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Suzuki Alto, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

42,275 Suzuki Altos are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 64.7% of initial MOT tests, 7.6 points below the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific Alto? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Suzuki Alto at the MOT

64.7% of 45,475 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Alto 437th of 575 models. Suzuki Altos aged 6 to 10 years passed 69.4% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 63.5%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Suzuki Alto64.7%
  • All Suzuki modelsThe Alto is 8.9 pts behind73.6%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Suzuki Alto tests in 2025.

  • 6 to 10 years8,996 tests69.4%
  • 11 years and over36,475 tests63.5%

Where Altos fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Suzuki Alto tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment31%
  • Brakes17.9%
  • Suspension16.8%
  • Visibility11%
  • Tyres10%

The items testers recorded most often were stop lamp not working (8.6%), position lamp not working (6.9%) and wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (6.6%).

The MOT page lists every common Alto MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Suzuki Alto MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Alto's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

    Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.31% of Alto failure items

  2. Brakes

    Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing.17.9% of Alto failure items

  3. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.16.8% of Alto failure items

Suzuki Altos in the UK

42,275 were licensed at the end of June 2026, the 3rd most of any Suzuki. The number licensed has fallen 41% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−41%from 72,124 licensed
Typical year of first use
2013half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2013 or earlier
First registered in 2025
6against 1,978 in 2015
Declared off the road
3,8578.4% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Suzuki Altos since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201472,124
End of 201571,129
End of 201668,256
End of 201764,873
End of 201861,563
End of 201958,586
End of 202055,626
End of 202153,142
End of 202251,031
End of 202349,022
End of 202446,549
End of 202543,875
End of June 202642,275

How old they are

Licensed Suzuki Altos by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 314 were first used before 2004.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
20151,7351,978
201412,331
201311,042
20124,276
20113,894
20103,728
20094,505
20080
20070
2006422
2005662
2004559

1,735 Altos first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 88% of the 1,978 first registered that year.

Alto engine sizes

1.0 litre engines made up 95% of Suzuki Alto MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.1 litre at 5.1%. Petrol accounts for 100% of licensed Altos.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 45,467 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.0 litre94.8%
  • 1.1 litre5.1%

Suzuki Alto recalls

6 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Suzuki Alto. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Alto is affected.

  1. Aug 2013 R/2013/081

    Possibility of fire

    Altos built Oct 2008 to Jan 2013 · 24,187 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It is possible that if the blower motor becomes jammed the temperature fuse of the resistor may not cut out. This can then cause a section of the air conditioning unit to overheat and possibly result in a vehicle fire.
    Remedy
    Recall all affected vehicles and replace the resistor assembly.

  2. Apr 2010 R/2010/035

    Brake lights may fail

    898 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    An assembly fault in the wiring harness may induce a high current in the brake light shift lock solenoid which may burn/melt the contacts.
    Remedy
    Recall affected vehicles and replace the Brake Light Switch and fit modified wiring harness.

  3. Dec 2009 R/2009/140

    Fuel may leak

    6,901 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It has been identified that due to an engineering fault in production a dimensional variation has occurred to the fuel pump seating. This may result in a possible fuel leak from the pump seating area whilst the vehicle is being fuelled.
    Remedy
    Recalled vehicles will have the fuel pump gasket and O replaced.

  4. Jun 2004 R/2004/090

    Incorrect specification metal brake pipes may be fitted to rear braking system

    Altos built May 2002 to May 2004 · 8,743 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Potential fitment of incorrect specification metal brake pipes to the rear braking system.
    Remedy
    Affected vehicles will have the rear brake pipes inspected for conformity of specification and changed should a non - compliance be found.

  5. Feb 2004 R/2004/031

    Handbrake control button faulty

    Altos built Feb 2004 · 1,101 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Parking Brake release button may become detached
    Remedy
    Recall affected vehicles check operational functionality and if found to be faulty replace handbrake assembly.

  6. Jul 2002 R/2002/075

    Seat belt anchorages may be damaged

    Altos built Sep 1999 · 127 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The front seat belt anchorage points bolt threads may have been damaged during installation. This could result in failure of the seat belt anchorages in an accident.
    Remedy
    Remove all front seat belt anchorage bolts and examine the bolt and captive nut threads for damage. Renew or repair any damaged parts.
How to check a specific Alto for recalls

Other Suzuki models

The most-tested Suzuki models in 2025, against the Alto's 64.7% MOT pass rate.

All 14 Suzuki models

Suzuki Alto FAQs

How many Suzuki Altos are there in the UK?

42,275 Suzuki Altos were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 3,857 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Suzuki Alto reliable?

MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 64.7% first-time pass rate for the Suzuki Alto across 45,475 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Suzuki Alto had any recalls?

6 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Suzuki Alto. The most recent was published in August 2013. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.

What should I check before buying a used Suzuki Alto?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, brakes and suspension. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check a Suzuki Alto's history?

Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.

Already found an Alto?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Suzuki history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Suzuki VIN check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to October 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.