Suzuki Vitara, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
84,360 Suzuki Vitaras are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 84.5% of initial MOT tests, 12.2 points above the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific Vitara? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Suzuki Vitara at the MOT
84.5% of 72,087 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Vitara 127th of 575 models. Suzuki Vitaras aged 3 to 5 years passed 90.8% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 59.2%.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Pass rate by age at test
Suzuki Vitara tests in 2025.
Where Vitaras fail
Share of all failure items recorded on Suzuki Vitara tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (13.6%), position lamp not working (10.3%) and wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (8.4%).
The MOT page lists every common Vitara MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The Vitara's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
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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.30.7% of Vitara failure items
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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.22.3% of Vitara failure items
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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.17.4% of Vitara failure items
Suzuki Vitaras in the UK
84,360 were licensed at the end of June 2026, the 2nd most of any Suzuki. The number licensed has grown 295% since the end of 2016.
- Change since 2016
- +295%from 21,346 licensed
- Typical year of first use
- 2019half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2019 or earlier
- First registered in 2025
- 3,321against 13,374 in 2019
- Declared off the road
- 6,2276.9% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed Suzuki Vitaras since 2014
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2014 | 7,460 |
| End of 2015 | 11,657 |
| End of 2016 | 21,346 |
| End of 2017 | 31,556 |
| End of 2018 | 42,787 |
| End of 2019 | 54,809 |
| End of 2020 | 58,826 |
| End of 2021 | 64,571 |
| End of 2022 | 70,615 |
| End of 2023 | 76,003 |
| End of 2024 | 79,646 |
| End of 2025 | 82,199 |
| End of June 2026 | 84,360 |
How old they are
Licensed Suzuki Vitaras by year of first use.
- Licensed at the end of 2025
- First registered that year
A further 666 were first used before 2015.
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 | First registered that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3,204 | 3,321 |
| 2024 | 3,694 | 3,811 |
| 2023 | 6,222 | 6,487 |
| 2022 | 5,445 | 5,948 |
| 2021 | 6,069 | 6,361 |
| 2020 | 5,040 | 5,281 |
| 2019 | 12,419 | 13,374 |
| 2018 | 11,859 | 12,490 |
| 2017 | 11,230 | 11,925 |
| 2016 | 10,791 | 11,559 |
| 2015 | 5,522 | 5,921 |
5,522 Vitaras first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 93% of the 5,921 first registered that year.
Vitara engines and fuel
1.6 litre engines made up 46% of Suzuki Vitara MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.4 litre at 40%. Petrol accounts for 60% of licensed Vitaras and hybrid electric for 35%.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 72,078 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Fuel type, licensed Vitaras
DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.
| Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 50,567 | 60% |
| Diesel | 4,210 | 5% |
| Hybrid electric | 29,579 | 35% |
| Gas | 4 | <0.1% |
Suzuki Vitara recalls
11 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Suzuki Vitara. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Vitara is affected.
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Apr 2025 R/2025/127
Canister Replacement
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On affected vehicles the EVAP Carbon canister should be filled with activated carbon however an air gap may develop on the inside during use which may degrade its performance. There is a risk that fuel evaporation gas will leak into the atmosphere resulting in non-compliance with regulations.
- Remedy
- Replace the EVAP Carbon cannister.
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Feb 2024 R/2024/032
Left Rear Brake Pipe Inspection
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On affected vehicles there is a possibility that the left rear brake pipe was damaged during the tightening process.
- Remedy
- Check the left rear brake pipe and replace if damaged.
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Dec 2022 R/2022/267
Some vehicles have an inappropriate design and material on check valve of vacuum pump
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.
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Feb 2021 R/2021/059
Vehicle emission outputs may not be correct
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Software upgrade to be carried out
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Mar 2016 R/2016/041
Rear axle may fail
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- The fixing bolts for the rear axle were mixed with bolts that have no anti friction coating. It is possible that a bolt/s may loosen come off or break and the vehicle could become impossible to drive.
- Remedy
- Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and replace rear axle bolts.
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Aug 2015 R/2015/165
Unintended vehicle braking
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Due to an error in production the Radar Brake Support System may not have been correctly programmed. In certain instances the system may not recalibrate and could cause unnecessary braking.
- Remedy
- Reprogram the Radar Brake Support Control unit.
-
Jan 2006 R/2005/149
Risk of fire
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- There is a risk of damage (shorting) between the cable connections and glow plugs due to insufficient torque on the connector securing nuts on the relay end posts.
- Remedy
- Recall affected vehicles check the security of the glow plug relay cables and if required replace the glow plug relay.
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Jan 2005 R/2004/175
Under low temperatures the pressure regulator may freeze and cause leakage
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Under extremely low ambient temperatures the fuel pressure regulator may become frozen and cause leakage from the junction point of the fuel hose due to an increase in pressure.
- Remedy
- Recall likely to be affected vehicles and subject them to the following rework action. 1 Replace the fuel pressure regulator.2 Change the vacuum system routing utilising new parts.3 Replace the fuel delivery hose with new improved parts and a new clip. On Grand Vitara XL-7 models items 1 and 2 only will be carried out.
Vitara vs similar cars
Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.
Other Suzuki models
The most-tested Suzuki models in 2025, against the Vitara's 84.5% MOT pass rate.
Suzuki Vitara FAQs
How many Suzuki Vitaras are there in the UK?
84,360 Suzuki Vitaras were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 6,227 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the Suzuki Vitara 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 an 84.5% first-time pass rate for the Suzuki Vitara across 72,087 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the Suzuki Vitara had any recalls?
11 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Suzuki Vitara. The most recent was published in April 2025. 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 Vitara?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, tyres and brakes. 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 Vitara'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 Vitara?
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.