MOT cost .
Suzuki Wagon R+
MOT 2023
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Suzuki

Wagon R+

11,716 MOT tests analysed. runs below the UK fleet average — here's where Wagon R+s pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 9.3 points below the UK fleet average across our 1,988 tracked models — buyers should expect more first-time fails than the typical UK car.

Pass

66.5%

Pass-after-fix

5.8%

Fail

27.1%

Avg miles

75,195

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

The picture

Wagon-R+: a below-average pass rate worth digging into

Across 11,716 MOT tests, the Wagon-R+ returns 66.5% first-time pass — well below the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a number-plate lamp out. A torn suspension dust cover and a corroded brake pipe round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 75,195, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.

Top ten reasons for rejection.

  1. 01

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

    707 occurrences · 6.0% of tests

  2. 02

    A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

    688 occurrences · 5.9% of tests

  3. 03

    Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded

    667 occurrences · 5.7% of tests

  4. 04

    A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated

    629 occurrences · 5.4% of tests

  5. 05

    A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

    441 occurrences · 3.8% of tests

  6. 06

    A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

    422 occurrences · 3.6% of tests

  7. 07

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

    417 occurrences · 3.6% of tests

  8. 08

    Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

    382 occurrences · 3.3% of tests

  9. 09

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

    350 occurrences · 3.0% of tests

  10. 10

    A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play

    337 occurrences · 2.9% 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

£208–£605

If every one of this Wagon R+'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.

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.

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

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

One last point - if your circumstances change, make sure your inform your insurer, too. If your details don't match what an insurer has on record, that could lead to problems with claims and future renewals.

Buying or keeping a Wagon R+?

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 Wagon R+ 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.