3,265 tests in 2025
Suzuki Carry reliability and MOT pass rate
65.2% passed first time. The 34.8% fail rate is 12.2 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 21 years old with 82,407 miles.
Pass rate
65.2%
22.6% of all cars failed; 34.8% of these did.
Fixed on the day
7.6%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
82,407 mi
21 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 29 | — |
| 6-9 years | 18 | — |
| 10-13 years | 96 | — |
| 14+ years | 3,117 | 35.9% |
What the Carry fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Suspension31 dangerous50.8%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment10 dangerous37%
- Body, chassis, structure19 dangerous29.8%
- Noise, emissions and leaks2 dangerous29.6%
- Brakes90 dangerous25.6%
- Tyres220 dangerous15.5%
- Visibility2 dangerous14.9%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems4.7%
Is the Carry getting worse?
The fail rate fell 2.6 points to 34.9% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years. Ageing alone would predict about 0.2 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4,576 | 18 | 37.5% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 4,118 | 19 | 37.4% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 3,366 | 20 | 36.6% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 3,253 | 21 | 34.9% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Carry at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a Carry in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength291 tests
- 2Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn207 tests
- 3Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits127 tests
- 4Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm120 tests
- 5Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction120 tests
- 6Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded105 tests
- 7Stop lamp: not working103 tests
- 8Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases101 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Carry collects 3.31 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded520 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm440 tests
- 3Non-component advisories: Play in steering rack inner joint(s)317 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn288 tests
- 5Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure269 tests
- 6Integral vehicle structure condition: corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced237 tests
- 7Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength230 tests
- 8Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened217 tests
Questions
What is the Suzuki Carry MOT pass rate?
65.2% of the 3,265 Suzuki Carry first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 34.8% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 7.6% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Suzuki Carry usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength", recorded on 291 failed tests, followed by "Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn" and "Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits". By section, suspension appears in 50.8% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 37% of failures, body, chassis, structure appears in 29.8% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 17.2%; at 14+ years it was 35.9%. The median Suzuki Carry tested in 2025 was 21 years old with 82,407 miles.
Is the Suzuki Carry getting less reliable?
The fail rate fell 2.6 points to 34.9% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years. Ageing alone would predict about 0.2 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every Carry trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
Other Suzuki models
Checking a particular Carry?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.