Suzuki Alto: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Suzuki Alto fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 2.7 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 48,329 individual Suzuki Alto tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 74% first-time pass rate means roughly 26 in every 100 Suzuki Altos presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Suzuki Alto tested had covered 59,198 miles and was built around 2012.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Suzuki Alto bought as a repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Suzuki Alto rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see what damaged Suzuki Altos actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Suzuki Alto

1. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 5.4% of tests (6.5x the national rate for this defect)
2. Audible warning inoperative, 1.4% of tests (6.44x the national rate for this defect)
3. A wheel bearing excessively rough, 1.2% of tests (5.27x the national rate for this defect)
4. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3.4% of tests (3.44x the national rate for this defect)
5. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 3.1% of tests (2.27x the national rate for this defect)
6. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.7% of tests (1.66x the national rate for this defect)
7. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 1.2% of tests (1.61x the national rate for this defect)
8. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2% of tests (1.52x the national rate for this defect)
9. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 1.8% of tests (1.42x the national rate for this defect)
10. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 1.6% of tests (1.41x the national rate for this defect)

From 64,316 DVSA-tracked Suzuki Alto tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.72% of these flagged Suzuki Alto defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Suzuki Alto pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each Suzuki Alto year:

• 2003 Suzuki Alto - 48.8% first-time pass, 391 tests
• 2004 Suzuki Alto - 55.5% first-time pass, 885 tests
• 2005 Suzuki Alto - 58.1% first-time pass, 1,007 tests
• 2006 Suzuki Alto - 56.8% first-time pass, 629 tests
• 2009 Suzuki Alto - 69.9% first-time pass, 5,202 tests
• 2010 Suzuki Alto - 70.6% first-time pass, 4,408 tests
• 2011 Suzuki Alto - 74.3% first-time pass, 4,508 tests
• 2012 Suzuki Alto - 74.3% first-time pass, 4,592 tests
• 2013 Suzuki Alto - 76.4% first-time pass, 11,742 tests
• 2014 Suzuki Alto - 79.4% first-time pass, 12,751 tests
• 2015 Suzuki Alto - 80.4% first-time pass, 1,826 tests

Other Suzuki models

• Suzuki Swift - 77.3%
• Suzuki Vitara - 88.6%
• Suzuki Sx4 - 75%
• Suzuki Celerio - 90%
• Suzuki Jimny - 72.9%
• Suzuki Ignis - 79.8%
• Suzuki Grand Vitara - 68.2%
• Suzuki Splash - 68.4%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Perodua Myvi - 74.2%
• Toyota Landcruiser Estate - 74.1%
• Mazda 6 - 74%
• Fiat Motorhome - 74%
• Renault R5 - 74%
• SEAT Toledo - 73.9%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate