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2016 Suzuki Baleno: MOT fail rate and common problems

DVSA MOT tests 2022–2025 · 7,675 MOT tests · Updated

Against all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, 2016 Suzuki Baleno cars had an MOT fail rate 3.4 points lower than the 2017 cars, and 3.4 points above all class 4 vehicles the same age (5,781 MOT tests) [1].

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  • +4.5 to +2.6 points: the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 6 to 9 years, 7,675 MOT tests
  • At 9 years (tested 2025): 27.6% failed, against 25.0% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 9 years in 2025, 1,894 MOT tests
  • At 8 years (tested 2024): 26.5% failed, against 23.2% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 8 years in 2024, 1,921 MOT tests

Engine, fuel and mileage decide where one vehicle sits within these figures. Check the reg first.

Figures are for 2016 Suzuki Baleno cars as a group, not for one car.

Fail rate at 9 years (2025)
27.6%
vs 25.0% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 9 years in 2025
1,894 MOT tests
Gap to all class 4, same age and year
+3.4 pts
over ages 6–9: +2.6 to +4.5 pts
7,675 MOT tests
Against the 2017 cars
−3.4 pts
95% range −6.1 to −0.8 pts, same ages, each against its own test year
5,781 MOT tests
MOT tests of 2016 cars
7,675
tested 2022–2025, 4 ages with 1,000+ tests
7,675 MOT tests

Fewer MOT fails than the 2017 cars: −3.4 points at the same ages (6–8), each year against all class 4 vehicles the same age tested in its own year; 95% range −6.1 to −0.8, from 5,781 MOT tests of 2016 cars and 6,705 of the 2017 cars. Not adjusted for mileage.

Every Suzuki Baleno year against all class 4 vehicles the same age

Suzuki Baleno first-use years against all class 4 vehicles the same ageEach first-use year of the Suzuki Baleno as percentage points above or below all class 4 vehicles the same age, averaged over the ages it was tested at, with 95% intervals. 2016: +3.4 pts. 2016: +3.4 pts (+2.4 to +4.4) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 6–9, 7,675 MOT tests2016+3.42017: +7.0 pts (+6.1 to +7.9) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 5–8, 8,958 MOT tests20172018: +6.2 pts (+5.2 to +7.3) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 4–7, 5,842 MOT tests20182019: +0.2 pts (−0.8 to +1.3) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 3–6, 4,320 MOT tests2019 −7.90+7.9 pts
Percentage points above (right) or below (left) all class 4 vehicles the same age, tested in the same year, 2022 to 2025, each year averaged over the ages it was tested at. Lines show the 95% range.

2016 Suzuki Baleno fail rate at each MOT

From 2022 to 2025, as these cars went from 6 to 9 years old, the fail rate went from 23.5% to 27.6%, and the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year from +4.5 to +2.6 points. The widest gap was at 6 years (+4.5 points, 1,928 MOT tests).

Test yearAgeFail rate95% rangeMOT testsAll class 4, same age and yearGap
20226 years23.5%21.7%–25.5%1,92819.0%+4.5 pts
20237 years24.4%22.5%–26.3%1,93221.3%+3.1 pts
20248 years26.5%24.6%–28.6%1,92123.2%+3.3 pts
20259 years27.6%25.6%–29.7%1,89425.0%+2.6 pts

All class 4: every class 4 vehicle (cars and light vans) tested at that age in the same test year.

2016 against the 2017 cars, age by age

Age2016Years either side
6 years23.5% 1,928 MOT tests, tested 20222017: 24.7% (2,254, tested 2023)
7 years24.4% 1,932 MOT tests, tested 20232017: 28.4% (2,240, tested 2024)
8 years26.5% 1,921 MOT tests, tested 20242017: 28.1% (2,211, tested 2025)

Each year was tested in a different calendar year; the verdict compares each against all class 4 vehicles the same age tested in its own year.

What fails on a Suzuki Baleno at 9 years

All Suzuki Baleno MOTs at 9 years, cars first used 2016 (1,894 MOT tests; DVSA item counts are not split by first-use year). The most common fail items: suspension arm ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (7.8 per 100 MOT tests), tyre tread below 1.6 mm (3.6 per 100 MOT tests, a wear item) and rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded (3.2 per 100 MOT tests).

No item fails at a clearly different rate from all class 4 vehicles the same age across 3 or more ages.

Car tax and ULEZ for a 2016 car

A car first registered in the UK in 2016 was issued a 65 (January–February), 16 (March–August) or 66 (September–December) plate, unless it was registered in Northern Ireland (no age identifier) or has since moved to a private plate. An imported one is plated when first registered here, so its plate can be newer than its first-use year. 16 plates

A 2016 car is taxed by its CO2 emissions band (A to M), shown on the V5C logbook. [2] Car tax calculator for a 2016 petrol car

For the London ULEZ, a 2016 petrol usually meets Euro 4. The Euro standard of the car decides, not the year alone. [3] ULEZ checker

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  • Model risks for this year and fuel
  • What similar cars did at their next MOT
  • Repairs ahead
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Other Suzuki Baleno years

  • 2016
  • 2017
  • 2018
  • 2019

Every Suzuki Baleno first-use year

Other Suzuki models first used in 2016

Questions people ask

What is the MOT fail rate of a 2016 Suzuki Baleno?

27.6% at 9 years (tested 2025), from 1,894 MOT tests, against 25.0% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 9 years in 2025.

Does the 2016 Suzuki Baleno fail more MOTs than the 2017?

3.4 percentage points fewer fails at the same ages (6–8), each against all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 5,781 MOT tests (95% range −6.1 to −0.8). Not adjusted for mileage.

At what ages were 2016 Suzuki Baleno cars MOT tested in the data?

4 ages with at least 1,000 MOT tests: 6–9 years, tested 2022–2025, 7,675 MOT tests in all.

What fails most on a Suzuki Baleno at 9 years?

7.8 in 100 MOT tests failed on suspension arm ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, the most common fail item. From 1,894 MOT tests of Suzuki Baleno cars first used 2016, not only 2016.

Sources

  1. Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2022 to 2025. DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, 7,675 MOT tests. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.
  2. GOV.UK, Vehicle tax rates. Rules, not drawn from the MOT data.
  3. Transport for London, Ultra Low Emission Zone. Rules, not drawn from the MOT data.

Cars tested at 9 years are compared with every class 4 vehicle tested at 9 years in the same test year. These rates are not adjusted for mileage. Breakdowns and non-MOT faults are not in this data. How we compare