Suzuki Vitara MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Suzuki Vitara took 60,898 MOT tests in Britain and passed 85% of them first time, above 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
- 60,898
- First-time pass rate
- 85%
- All cars
- 71%
What the Vitara fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Lights and electrics5.3% (all cars 11.3%)
- Tyres4.4% (all cars 6.4%)
- Visibility3.5% (all cars 4.8%)
- Brakes3.0% (all cars 6.8%)
- Suspension0.9% (all cars 9.0%)
- Body and structure0.7% (all cars 3.5%)
- Exhaust and emissions0.6% (all cars 3.1%)
- Seat belts and airbags0.3% (all cars 1.0%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 3.0%
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 2.5%
- Position lamp: not working 1.7%
- Stop lamp: not working 1.7%
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 1.4%
- Headlamp aim: too high 0.8%
- Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid 0.7%
- Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 0.6%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 17.2%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 7.9%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 5.1%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 3.6%
- Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt 2.9%
- Service brake performance: binding but not excessively 2.0%
- Brake discs: worn, but not excessively 1.8%
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 1.8%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 5,585 | 83% |
| 2016 | 11,076 | 84% |
| 2017 | 11,495 | 83% |
| 2018 | 12,189 | 86% |
| 2019 | 12,956 | 90% |
| 2020 | 5,406 | 93% |
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 | 21,198 miles |
| 4 years | 27,507 miles |
| 5 years | 35,465 miles |
| 6 years | 43,809 miles |
| 7 years | 52,032 miles |
| 8 years | 58,649 miles |
| 19 years | 102,295 miles |
Check a particular Vitara
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 Alto
- 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.