73.5%
Suzuki Baleno pass rate
Used Suzuki Baleno buying guide
In 2025, Suzuki Baleno cars passed 73.5% of 6,685 initial MOT tests, 1.2 points above the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific Baleno? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Suzuki Baleno MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
+1.2
percentage points above average
Ranked on pass rate the Baleno sits 287th of 575 models in the data. Suzuki as a brand averaged 73.6%, so this model runs level with its own brand. Suzuki Baleno cars 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%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Suzuki Baleno MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the Baleno compares with similar cars.
Baleno fuel types
Petrol was the most common fuel among Suzuki Baleno cars tested in 2025. None of the tested examples were diesel.
Where the Baleno fails its MOT
Where Suzuki Baleno cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.
The specific 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%). See every common Baleno MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Suzuki Baleno that failed, not a claim that every Baleno has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used Baleno?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at 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.
4
Tyres
Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear. 13.7% of Baleno failure items.
5
Visibility
Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly. 11.8% of Baleno failure items.
None of this replaces the car's own record. Run a free MOT history check on the registration to see every test, advisory and recorded mileage for that car.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing Suzuki Baleno failures cluster around suspension and brakes tells you what to inspect. It tells you nothing about whether the car is safe to buy. An MOT does not show money still owed on the car, a write-off, a theft record or a clocked odometer.
Check the exact Baleno you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Suzuki history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used Suzuki models
The most-tested Suzuki models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the Baleno.
Used Suzuki Baleno FAQs
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.
Do older Suzuki Baleno cars fail their MOT more often?
Suzuki Baleno cars 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%. On an older example, the car's own MOT history tells you more than the model average.
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 history: outstanding finance, insurance write-off records, stolen markers, mileage and previous keepers. None of these appear in the MOT record or on the V5C.
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.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.