72.3%
Suzuki Swift pass rate
Used Suzuki Swift buying guide
In 2025, Suzuki Swift cars passed 72.3% of 135,247 initial MOT tests, in line with the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific Swift? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Suzuki Swift MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
0
percentage points above average
Ranked on pass rate the Swift sits 308th of 575 models in the data. Suzuki as a brand averaged 73.6%, so this model runs 1.3 points behind its own brand. Suzuki Swift cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 88.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 59.1%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Suzuki Swift MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the Swift compares with similar cars.
Swift fuel types
Petrol was the most common fuel among Suzuki Swift cars tested in 2025. Diesel made up just 1.7% of tests.
Where the Swift fails its MOT
Where Suzuki Swift 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 position lamp not working (8.4%), stop lamp not working (6.4%) and wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (6.2%). See every common Swift MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Suzuki Swift that failed, not a claim that every Swift has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used Swift?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at 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. 27.6% of Swift 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. 22.7% of Swift failure items.
3
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 19.7% of Swift 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. 10.2% of Swift 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. 10.2% of Swift 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.
Swift vs similar cars
Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing Suzuki Swift failures cluster around lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 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 Swift 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 Swift.
Used Suzuki Swift FAQs
Is the Suzuki Swift 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 72.3% first-time pass rate for the Suzuki Swift across 135,247 tests in 2025, in line with the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older Suzuki Swift cars fail their MOT more often?
Suzuki Swift cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 88.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 59.1%. 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 Swift?
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 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 Swift'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.