2,926 tests in 2025
Suzuki Swace reliability and MOT pass rate
92.9% passed first time. The 7.1% fail rate is 15.5 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 3 years old with 32,022 miles.
Pass rate
92.9%
22.6% of all cars failed; 7.1% of these did.
Fixed on the day
2.7%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
32,022 mi
3 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 2,535 | 7.6% |
| 6-9 years | 0 | — |
| 10-13 years | 0 | — |
| 14+ years | 0 | — |
What the Swace 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.
- Tyres68 dangerous48.8%
- Visibility1 dangerous34.3%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment16.9%
- Brakes8 dangerous11.6%
- Suspension1 dangerous3.9%
- Body, chassis, structure2.9%
- Road Wheels1.9%
- Noise, emissions and leaks1%
Is the Swace getting worse?
The fail rate fell 0.4 points to 8.4% from 2024 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year, which is about what ageing alone predicts (1 point). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 851 | 3 | 8.8% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 1,602 | 4 | 8.4% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Swace 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 Swace in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively56 tests
- 2Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords39 tests
- 3Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm26 tests
- 4Condition: has ply or cords exposed19 tests
- 5Tyre pressure monitoring system: malfunctioning or obviously inoperative12 tests
- 6Washers: not working9 tests
- 7Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps8 tests
- 8Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure8 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Swace collects 1.99 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.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm407 tests
- 2Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened219 tests
- 3Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure92 tests
- 4Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords58 tests
- 5Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre56 tests
- 6Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick55 tests
- 7Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm51 tests
- 8Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt47 tests
Questions
What is the Suzuki Swace MOT pass rate?
92.9% of the 2,926 Suzuki Swace first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 7.1% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 2.7% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Suzuki Swace usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively", recorded on 56 failed tests, followed by "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" and "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm". By section, tyres appears in 48.8% of failures, visibility appears in 34.3% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 16.9% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 7.6%; at 3-5 years it was 7.6%. The median Suzuki Swace tested in 2025 was 3 years old with 32,022 miles.
Is the Suzuki Swace getting less reliable?
The fail rate fell 0.4 points to 8.4% from 2024 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year, which is about what ageing alone predicts (1 point). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
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 Swace 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 Swace?
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.