Suzuki Vitara MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 37 model years and 325,489 tests, the Suzuki Vitara passes its MOT 91.1% of the time. Against small SUVs of a similar age (11.9% fail rate), the Vitara comes out 2.9pp better. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, tyres and visibility.
Best and worst Vitara years
Ranked across Vitara years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
The strongest year on this record is 2022 (95.7% pass rate); the weakest is 1999 (70.0%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (5.0%) and tyres (3.9%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are tread depth, wipers and position lamp — tread depth alone was recorded 12,361 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 28.1% versus 4.5%.
The hybrid cars hold up better: 4.5% fail against 13.5% for diesel, a 9.0-point gap across 54,395 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 20.4% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
How it compares
By model year
Every Vitara model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 32 | 68.8% | 31.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1990 | 65 | 72.3% | 27.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1991 | 166 | 79.5% | 20.5% | Body, structure & corrosion |
| 1992 | 266 | 75.6% | 24.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1993 | 410 | 71.0% | 29.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1994 | 737 | 70.6% | 29.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1995 | 824 | 70.8% | 29.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1996 | 727 | 72.1% | 27.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1997 | 649 | 73.5% | 26.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1998 | 1,216 | 71.4% | 28.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1999 | 1,415 | 70.0% | 30.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 861 | 69.6% | 30.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 407 | 72.7% | 27.3% | Body, structure & corrosion |
| 2002 | 693 | 69.3% | 30.7% | Body, structure & corrosion |
| 2003 | 545 | 72.3% | 27.7% | Body, structure & corrosion |
| 2004 | 726 | 70.3% | 29.8% | Body, structure & corrosion |
| 2005 | 555 | 69.5% | 30.4% | Body, structure & corrosion |
| 2006 | 217 | 77.9% | 22.1% | Suspension |
| 2007 | 317 | 71.3% | 28.7% | Suspension |
| 2008 | 396 | 77.5% | 22.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 323 | 79.0% | 21.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 156 | 81.4% | 18.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 248 | 78.6% | 21.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 168 | 85.1% | 14.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 31,136 | 89.3% | 10.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 60,979 | 90.0% | 10.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 62,921 | 90.7% | 9.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 65,970 | 92.1% | 7.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 55,247 | 93.7% | 6.3% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 16,798 | 95.0% | 5.0% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 13,427 | 95.7% | 4.3% | Visibility |
| 2022 | 6,556 | 95.7% | 4.3% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 301 | 97.0% | 3.0% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 5.0% | 16,274 |
| 2 | Tyres | 3.9% | 12,807 |
| 3 | Visibility | 3.0% | 9,934 |
| 4 | Brakes | 2.8% | 8,945 |
| 5 | Suspension | 1.0% | 3,221 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.7% | 2,183 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 0.5% | 1,771 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.3% | 1,093 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tread depth | 12,361 |
| 2 | Wipers | 9,678 |
| 3 | Position lamp | 6,242 |
| 4 | Headlamp aim | 5,842 |
| 5 | Stop lamp | 5,614 |
| 6 | Brake pads | 4,761 |
| 7 | Washers | 2,766 |
| 8 | Service brake performance | 2,505 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 20.4% | 66,546 |
| 2 | Brakes | 16.4% | 53,212 |
| 3 | Other defects | 8.2% | 26,535 |
| 4 | Visibility | 3.5% | 11,548 |
| 5 | Suspension | 3.0% | 9,835 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 1.6% | 5,320 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 113,376 | 4.5% |
| 30-60k | 142,886 | 8.9% |
| 60-90k | 51,361 | 14.3% |
| 90-120k | 13,741 | 20.4% |
| 120-150k | 3,204 | 25.2% |
| 150k+ | 893 | 28.1% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 271,094 | 9.0% |
| Hybrid | 28,609 | 4.5% |
| Diesel | 25,786 | 13.5% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 47,595 | 8.4% |
| 2022 | 60,805 | 8.2% |
| 2023 | 66,391 | 8.9% |
| 2024 | 71,954 | 9.3% |
| 2025 | 78,744 | 9.5% |
What to check before buying a Suzuki Vitara
- Lighting & signalling (5.0% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Tyres (3.9% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
- Visibility (3.0% of tests): Wipers, washers, mirrors and screen damage — usually inexpensive, but check for chips in the driver's line of sight. Typical repair: £15–£150.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Suzuki Vitara?
91.1% of the 325,489 Suzuki Vitara MOT tests in this dataset passed, an 8.9% fail rate, across model years 1988–2024.
What does the Suzuki Vitara most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 5.0% of tests, then tyres (3.9%).
Which Vitara years are best and worst for MOT results?
2022 has the best pass rate at 95.7% and 1999 the weakest at 70.0%, from 6,556 and 1,415 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Vitara MOT results?
Fail rates run at 4.5% for cars in the 0-30k band and 28.1% for 150k+, a 23.6-point difference.
Is the hybrid or diesel Vitara more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 4.5% of the time against 13.5% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 325,489 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.