2025 MOT results
Suzuki Swift common problems
The most common reason a Suzuki Swift fails its MOT is a sidelight out, on 17.3% of its 37,431 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 6 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: corroded brake pipes at 7.2% of failures against 1.6% expected; a brake light out at 14.3% of failures against 6.7% expected; a sidelight out at 17.3% of failures against 9.0% expected.
- Tests in 2025 135,130 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 27.7% 37,431 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 5.8% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 52.7% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Suzuki Swift MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Suzuki Swift tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 17.3% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 14.3% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 12.0% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 7.6% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 7.4% |
| Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded Brakes | 7.2% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 6.7% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 5.5% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 5.4% |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.1% |
| Service brake performance: excessively binding Brakes | 4.7% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 4.4% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Sidelight out
17.3% of failures 9.0% expected 1.9 times as often
A sidelight, also called a position lamp, not working. It marks the width of the car at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
-
Brake light out
14.3% of failures 6.7% expected 2.1 times as often
A brake light not working, from a bulb, a poor earth, or the switch on the pedal.
Reverse up to a wall or window at dusk and press the pedal to see all three lamps light.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
12.0% of failures 6.3% expected 1.9 times as often
Wiper blades that leave the windscreen smeared or streaked across the area the driver looks through.
Look for split or hardened rubber, and lift each blade to see whether it still sits flat.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
7.6% of failures 8.2% expected about as expected
A tyre worn past the 1.6mm legal minimum across the middle three quarters of the tread.
A 20p coin in the main grooves: if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyre is close to the limit.
-
Broken coil spring
7.4% of failures 9.3% expected somewhat less often
A broken suspension spring, which usually snaps in the bottom coil and often fails on both sides within a year.
Look at each corner for a sagging ride height, and listen for a knock over speed bumps.
-
Corroded brake pipes
7.2% of failures 1.6% expected 4.5 times as often
Corroded or damaged brake pipework. It is a safety item, and on older cars the rear pipes go first.
Look along the pipes under the sills with a torch; flaking rust rather than surface staining is the problem.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a Suzuki Swift, on 44.1% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is brakes, on 29.8% against 22.0% expected.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 44.1% |
| Suspension | 31.0% |
| Brakes | 29.8% |
| Visibility | 20.1% |
| Tyres | 18.4% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 7.1% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 6.7% |
| Steering | 2.4% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
52.7% of Suzuki Swift tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Suzuki Swifts, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 14.8% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 13.2% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 13.0% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 7.3% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 7.1% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 5.5% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 3.3% |
| Service brake performance: binding but not excessively Brakes | 2.8% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 2.8% |
| Flexible brake hoses: slight corrosion to ferrule Brakes | 2.7% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 2.6% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 2.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Suzuki Swift gets older
A 2022 Suzuki Swift failed 6.8% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2006 one failed 49.5%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Suzuki Swift 6.8% failed, from 4,589 tests
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 24.4%
- Cut tyre 14.5%
- Worn brake pads 13.8%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 9.3%
- Headlamp aim set too low 6.8%
- Washers that do not work 5.8%
2006 Suzuki Swift 49.5% failed, from 3,329 tests
- Sidelight out 18.0%
- Worn steering or suspension joint 12.8%
- Brake light out 11.5%
- Weak handbrake 10.6%
- Broken coil spring 10.2%
- Worn suspension bushes 10.0%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
Suzuki Swift problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Suzuki Swift?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Position lamp: not working” is the most common: it appears on 17.3% of failed Suzuki Swift tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 44.1% of failed tests.
How often does a Suzuki Swift fail its MOT?
27.7% of Suzuki Swift tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 135,130 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 51 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Suzuki Swift than on other cars?
Yes. “Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded” appears on 7.2% of its failures against 1.6% for cars of the same age, and “Stop lamp: not working” appears on 14.3% of its failures against 6.7% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Suzuki Swift aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 135,130 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.