125,243 tests in 2025
Suzuki Swift reliability and MOT pass rate
79.4% passed first time. The 20.6% fail rate is 2.0 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 10 years old with 58,270 miles.
Pass rate
79.4%
22.6% of all cars failed; 20.6% of these did.
Fixed on the day
7.3%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
58,270 mi
10 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 18,375 | 6.4% |
| 6-9 years | 36,400 | 12.9% |
| 10-13 years | 37,192 | 20.3% |
| 14+ years | 33,004 | 37.5% |
What the Swift 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.
- Suspension620 dangerous41.5%
- Brakes2,890 dangerous39.6%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment77 dangerous34.2%
- Tyres5,996 dangerous23.3%
- Visibility12 dangerous16.7%
- Noise, emissions and leaks13 dangerous8.8%
- Body, chassis, structure146 dangerous8.7%
- Steering41 dangerous3.2%
Is the Swift getting worse?
The fail rate rose 0.2 points to 20.8% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 129,025 | 9 | 20.6% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 131,686 | — | 21% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 114,822 | — | 21.3% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 122,831 | — | 20.8% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Swift 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 Swift in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Position lamp: not working3,640 tests
- 2Stop lamp: not working2,838 tests
- 3Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively2,638 tests
- 4Coil spring: fractured or broken2,558 tests
- 5Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm2,511 tests
- 6Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded2,510 tests
- 7Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements2,310 tests
- 8Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn2,288 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Swift collects 2.92 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 corroded16,598 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm16,595 tests
- 3Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure16,300 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn10,727 tests
- 5Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened8,901 tests
- 6Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick6,827 tests
- 7Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened4,193 tests
- 8Service brake performance: excessively binding3,520 tests
Questions
What is the Suzuki Swift MOT pass rate?
79.4% of the 125,243 Suzuki Swift first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 20.6% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 7.3% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Suzuki Swift usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Position lamp: not working", recorded on 3,640 failed tests, followed by "Stop lamp: not working" and "Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively". By section, suspension appears in 41.5% of failures, brakes appears in 39.6% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 34.2% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 6.4%; at 14+ years it was 37.5%. The median Suzuki Swift tested in 2025 was 10 years old with 58,270 miles.
Is the Suzuki Swift getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 0.2 points to 20.8% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
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 Swift trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
DVSA has published 19 safety recalls naming the Suzuki Swift: Suzuki Swift recalls.
Other Suzuki models
Checking a particular Swift?
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.