Suzuki Baleno: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Suzuki Baleno passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 1.7 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 6,796 individual Suzuki Baleno tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 78.4% first-time pass rate means roughly 22 in every 100 Suzuki Balenos presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is better than average, so a well-kept example is a reasonably safe used buy. The average Suzuki Baleno tested had covered 45,389 miles and was built around 2017.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Suzuki Baleno bought as a repairable salvage, the mechanical side is less likely to spring surprises, so your repair estimate should hold up reasonably well.

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 Baleno 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 Balenos actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Suzuki Baleno

1. Audible warning sound not in accordance with requirements, 0.5% of tests (45.03x the national rate for this defect)
2. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 10% of tests (7.44x the national rate for this defect)
3. Audible warning inoperative, 1.6% of tests (7.4x the national rate for this defect)
4. A tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative, 0.7% of tests (3.66x the national rate for this defect)
5. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 2.9% of tests (3.52x the national rate for this defect)
6. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 3.8% of tests (1.64x the national rate for this defect)
7. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 0.9% of tests (1.61x the national rate for this defect)
8. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 1.5% of tests (1.24x the national rate for this defect)
9. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 1.6% of tests (1.19x the national rate for this defect)
10. A tyre seriously damaged, 1.2% of tests

From 9,115 DVSA-tracked Suzuki Baleno tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.34% of these flagged Suzuki Baleno defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Suzuki Baleno 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 Baleno year:

• 2016 Suzuki Baleno - 76.8% first-time pass, 1,908 tests
• 2017 Suzuki Baleno - 75.5% first-time pass, 2,227 tests
• 2018 Suzuki Baleno - 79.7% first-time pass, 1,460 tests
• 2019 Suzuki Baleno - 89.1% first-time pass, 1,057 tests

Suzuki Baleno by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

• Petrol Suzuki Baleno - 79% first-time pass, 6,543 tests
• Hybrid Suzuki Baleno - 71.8% first-time pass, 220 tests

Other Suzuki models

• Suzuki Swift - 77.3%
• Suzuki Vitara - 88.6%
• Suzuki Alto - 74%
• Suzuki Sx4 - 75%
• Suzuki Celerio - 90%
• Suzuki Jimny - 72.9%
• Suzuki Ignis - 79.8%
• Suzuki Grand Vitara - 68.2%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Jaguar Xkr - 78.5%
• Citroen Dispatch 1000 En-Prise Bhdi Ss - 78.5%
• Kia Venga - 78.4%
• MINI Cooper Sd - 78.4%
• BMW 635 - 78.4%
• Mercedes Unclassified - 78.4%

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