Suzuki Vitara MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Suzuki Vitara MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Suzuki Vitara passed on its first attempt in 90.1%, and its overall record sits +9.9 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Suzuki Vitara in the 2023–2025 data: 207,003 tests across 22 model years (2000–2023). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Suzuki Vitara MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Suzuki Vitara, the Visibility section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Suzuki Vitara's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Suzuki Vitara DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Suzuki Vitara, each with how many of the model's 207,003 tests it was noted on.

• "Position lamp not working" (Major) — noted on about 4,010 Suzuki Vitara tests, 1.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 3,883 Suzuki Vitara tests, 1.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (Major) — noted on about 3,547 Suzuki Vitara tests, 1.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Stop lamp not working" (Rectified) — noted on about 3,448 Suzuki Vitara tests, 1.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (Major) — noted on about 3,298 Suzuki Vitara tests, 1.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers blade defective" (Minor) — noted on about 2,927 Suzuki Vitara tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Suzuki Vitara Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Suzuki Vitara model year on record is 2023 (96.5% across 260 tests), and the weakest is 2002 (67.9%). The gap between them is 28.6 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Suzuki Vitara reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.0 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Suzuki Vitara Owners

These checks follow this Suzuki Vitara's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Suzuki Vitara.

• the lights — “position lamp not working”

  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 windscreen — “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.

• the tyre tread — “tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm”

  Check all four tyres cold, including the inner shoulder where wear hides — 1.6mm across the central three-quarters is the legal limit, and most testers fail at 1.6mm without argument.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Suzuki Vitara. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: Suzuki Vitara MOT & Reliability