Suzuki
208,359 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Swifts pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 2.4 points below the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — buyers should expect more first-time fails than the typical UK car.
Pass
75.1%
Pass-after-fix
6.2%
Fail
18.3%
Avg miles
68,101
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 208,261 tests
Pass rate climbs 14.9 points across the cohorts — newer Swift examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
72.9%
Fail
20.0%
PRS
6.6%
Avg mileage at test
73,792 mi
Pass
87.9%
Fail
8.0%
PRS
3.9%
Avg mileage at test
34,149 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
Generations on file · 6
Suzuki Swift · UK market
1983–1989
1989–2003
2004–2010
2010–2017
2017–2024
2024–now
Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.
The picture
The Suzuki Swift is a supermini car (B-segment) produced by Suzuki. The vehicle is classified as a B-segment marque in the European single market, a segment referred to as a supermini in the British Isles.
MOT data from 152,034 tests puts this car on a 75.2% first-time pass rate, roughly in line with the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 63,518 miles. The most common fail item is brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, followed by failed number plate light.
Buyers weighing up a used Swift should treat the failure breakdown as a pre-purchase checklist. The pass rate is reasonable, but the gap between first attempt and a clean sheet narrows with age and mileage.
ABI Insurance Group
A low-group car — among the cheapest to insure in the UK. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.
Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →
4–14
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A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
7,220 occurrences · 3.5% of tests
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
6,730 occurrences · 3.2% of tests
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
5,296 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
4,360 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
4,301 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
3,812 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
3,455 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
Wiper blade defective
3,141 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
3,136 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
3,093 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 3 failures
£108–£220
If every one of this Swift's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
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Build your own retest budget.
Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 14.9-point gap between bands means the year you buy Suzuki Swift has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.
Best band to buy
87.9%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 87.9% — a 14.9-point improvement. Tests in this band average 34,149 miles — roughly 40K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: does not clear the windscreen effectively, blade defective — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. The stricter post-2018 MOT test rules meant manufacturers had to tighten up emissions and electrical checks, but this band still shows far fewer major failures on suspension and bodywork than the older fleet.
Band to be cautious about
72.9%
Pre-2018 registration
On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 72.9% pass rate against a fleet average of 87.9% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, excessively corroded, and not working. Average mileage on test for this band is 73,792 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (87.9% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (72.9% pass). That's a 14.9-point spread across 178,488 older tests and 29,773 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Item 01 · Amazon UK
H7 / W21W bulb pack
A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
Digital tyre-tread depth gauge
Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.
Search Amazon UK
My Motor World · affiliate
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Motor World Suzuki Carry Van Car Floor Mat Set
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Click Mechanic · affiliate
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Mobile mechanic · UK-wide
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Recall history
The Swift has 19 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.
Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own a Swift and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.
