Is the Suzuki Vitara reliable?

On MOT evidence the Suzuki Vitara is above average. It passes 76.2% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 83% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Suzuki Vitara?

The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 34.9% of failed Suzuki Vitara tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Suzuki Vitara?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 24.9% of all Suzuki Vitara tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Suzuki Vitara usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 49,668 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Which Suzuki Vitara years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Suzuki Vitara cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 92.3%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 58.9%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.

Does a Suzuki Vitara get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 92.3% of Suzuki Vitara tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 58.9%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Suzuki Vitara models petrol or diesel?

Of the Suzuki Vitara cars tested, 72% are petrol, 21% are hybrid, 6% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Suzuki Vitara MOT pass rate & common failures

From 72,082 recorded MOT tests of the Suzuki Vitara, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Suzuki Vitara passes 76.2% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is above average. Based on 72,082 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, which appears in 34.9% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 49,668 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

76.2%national average72.3%unadjusted84.5%range covered83%

The Vitara is 3.9 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is above average. The unadjusted figure is 84.5%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Suzuki Vitara tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements34.9%
2,617 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm14.0%
1,048 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
3.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen13.5%
1,013 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
4.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning12.0%
904 occurrencesLamp not working explained
5.A tyre seriously damaged10.3%
774 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
6.Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning9.5%
713 occurrencesStop lamp not working explained
7.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded6.4%
478 occurrencesBrake pipe corroded explained
8.Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake4.4%
327 occurrencesBrake binding or imbalanced across an axle explained
9.A tyre cords visible or damaged3.7%
275 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
10.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn3.6%
273 occurrencesBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Suzuki Vitara tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements24.9%
17,940 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.3%
6,716 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged8.7%
6,240 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured8.0%
5,743 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
5.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded4.2%
3,033 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
6.Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt3.3%
2,397 tests
7.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn3.1%
2,213 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
8.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements2.9%
2,064 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Suzuki Vitara

The 22 other defects testers recorded on this model, beyond the most common listed above. Each links to what it means and what it takes to put right.

Known faults

Suzuki Vitara common problems, by part and by year

The same failure record read the way a buyer asks the question: which parts wear out on a Vitara, when they start, and how each registration year compares — including the steps that mark a generation change.

Vitara common problems and results by year

How wear changes the picture

Vitara pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Suzuki Vitara passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 3 to 5 was first used in 2020–2022.

3–5 yrsreg. 2020–202292%

6–8 yrsreg. 2017–201984%

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201679%

15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier59%

Read this as an age curve rather than a verdict on particular model years. Nearly every car passes less often as it gets older, so a newer Vitara outscoring an older one says more about wear than about how that year’s cars were built. Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Vitara fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 49,668
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol72.5%
Hybrid21.5%
Diesel6.1%

Trim names grouped into this model (11)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

VITARA SZ-T B-JET MHEV AGRIP
VITARA SZ-T BOOSTERJET MHEV
VITARA SZ-T BOOSTERJET MHEV A
VITARA SZ-T HEV AUTO
VITARA SZ4 BOOSTERJET MHEV
VITARA SZ5 B-JET MHEV AGRIP A
VITARA SZ5 BOOSTERJET MHEV
VITARA SZ5 BOOSTERJET MHEV A
VITARA SZ5 BOOSTJET MHEV AGRIP
VITARA SZ5 HEV ALLGRIP AUTO
VITARA SZ5 HEV AUTO

Check a specific Suzuki Vitara

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Suzuki models

Suzuki Swift — 70.4% adjusted
Suzuki Alto — 58.8% adjusted
Suzuki SX4 — 70.7% adjusted
Suzuki Ignis — 73.5% adjusted
Suzuki Celerio — 82.9% unadjusted
Suzuki Jimny — 73.0% adjusted
All Suzuki models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Mazda CX-5 — 78.5% adjusted, ranked 71
Fiat Ducato — 73.4% adjusted, ranked 129
Mercedes-Benz B-Class — 73.3% adjusted, ranked 130
Volvo XC90 — 77.6% adjusted, ranked 78

Common questions

Is the Suzuki Vitara reliable?: On MOT evidence the Suzuki Vitara is above average. It passes 76.2% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 83% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Suzuki Vitara?: The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 34.9% of failed Suzuki Vitara tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Suzuki Vitara?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 24.9% of all Suzuki Vitara tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Suzuki Vitara usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 49,668 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Which Suzuki Vitara years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Suzuki Vitara cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 92.3%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 58.9%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.
Does a Suzuki Vitara get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 92.3% of Suzuki Vitara tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 58.9%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Suzuki Vitara models petrol or diesel?: Of the Suzuki Vitara cars tested, 72% are petrol, 21% are hybrid, 6% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.