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

6,429 Suzuki Balenos are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 73.5% of initial MOT tests, 1.2 points above the 72.3% UK average.

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

Suzuki Baleno at the MOT

73.5% of 6,685 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Baleno 287th of 575 models. Suzuki Balenos aged 3 to 5 years passed 83.5% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 6 to 10 years that fell to 72.6%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Suzuki Baleno73.5%
  • All Suzuki modelsLevel with the Baleno73.6%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Suzuki Baleno tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years673 tests83.5%
  • 6 to 10 years5,928 tests72.6%

Where Balenos fail

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

  • Suspension31.9%
  • Brakes21.5%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment15.7%
  • Tyres13.7%
  • Visibility11.8%

The items testers recorded most often were ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (22.5%), rigid brake pipes excessively corroded (9.3%) and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (7.6%).

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

Full Suzuki Baleno MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

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

  1. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.31.9% of Baleno 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.21.5% of Baleno failure items

  3. 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.15.7% of Baleno failure items

Suzuki Balenos in the UK

6,429 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 246% since the end of 2014, although it peaked at 6,959 at the end of 2019.

Change since 2014
+246%from 1,860 licensed
Typical year of first use
2017half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2017 or earlier
Declared off the road
4166.1% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Suzuki Balenos since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 20141,860
End of 20151,329
End of 20162,892
End of 20174,800
End of 20186,083
End of 20196,959
End of 20206,815
End of 20216,827
End of 20226,756
End of 20236,652
End of 20246,593
End of 20256,497
End of June 20266,429

How old they are

Licensed Suzuki Balenos by year of first use.

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

A further 52 were first used before 2001.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
20191,0351,092
20181,3941,500
20172,1402,330
20161,8572,020
20150
20140
20130
20120
20110
20100
20090
20080
20070
20060
20050
20040
20030
20022
200113

Baleno engines and fuel

1.0 litre engines made up 73% of Suzuki Baleno MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.2 litre at 25%. Petrol accounts for 97% of licensed Balenos and hybrid electric for 3.4%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 6,685 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.0 litre73.2%
  • 1.2 litre25.5%

Fuel type, licensed Balenos

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol6,21397%
Hybrid electric2163%

Suzuki Baleno recalls

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

  1. Dec 2022 R/2022/267

    Some vehicles have an inappropriate design and material on check valve of vacuum pump

    Balenos built Mar 2016 to Apr 2018 · 71,508 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Some vehicles have an inappropriate design and material on the check valve of brake vacuum pump.
    Remedy
    Replace the vacuum pump check valve.

  2. Mar 2018 R/2018/078

    Integrated starter generator belt may fail

    Balenos built Feb 2016 to Jan 2017 · 2,247 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Due to a lack of strength in the Integrated Starter Generator (ISG) Belt may break during usage. If this happens the water pump will become inoperative and the charging light will illuminate. The coolant temperature warning light will also light due to an increase in coolant temperature. In the worst case scenario the engine may stall and not restart.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles replace the ISG belt.

  3. Mar 2018 R/2018/071

    Battery may fail to charge which could cause engine to stall and lights to fade

    Balenos built Feb 2016 to Nov 2017 · 6,313 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Due to incorrect software in the Engine Control Module (ECM) the ENG A-STOP (Engine Auto Stop Start System) OFF light may blink & the ENG A-STOP system may become inoperative. If the car is driven continuously in this condition the lead-acid battery will not be charged. In the worst case there is a possibility that the lights will dim and the engine may stall and not restart due to low battery voltage.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and reprogramme the ECM with corrected software.

  4. May 2000 R/2000/014

    Front suspension strut mounting studs may shear

    Balenos built Jun 1995 to Sep 1999 · 3,115 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Due to flexing of the suspension strut mounting turret it is possible that the suspension strut mounting studs may shear. Should all 3 mounting studs shear the suspension strut may detach from the mounting turret.
    Remedy
    Recall all affected vehicles for the fitment of upper and lower reinforcement plates to the suspension turret and the fitment of new strut mountings.

  5. Jun 1999 R/1999/045

    Possibility that the drivers side airbag when activated may deploy with a force greater than originally designed

    Balenos built Dec 1997 to Jan 1998 · 137 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    During manufacture of the airbag propellant module the propellant crystals were exposed to a high humidity environment which increased the moisture content to 1.2% with the result that during activation the airbag might deploy with a greater force than originally designed.
    Remedy
    Recall affected vehicles and replace the drivers airbag with a quality assured unit.
How to check a specific Baleno for recalls

Other Suzuki models

The most-tested Suzuki models in 2025, against the Baleno's 73.5% MOT pass rate.

All 14 Suzuki models

Suzuki Baleno FAQs

How many Suzuki Balenos are there in the UK?

6,429 Suzuki Balenos were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 416 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Suzuki Baleno 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 73.5% first-time pass rate for the Suzuki Baleno across 6,685 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Suzuki Baleno had any recalls?

5 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Suzuki Baleno. The most recent was published in December 2022. 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 Baleno?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, brakes and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment. 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 Baleno'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 a Baleno?

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.