Pass rate
78.2%
Around average — 4.2 pts ahead of the 74.0% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 170 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £40–£106
2009 Suzuki Vitara MOT pass rate
- 2009
- typical 92,116 mi
Most common fault
Brakes
25.2% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Part only £25–£55 for Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded. What fitting it takes →
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
- 72.6%
- Typical mileage
- 92k mi
The 2009 Suzuki Vitara MOT pass rate is 78.2% of its MOT tests — 4.2 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 25.2% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Suzuki Vitara does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Emissions & leaks: 2.2× the national share
Emissions & leaks make up 12.4% of everything recorded on the 2009 Suzuki Vitara, against 5.5% nationally — 6.9 points above. Brakes are still the single largest share at 25.2%, but at 20.9% nationally that one is ordinary. A smoky diesel or a leaking joint fails on emissions more often than on wear, so ask for a recent emissions printout.
- Beats its own age and mileage. Once you allow for how old and how far these cars have been driven, the expected pass rate is 74.0% and this one manages 78.2% — 4.2 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- Based on a small sample. 170 tests back this page. That is enough to publish and to index, not enough to treat the decimal places as precise — read the pattern, not the second digit.
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 2009 Suzuki Vitara compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 74.0%, so this figure is 4.2 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 72.6%. The median 2009 Suzuki Vitara in this dataset had covered 92,116 mi.
66% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 79.5% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 77.3% of the time, April–September 79.3%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 4.71% of tests.
- 170 recorded tests behind this page.
- 78.2% overall pass rate, 72.6% 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
- 170
- Typical mileage (median)
- 92,116 mi
- Make and model
- Suzuki Vitara
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Number Plate Lamp
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Vitara MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 63% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (66% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Vitara
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 37 | 91.9% |
| North West | 23 | 78.3% |
| East of England | 20 | 70.0% |
| Yorkshire | 20 | 75.0% |
| Scotland | 16 | 62.5% |
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 2009 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.
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 2009 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.
-
Check the lights 4.7% of tests
“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.
-
Check the suspension joints 4.1% of tests
“ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated”
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.
-
Check the brake pipes 2.9% of tests
“rigid brake pipes excessively corroded”
Brake pipes run under the car, usually in front of the rear wheels. Flaking or crusty metal is what fails; a light dusting of surface rust does not. Worth asking a garage to look while it is on a ramp.
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 2009 Vitara through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £40–£106 — and 36% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £40–£106
- Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
- £5–£20
- Dearest common item: component mounting prescribed areas…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 36%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 170 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.
- 2000 68.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2001 72.7% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2002 67.9% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2003 71.0% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2004 69.7% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2005 68.6% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2006 75.2% component mounting prescribed…
- 2007 70.4% component mounting prescribed…
- 2008 79.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2009 78.2%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2010 78.9% stop lamp not working
- 2011 74.0% position lamp not working
- 2012 83.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2015 87.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2016 88.7% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2017 89.6% tread depth below requirements of…
- 2018 90.9% tread depth below requirements of…
- 2019 93.2% wipers blade defective
- 2020 95.1% wipers blade defective
- 2021 96.0% wipers blade defective
- 2022 95.6% wipers blade defective
- 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 2009 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.
Other 2009 cars with a similar record
- Mercedes-Benz Ml 78.3%
- BMW 116 78.4%
- Audi Q5 78.0%
- Nissan Pixo 78.0%
- Smart Mcc Fortwo Cabriolet 78.4%
- Land Rover Defender 77.9%
Closest pass rates among 2009 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 2009 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 452 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 | 114 | 25.20% | 20.89% | +4.31 |
| Suspension | 107 | 23.60% | 20.98% | +2.62 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 56 | 12.40% | 5.52% | +6.88 |
| Tyres | 51 | 11.30% | 19.76% | −8.46 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 39 | 8.60% | 12.21% | −3.61 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 35 | 7.70% | 5.57% | +2.13 |
| Non-component advisories | 32 | 7.10% | 4.18% | +2.92 |
| Visibility | 11 | 2.40% | 4.97% | −2.57 |
| Steering | 6 | 1.30% | 2.57% | −1.27 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 1 | 0.20% | 0.82% | −0.62 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 4.7% | £5–20 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 4.1% | £18–45 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Major | 2.9% | £80–180 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 2.4% | £80–250 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.4% | £5–25 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 2.4% | £5–25 |
| Service brake performance excessively binding Brakes | Major | 2.4% | £60–150 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 1.8% | £18–45 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Major | 1.8% | £180–450 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | Major | 1.8% | £18–45 |
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.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 34.7% | £80–180 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 18.2% | £200–700 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 15.3% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 12.3% | £45–110 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 12.3% | £40–150 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 8.8% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 8 | 75.0% | 22,724 mi |
| 30-60k | 16 | 87.5% | 45,681 mi |
| 60-90k | 55 | 78.2% | 78,448 mi |
| 90-120k | 46 | 82.6% | 103,391 mi |
| 120k+ | 45 | 71.1% | 141,750 mi |
Source: 170 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.
2009 Vitara MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2009 Suzuki Vitara?
78.2% of the 170 2009 Suzuki Vitara tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 74.0% for cars first used in 2009. First-attempt pass rate: 72.6%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2009 Suzuki Vitara?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (4.71%), ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (4.12%), rigid brake pipes excessively corroded (2.94%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2009 Suzuki Vitara MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 75.0% of the time, falling to 71.1% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2009 Suzuki Vitara in this dataset had covered 92,116 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2009 Suzuki Vitara?
Petrol: 79.5% pass rate across 112 tests. Diesel: 75.9% pass rate across 58 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2009 Suzuki Vitara MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 77.3% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 79.3%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.