Pass rate, every year
29,904 tests across 8 model years, 2000–2007.
−8.9 pts vs the national average
Pass rate, every year
29,904 tests across 8 model years, 2000–2007.
−8.9 pts vs the national average
Best year to buy
2006 74.9%
The strongest of the 8 years on record. See the 2006 page →
Worst year to buy
2000 67.7%
7.2 points below the 2006 peak. See the 2000 page →
The Suzuki Wagon-R+ MOT pass rate is 72.1%, −8.9 percentage points below the UK average. That is 29,904 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2000 and 2007. This page lists the most common Suzuki Wagon-R+ 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 Wagon-R+ passed on its first attempt in 63.4%, and its overall record sits −8.9 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Suzuki Wagon-R+ in the 2023–2025 data: 29,904 tests across 8 model years (2000–2007). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.
| Measure | This model |
|---|---|
| Tests analysed | 29,904 |
| Overall pass rate | 72.1% |
| Passed on first attempt | 63.4% |
| Average mileage at test | 76,250 mi |
| Model years covered | 2000–2007 (8 years) |
| Versus UK national average | −8.9 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 Wagon-R+, the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 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 |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 24% |
| Suspension | 23% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 19% |
| Brakes | 14% |
| Visibility | 10% |
| Steering | 8% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 2% |
Shares are over the Suzuki Wagon-R+'s recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.
Around 24% of the recorded Suzuki Wagon-R+ 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" (6.8%), "Position lamp not working" (2.9%), "Stop lamp not working" (0.1%) among the Suzuki Wagon-R+'s lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment faults.
Around 23% of the recorded Suzuki Wagon-R+ failures fall in the Suspension section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (5.1%), "Ball joint excessively worn" (3.7%), "Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength" (0.5%) among the Suzuki Wagon-R+'s suspension faults.
Around 19% of the recorded Suzuki Wagon-R+ failures fall in the Body, chassis, structure section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (4.9%), "Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (2.9%) among the Suzuki Wagon-R+'s body, chassis, structure faults.
The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Suzuki Wagon-R+, each with how many of the model's 29,904 tests it was noted on.
The 8 biggest of 16 failure items this model records at least 1.5 times the UK rate for. One has a part guide — what to buy, which brands, and what the tester looks at next time.
| Failure item | This model | UK | × UK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play in steering rack inner joint | 13.8% | 1.6% | 8.6× | £120–£300 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded | 31.6% | 4.6% | 6.9× | £80–£180 part £25–£55 |
| Exhaust system insecure | 7.2% | 1.1% | 6.5× | £45–£120 |
| Wheel bearings rough when rotated | 3.5% | 0.6% | 5.8× | £20–£55 |
| Component mounting: prescribed area excessively corroded | 6.2% | 1.1% | 5.6× | £180–£450 |
| Flexible brake hoses excessively deteriorated | 2.2% | 0.4% | 5.5× | £25–£70 |
| Suspension arm corroded | 7.3% | 1.4% | 5.2× | £35–£85 |
| Service brake imbalance across an axle | 3.1% | 0.7% | 4.4× | £45–£110 |
Rates are a share of this model's own tests (29,904 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 Wagon-R+ 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 Wagon-R+ model year on record is 2006 (74.9% across 2,229 tests), and the weakest is 2000 (67.7%). The gap between them is 7.2 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.
Suzuki Wagon-R+ 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.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 Wagon-R+ | 2,039 | 74.7% |
| 2006 Wagon-R+ | 2,229 | 74.9% |
| 2005 Wagon-R+ | 4,806 | 73.6% |
| 2004 Wagon-R+ | 5,980 | 73.2% |
| 2003 Wagon-R+ | 5,908 | 71.6% |
| 2002 Wagon-R+ | 4,567 | 69.7% |
| 2001 Wagon-R+ | 2,962 | 70.7% |
| 2000 Wagon-R+ | 1,413 | 67.7% |
Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.
These checks follow this Suzuki Wagon-R+'s own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Suzuki Wagon-R+.
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 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.
the brake pipes — “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.
Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Suzuki Wagon-R+. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.
Across every Wagon-R+ model year on record (2000–2007): 10,819 Suzuki Wagon-R+ cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 29,901 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 339 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 | Birmingham (B) | 339 | 75.1% |
| 2 | Portsmouth (PO) | 335 | 72.2% |
| 3 | Peterborough (PE) | 261 | 72.0% |
| 4 | Brighton (BN) | 256 | 71.2% |
| 5 | Ashford (TN) | 256 | 73.9% |
| 6 | Norwich (NR) | 236 | 69.7% |
| 7 | Nottingham (NG) | 230 | 70.4% |
| 8 | Gloucester (GL) | 215 | 73.3% |
| 9 | Bristol (BS) | 198 | 65.8% |
| 10 | Canterbury (CT) | 192 | 72.3% |
| 11 | Sheffield (S) | 190 | 74.8% |
| 12 | Maidstone (ME) | 187 | 78.8% |
| 13 | Exeter (EX) | 183 | 66.3% |
| 14 | Swansea (SA) | 178 | 69.7% |
| 15 | Cardiff (CF) | 175 | 70.2% |
| 16 | Plymouth (PL) | 171 | 67.3% |
| 17 | Leicester (LE) | 168 | 75.5% |
| 18 | Poole (BH) | 160 | 72.7% |
| 19 | Southampton (SO) | 156 | 72.6% |
| 20 | Milton Keynes (MK) | 149 | 75.2% |
The twenty areas with the most Suzuki Wagon-R+ 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 →
72.1% of the 29,904 recorded Suzuki Wagon-R+ MOT tests ended in a pass, −8.9 percentage points below the national average. 63.4% of those passed on the first attempt.
2006 is the strongest Suzuki Wagon-R+ year on record at 74.9%, while 2000 is the weakest at 67.7%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.
The most recorded Suzuki Wagon-R+ failures are "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" and "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" — together around 12% of tests, mostly in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section.