MOT cost .

Suzuki

Vitara

92,656 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Vitaras pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 7.7 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.

Pass

85.3%

Pass-after-fix

4.5%

Fail

9.8%

Avg miles

49,939

Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%

Performance by cohort

2 year bands · 92,583 tests

Pass rate climbs 6.9 points across the cohorts — newer Vitara examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 56,216

Pass

82.5%

Fail

11.9%

PRS

5.2%

Avg mileage at test

58,800 mi

2018–2020 cohort 36,367

Pass

89.4%

Fail

6.7%

PRS

3.5%

Avg mileage at test

36,313 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

Generations on file · 4

Suzuki Vitara · UK market

Suzuki Vitara 1988-1998

19881998

Suzuki Vitara 1998-2005

19982005

Suzuki Vitara 2005-2015

20052015

Suzuki Vitara 2015-now

2015now

Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.

The picture

Suzuki Vitara: solid MOT record across 63,573 tests

The Suzuki Vitara is a petrol-powered car sold in the UK market across multiple generations, covering a broad date range in the test population.

MOT data from 63,573 tests puts this car on an 85.9% first-time pass rate, well above the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 42,722 miles. The most common fail item is tyre tread below the legal limit, followed by defective wiper blade.

Honest John owner records point to brake component wear as the recurring problems to check before buying used.

For used buyers, the Vitara's pass rate suggests it clears the MOT with fewer surprises than most — but the top failure items above are still worth a pre-purchase inspection, particularly on higher-mileage examples.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 12–22

Below the fleet average — generally reasonable to insure. 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 →

12–22

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

  1. 01

    Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

    2,699 occurrences · 2.9% of tests

  2. 02

    Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

    1,462 occurrences · 1.6% of tests

  3. 03

    Wiper blade defective

    1,259 occurrences · 1.4% of tests

  4. 04

    a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

    1,056 occurrences · 1.1% of tests

  5. 05

    Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

    1,036 occurrences · 1.1% of tests

  6. 06

    A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

    908 occurrences · 1.0% of tests

  7. 07

    Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

    709 occurrences · 0.8% of tests

  8. 08

    A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

    700 occurrences · 0.8% of tests

  9. 09

    A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

    570 occurrences · 0.6% of tests

  10. 10

    A tyre seriously damaged

    532 occurrences · 0.6% 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 4 failures

£180£345

If every one of this Vitara'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 →

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 6.9-point gap between bands means the year you buy Suzuki Vitara has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

89.4%

2018–2020 registration

the 2018–2020 band climbs to 89.4% — a 6.9-point improvement. Tests in this band average 36,313 miles — roughly 22K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, 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

82.5%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 82.5% pass rate against a fleet average of 89.4% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, and inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…. Average mileage on test for this band is 58,800 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (89.4% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (82.5% pass). That's a 6.9-point spread across 56,216 older tests and 36,367 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

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.

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

Book a mechanic at your door.

Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.

Get a quote →

Owner reports · Honest John

What owners actually report.

Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.

Where it falls short

Owner reports (14 entries) flag recurring problems with tyre wear, timing chain/belt, brake discs.

Recall history

18 UK recalls on record.

The Vitara has 18 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Vitara?

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 Vitara 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.