Pass rate, every year
139,592 tests across 15 model years, 2006–2020.
−1.2 pts vs the national average
Pass rate, every year
139,592 tests across 15 model years, 2006–2020.
−1.2 pts vs the national average
Best year to buy
2020 95.4%
The strongest of the 15 years on record. See the 2020 page →
Worst year to buy
2006 68.7%
26.7 points below the 2020 peak. See the 2006 page →
The Suzuki SX4 MOT pass rate is 79.8%, −1.2 percentage points below the UK average. That is 139,592 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2006 and 2020. This page lists the most common Suzuki SX4 MOT failures by category, names the best and worst model years, and finishes with a pre-MOT checklist you can run at home.
The Suzuki SX4 passed on its first attempt in 75.2%, and its overall record sits −1.2 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Suzuki SX4 in the 2023–2025 data: 139,592 tests across 15 model years (2006–2020). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.
| Measure | This model |
|---|---|
| Tests analysed | 139,592 |
| Overall pass rate | 79.8% |
| Passed on first attempt | 75.2% |
| Average mileage at test | 69,677 mi |
| Model years covered | 2006–2020 (15 years) |
| Versus UK national average | −1.2 pts below |
Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.
Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Suzuki SX4, the Suspension section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.
| Inspection section | Share of failures |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 32% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 26% |
| Brakes | 15% |
| Visibility | 13% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 7% |
| Tyres | 5% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 3% |
Shares are over the Suzuki SX4's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.
Around 32% of the recorded Suzuki SX4 failures fall in the Suspension section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Coil spring fractured or broken" (3.7%), "Ball joint excessively worn" (3.2%), "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (0.8%) among the Suzuki SX4's suspension faults.
Around 26% of the recorded Suzuki SX4 failures fall in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (3.4%), "Position lamp not working" (1.4%), "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (1.1%) among the Suzuki SX4's lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment faults.
Around 15% of the recorded Suzuki SX4 failures fall in the Brakes section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded" (1.7%), "Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements" (0.9%), "Service brake performance excessively binding" (0.8%) among the Suzuki SX4's brakes faults.
The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Suzuki SX4, each with how many of the model's 139,592 tests it was noted on.
1 failure item is recorded at least 1.5 times the UK rate on this model.
| Failure item | This model | UK | × UK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brake hose ferrule corroded | 3.7% | 1.0% | 3.7× | £25–£70 |
Rates are a share of this model's own tests (139,592 for the top row), so a big seller cannot outrank a rare one. The UK figure is the same item's share of every test in our data. Items SX4 records at or below the UK rate are not listed — this is where it is unusual, not a full inventory. All failure items · parts and costs
The strongest Suzuki SX4 model year on record is 2020 (95.4% across 1,151 tests), and the weakest is 2006 (68.7%). The gap between them is 26.7 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.
Suzuki SX4 reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 2.0 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 SX4 | 1,151 | 95.4% |
| 2019 SX4 | 6,303 | 93.4% |
| 2018 SX4 | 8,776 | 90.9% |
| 2017 SX4 | 10,698 | 88.8% |
| 2016 SX4 | 11,176 | 87.2% |
| 2015 SX4 | 12,556 | 85.7% |
| 2014 SX4 | 22,370 | 82.3% |
| 2013 SX4 | 12,411 | 76.7% |
| 2012 SX4 | 7,609 | 72.7% |
| 2011 SX4 | 8,698 | 72.1% |
| 2010 SX4 | 7,926 | 71.4% |
| 2009 SX4 | 7,568 | 70.7% |
| 2008 SX4 | 9,573 | 71.5% |
| 2007 SX4 | 9,170 | 69.5% |
| 2006 SX4 | 3,607 | 68.7% |
Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.
These checks follow this Suzuki SX4's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Suzuki SX4.
the coil springs — “coil spring fractured or broken”
Look up inside each wheel arch with a torch, all the way round the spring. A snapped spring usually breaks at the very bottom coil, where a quick glance will not reach.
the lights — “registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”
Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.
the suspension joints — “ball joint excessively worn”
With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.
Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Suzuki SX4. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.
Across every SX4 model year on record (2006–2020): 52,499 Suzuki SX4 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 139,590 tests. Sheffield (S) has the most, with 1,389 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.
| # | Postcode area | Cars | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sheffield (S) | 1,389 | 81.8% |
| 2 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 1,357 | 79.2% |
| 3 | Peterborough (PE) | 1,217 | 82.4% |
| 4 | Glasgow (G) | 961 | 76.8% |
| 5 | Cardiff (CF) | 935 | 76.5% |
| 6 | Birmingham (B) | 934 | 82.1% |
| 7 | Nottingham (NG) | 915 | 78.4% |
| 8 | Newport (NP) | 866 | 78.7% |
| 9 | Edinburgh (EH) | 864 | 76.2% |
| 10 | Bradford (BD) | 809 | 79.5% |
| 11 | Gloucester (GL) | 801 | 78.9% |
| 12 | Exeter (EX) | 779 | 78.2% |
| 13 | Leeds (LS) | 777 | 77.8% |
| 14 | Brighton (BN) | 769 | 79.9% |
| 15 | Ipswich (IP) | 733 | 85.1% |
| 16 | Portsmouth (PO) | 728 | 79.2% |
| 17 | York (YO) | 723 | 76.3% |
| 18 | Paisley (PA) | 722 | 81.3% |
| 19 | Aberdeen (AB) | 695 | 75.1% |
| 20 | Swansea (SA) | 691 | 78.0% |
The twenty areas with the most Suzuki SX4 cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →
79.8% of the 139,592 recorded Suzuki SX4 MOT tests ended in a pass, −1.2 percentage points below the national average. 75.2% of those passed on the first attempt.
2020 is the strongest Suzuki SX4 year on record at 95.4%, while 2006 is the weakest at 68.7%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.
The most recorded Suzuki SX4 failures are "Coil spring fractured or broken" and "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" — together around 7% of tests, mostly in the Suspension section.