Suzuki SX4 MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the Suzuki SX4 took 41,365 MOT tests in Britain and passed 71% of them first time, close to 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: 41,365
First-time pass rate: 71%
All cars: 71%

What the SX4 fails on

Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.

Suspension11.8% (all cars 9.0%)
Brakes9.0% (all cars 6.8%)
Lights and electrics8.9% (all cars 11.3%)
Tyres6.3% (all cars 6.4%)
Visibility4.7% (all cars 4.8%)
Exhaust and emissions2.7% (all cars 3.1%)
Body and structure2.2% (all cars 3.5%)
Seat belts and airbags0.6% (all cars 1.0%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Coil spring: fractured or broken 5.3%
Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 3.7%
Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint excessively worn 3.5%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 3.0%
Position lamp: not working 2.8%
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded 2.3%
Stop lamp: not working 2.2%
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 1.9%

Most common advisories

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 18.9%
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 10.3%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 7.9%
Brake pads: wearing thin 7.8%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 7.8%
Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 6.1%
Service brake performance: binding but not excessively 3.9%
Coil spring: corroded 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
2006	1,125	49%
2007	2,659	51%
2008	2,803	53%
2009	2,134	53%
2010	2,131	55%
2011	2,303	57%
2012	1,996	57%
2013	3,404	66%
2014	6,508	77%
2015	3,811	81%
2016	3,421	83%
2017	3,270	86%
2018	2,728	87%
2019	2,082	91%
2020	934	90%

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
3 years	19,818 miles
4 years	24,149 miles
5 years	32,774 miles
6 years	41,134 miles
7 years	50,624 miles
8 years	58,664 miles
9 years	64,748 miles
10 years	65,938 miles
11 years	69,803 miles
12 years	76,492 miles
13 years	82,734 miles
14 years	85,912 miles
15 years	91,027 miles
16 years	95,587 miles
17 years	96,830 miles

Check a particular SX4

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

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.