2003 Suzuki Alto: MOT pass rate and reliability
48.8% of 2003 Suzuki Altos pass the MOT first time, measured across 391 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 57,065 miles.
How the 2003 compares
- Against all Suzuki Altos (74.4%, 48,067 tests): -25.6 points
- Against all 2003 cars (64.7%): -15.9 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every Suzuki Alto model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2003 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Suzuki Alto:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 48.8% | 391 | 57,065 |
| 2004 | 55.5% | 885 | 58,026 |
| 2005 | 58.1% | 1,007 | 58,620 |
| 2006 | 56.8% | 629 | 57,998 |
| 2009 | 69.9% | 5,202 | 71,003 |
| 2010 | 70.6% | 4,408 | 70,486 |
| 2011 | 74.3% | 4,508 | 67,857 |
| 2012 | 74.3% | 4,592 | 63,353 |
| 2013 | 76.4% | 11,742 | 58,808 |
| 2014 | 79.4% | 12,751 | 52,551 |
| 2015 | 80.4% | 1,826 | 49,694 |
What this means if you are buying a 2003 Alto
The 2003 is a weaker year for this model, passing 25.6 points less often than the Suzuki Alto average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2003 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.
What a 23-year-old car fails on
A 2003 car is 23 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:
- Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
- Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
- Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
- Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
- Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
- Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested
That is around average, so condition and service history will tell you more than the odometer does. On a 2003 Suzuki Alto the average at test was 57,065 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.
The strongest year for this model is 2015 at 80.4%, and the weakest in our data is 2003 at 48.8%. That 31.6 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2003 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2004 Suzuki Alto - 55.5%
- 2005 Suzuki Alto - 58.1%
- 2006 Suzuki Alto - 56.8%