64.7%
Suzuki Alto
Suzuki Alto MOT pass rate and common problems
The Suzuki Alto passed 64.7% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 7.6 percentage points below the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was stop lamp not working.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the Alto compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
73.6%
Suzuki average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The Alto runs 8.9 points behind the Suzuki average. It is 10th of the 14 Suzuki models in the data. The average Alto arrived at its test 13.1 years old with 62,264 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
Alto MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Suzuki Alto cars aged 6 to 10 years passed 69.4% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 63.5%, a drop of 5.9 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years (small sample) | 4 | 100% | 27.7 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 8,996 | 69.4% | 2.9 pts below |
| 11 years and over | 36,475 | 63.5% | 8.8 pts below |
That is a smaller decline than most cars show. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where Alto failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Suzuki Alto cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes together account for 48.9% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common Alto MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Suzuki Alto cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 45.7% of everything testers recorded against failed Suzuki Alto cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a Alto
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: stop lamp not working, position lamp not working, registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps and horn not working. 20.1% of failure items.
2
Visibility
Recorded most often: wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively and washers provides insufficient washer liquid. 9.3% of failure items.
3
Brakes
Recorded most often: rigid brake pipes excessively corroded. 6.3% of failure items.
4
Tyres
Recorded most often: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm. 4.3% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific Alto has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Suzuki Alto buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Suzuki Alto MOT FAQs
What is the Suzuki Alto MOT pass rate?
64.7% of Suzuki Alto cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 45,475 tests. That is 7.6 percentage points below the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 437th of 575 models.
What does a Suzuki Alto most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Suzuki Alto cars failing their 2025 MOT was stop lamp not working, on 8.6% of failure items. Next were position lamp not working (6.9%) and wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (6.6%).
Which area causes the most Suzuki Alto MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 31%, followed by brakes at 17.9%.
Do older Suzuki Alto cars fail their MOT more often?
Suzuki Alto cars aged 6 to 10 years passed 69.4% of MOT tests in 2025, against 63.5% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every Suzuki Alto has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Suzuki Alto that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific Suzuki Alto's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.