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2000 Suzuki Vitara MOT pass rate

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Pass rate

68.6%

Below average — 5.2 pts behind the 73.8% that cars this age and mileage manage.

Across 405 recorded tests.

Typical repair bill £66–£188

Which year to buy

  • Best 2023 96.5% pass
  • Avoid 2002 67.9% pass

Across the 22 years on record, a spread of 28.6 points. See every year →

First-attempt pass
61.5%
Typical mileage
85k mi

The 2000 Suzuki Vitara MOT pass rate is 68.6% of its MOT tests — 5.2 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 21.7% of what testers record.

MOT PASS RATES

The 2000 Suzuki Vitara on the real record

68.6% of 2000 Suzuki Vitara MOTs passed — 405 tests, 2023–2025

Pass rate

The answer from the DVSA's class-4 MOT records.

Expert verdict

Body & chassis: 2.8× the national share

Body & chassis accounts for 15.5% of everything recorded on the 2000 Suzuki Vitara, against 5.6% nationally — 9.9 points above. Brakes are still the single largest share at 21.7%, but at 20.9% nationally that one is ordinary. Look underneath for corrosion near the jacking points and suspension mounts; surface rust is normal, flaking metal is not.

Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out

Watching a Suzuki Vitara? Get an email when these numbers change .

How does the 2000 Suzuki Vitara compare?

Cars of this age and mileage average 73.8%, so this figure is 5.2 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 61.5%. The median 2000 Suzuki Vitara in this dataset had covered 84,937 mi.

Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 69.2% of the time, April–September 67.9%.

The single most recorded failure item is "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view", noted on 5.68% of tests.

  • 405 recorded tests behind this page.
  • 68.6% overall pass rate, 61.5% on a first attempt.
  • Across every year of the Suzuki Vitara, the average is 90.9% — best year 2023 (96.5%), worst 2002 (67.9%).

Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.

This page's data

Tests analysed
405
Typical mileage (median)
84,937 mi
Make and model
Suzuki Vitara
Updated
2026-11-07

Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.

Top part to budget for

Windscreen

Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.

Does mileage affect the Vitara MOT pass rate?

0-30k 40.0%
30-60k 75.7%
60-90k 70.6%
90-120k 65.5%
120k+ 63.2%

Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 32% so small gaps stay visible.

Where the Suzuki Vitara is most common

Across all Vitara model years on record (2000–2023): 92,705 Suzuki Vitara cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 206,994 tests. Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) has the most, with 2,380 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 Share of all Tests Pass rate
1 Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) 2,380 2.6% 5,586 91.9%
2 Sheffield (S) 2,270 2.4% 5,203 92.5%
3 Glasgow (G) 1,800 1.9% 4,025 90.3%
4 Exeter (EX) 1,779 1.9% 4,285 92.0%
5 Peterborough (PE) 1,736 1.9% 3,899 92.6%
6 Birmingham (B) 1,686 1.8% 3,616 90.9%
7 Cardiff (CF) 1,664 1.8% 4,146 88.2%
8 Brighton (BN) 1,590 1.7% 3,769 90.8%
9 Newport (NP) 1,578 1.7% 3,776 91.4%
10 Bradford (BD) 1,529 1.6% 3,531 91.4%
11 Portsmouth (PO) 1,466 1.6% 3,510 89.9%
12 Aberdeen (AB) 1,449 1.6% 3,826 88.4%
13 Gloucester (GL) 1,418 1.5% 3,343 90.7%
14 Leeds (LS) 1,417 1.5% 3,204 89.6%
15 Nottingham (NG) 1,390 1.5% 3,042 90.9%
16 Southampton (SO) 1,382 1.5% 3,008 92.5%
17 Edinburgh (EH) 1,339 1.4% 3,202 88.7%
18 Doncaster (DN) 1,266 1.4% 2,674 91.6%
19 Northampton (NN) 1,251 1.3% 2,592 89.1%
20 Swansea (SA) 1,239 1.3% 3,050 88.6%

The twenty areas with the most Suzuki Vitara 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 →

Regional pass rates for the Vitara

Region Tests Pass rate
South East 124 72.6%
South West 98 63.3%
East of England 62 67.7%
West Midlands 24 75.0%
North West 22 63.6%
Wales 20 60.0%
East Midlands 20 55.0%

Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.

What fails a 2000 Vitara

Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.

Brakes 21.7%
+0.8 pts vs national national 20.9% Price brakes parts
Suspension 19.3%
−1.7 pts vs national national 21.0% Price suspension parts
Body & chassis 15.5%
+9.9 pts vs national national 5.6% Find body panels
Lamps & electrics 12.8%
+0.6 pts vs national national 12.2% Order bulbs & wipers
Show the other 6 fault categories
  • Emissions & leaks 10.3%
  • Tyres 5.8%
  • Visibility 4.9%
  • Steering 3.3%
  • Advisories 2.6%
  • Seat belts 2.4%

Shares are of every item recorded on 2000 Suzuki Vitara tests — a composition, so they add to 100% across all sections, not per test.

A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.

Before your test

Three checks worth doing on a 2000 Vitara

These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.

  1. Check the windscreen 5.7% of tests

    “windscreen damaged”

    Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.

  2. Check the battery 4.2% of tests

    “battery(ies) insecure”

    Check the battery is secure and its terminals are clean and tight — a loose battery is a fail on its own, and a weak one shows up as slow cranking on a cold morning.

  3. Check the lights 4.0% of tests

    “headlamp aim too low”

    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.

Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.

What it costs to get a 2000 Vitara through its MOT

Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £66–£188 — and 10% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.

Average repair across the 10 common items
£66–£188
Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
£5–£20
Dearest common item: chassis condition or chassis has excessive…
£180–£450
Common items a careful owner can do at home
20%
Repairs that still cost under £30
10%

Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 405 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →

Every year of the Vitara, side by side

22 model years on record, from 2000 to 2023. Across them the pass rate runs from 67.9% to 96.5% — a spread of 28.6 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.

  1. 2000 68.6%
    windscreen damaged but not…
  2. 2001 72.7% joints constant velocity boot…
  3. 2002 67.9% joints constant velocity boot…
  4. 2003 71.0% joints constant velocity boot…
  5. 2004 69.7% joints constant velocity boot…
  6. 2005 68.6% joints constant velocity boot…
  7. 2006 75.2% component mounting prescribed…
  8. 2007 70.4% component mounting prescribed…
  9. 2008 79.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
  10. 2009 78.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
  11. 2010 78.9% stop lamp not working
  12. 2011 74.0% position lamp not working
  13. 2012 83.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
  14. 2015 87.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
  15. 2016 88.7% windscreen damaged but not…
  16. 2017 89.6% tread depth below requirements of…
  17. 2018 90.9% tread depth below requirements of…
  18. 2019 93.2% wipers blade defective
  19. 2020 95.1% wipers blade defective
  20. 2021 96.0% wipers blade defective
  21. 2022 95.6% wipers blade defective
  22. 2023 96.5% headlamp aim too high

Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.

Compare the 2000 Suzuki Vitara with another year

The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.

Compare 2000 with another year →

Compare two different cars instead →

Other 2000 cars with a similar record

Closest pass rates among 2000 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.

The full DVSA record for the 2000 Suzuki Vitara 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold

Every inspection category

Shares of the 1,490 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.

Category Items This car Nationally Difference
Brakes 327 21.70% 20.89% +0.81
Suspension 292 19.30% 20.98% −1.68
Body, chassis, structure 234 15.50% 5.57% +9.93
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 193 12.80% 12.21% +0.59
Noise, emissions and leaks 156 10.30% 5.52% +4.78
Tyres 88 5.80% 19.76% −13.96
Visibility 74 4.90% 4.97% −0.07
Steering 50 3.30% 2.57% +0.73
Non-component advisories 40 2.60% 4.18% −1.58
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems 36 2.40% 0.82% +1.58

The exact failure items, in the tester's words

Share of the 405 tests on this vehicle that recorded each item
Recorded item Severity Tests Est. cost Part
Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility Minor 5.7% £80–200 Windscreen →
Prescribed areas prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems Major 4.9% £40–120 Seat Belt →
Battery(ies) insecure but not likely to fall from carrier Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Minor 4.2% £60–140 Battery →
Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure Minor 4.2% £80–250 Body Panel Repair →
Headlamp aim too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Major 4.0% £30–80 Headlight Alignment →
Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Minor 4.0% £5–20 Number Plate Lamp →
Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes Major 3.7% £80–180 Brake Pipe →
Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks Major 3.5% £60–250 Emissions Repair →
Chassis condition or chassis has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of a body mounting Body, chassis, structure Major 3.5% £180–450 Corrosion Welding Repair →
Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits Noise, emissions and leaks Major 3.2% £60–250 Emissions Repair →

Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.

What testers noted without failing the car

Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.

Items recorded as advisory on this vehicle
Recorded item Severity Tests Est. cost
Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks Advisory 20.7% £200–700
Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes Advisory 20.0% £80–180
Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure Advisory 10.4% £45–120
Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres Advisory 9.4% £45–95
Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension Advisory 7.9% £30–75
Wheel bearings has excessive play Suspension Advisory 7.7% £20–55

Pass rate by mileage

Mileage Tests Pass rate Median odometer
0-30k 5 40.0% 17,452 mi
30-60k 70 75.7% 50,515 mi
60-90k 163 70.6% 75,721 mi
90-120k 110 65.5% 103,605 mi
120k+ 57 63.2% 133,194 mi

Source: 405 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.

2000 Vitara MOT questions

What is the MOT pass rate for a 2000 Suzuki Vitara?

68.6% of the 405 2000 Suzuki Vitara tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 73.8% for cars first used in 2000. First-attempt pass rate: 61.5%.

What are the most common MOT failures on a 2000 Suzuki Vitara?

The three most recorded items are windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (5.68%), prescribed areas prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced (4.94%), battery(ies) insecure but not likely to fall from carrier (4.20%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.

Does mileage affect the 2000 Suzuki Vitara MOT pass rate?

Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 40.0% of the time, falling to 63.2% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2000 Suzuki Vitara in this dataset had covered 84,937 mi.

Does the season affect the 2000 Suzuki Vitara MOT pass rate?

Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 69.2% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 67.9%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.