.5%)
- Exhaust and emissions2.5% (all cars 3.1%)
- Seat belts and airbags1.1% (all cars 1.0%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Stop lamp: not working 6.0%
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 4.4%
- Position lamp: not working 4.4%
- Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded 3.3%
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 3.0%
- Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid 2.3%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn 1.8%
- Horn: not working 1.7%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 18.8%
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 16.8%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 13.8%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 11.6%
- Coil spring: corroded 10.1%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 6.3%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 4.4%
- Service brake performance: binding but not excessively 3.1%
Pass rate by year of registration
Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.
| First registered | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 520 | 50% |
| 2004 | 1,121 | 47% |
| 2005 | 1,310 | 50% |
| 2006 | 811 | 50% |
| 2009 | 5,551 | 62% |
| 2010 | 4,585 | 64% |
| 2011 | 4,655 | 66% |
| 2012 | 4,780 | 67% |
| 2013 | 11,946 | 70% |
| 2014 | 12,987 | 72% |
| 2015 | 1,828 | 74% |
Typical mileage by age
Average odometer reading at the MOT, by the car's age in years at the test.
| Age at test | Average mileage |
|---|---|
| 8 years | 43,196 miles |
| 9 years | 47,037 miles |
| 10 years | 53,415 miles |
| 11 years | 58,199 miles |
| 12 years | 62,879 miles |
| 13 years | 65,923 miles |
| 14 years | 66,757 miles |
| 17 years | 56,367 miles |
| 18 years | 57,512 miles |
| 19 years | 57,215 miles |
| 20 years | 56,261 miles |
Check a particular Alto
Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.
Other Suzuki models
- Suzuki Swift
- Suzuki Vitara
- Suzuki SX4
- Suzuki Celerio
- Suzuki Ignis
- Suzuki Jimny
- Suzuki Grand Vitara
- Suzuki Splash
- Suzuki Baleno
- Suzuki Carry
- Suzuki Liana
Source: Department for Transport, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023, cars and light vans, normal tests only. Pass rates are first-time passes; a pass after repair at the test station counts as a fail. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.