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2017 Suzuki Baleno: MOT fail rate and common problems

DVSA MOT tests 2022–2025 · 8,958 MOT tests · Updated

28.1% of 2017 Suzuki Baleno cars failed their MOT at 8 years; measured against vehicles the same age and test year, about the same as the 2016 and 2018 cars (8,958 MOT tests) [1].

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  • +6.7 to +6.4 points: the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 5 to 8 years, 8,958 MOT tests
  • 60,000 to 90,000 miles: 34.9% of Suzuki Baleno cars first used 2016–2017 failed at 8 years, against 25.6% at 30,000 to 60,000 miles, 3,195 MOT tests
  • At 8 years (tested 2025): 28.1% failed, against 21.7% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 8 years in 2025, 2,211 MOT tests

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

Figures are for 2017 Suzuki Baleno cars as a group, not for one car.

Fail rate at 8 years (2025)
28.1%
vs 21.7% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 8 years in 2025
2,211 MOT tests
Gap to all class 4, same age and year
+7.0 pts
over ages 5–8: +6.4 to +8.3 pts
8,958 MOT tests
Against the 2016 and 2018 cars
+1.6 pts
95% range −0.9 to +4.1 pts, same ages, each against its own test year
8,958 MOT tests
MOT tests of 2017 cars
8,958
tested 2022–2025, 4 ages with 1,000+ tests
8,958 MOT tests

About the same as the 2016 and 2018 cars: +1.6 points at the same ages (5–8), each year against all class 4 vehicles the same age tested in its own year; 95% range −0.9 to +4.1, from 8,958 MOT tests of 2017 cars and 10,159 of the 2016 and 2018 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. 2017: +7.0 pts. 2016: +3.4 pts (+2.4 to +4.4) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 6–9, 7,675 MOT tests20162017: +7.0 pts (+6.1 to +7.9) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 5–8, 8,958 MOT tests2017+7.02018: +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.

2017 Suzuki Baleno fail rate at each MOT

From 2022 to 2025, as these cars went from 5 to 8 years old, the fail rate went from 22.7% to 28.1%, and the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year from +6.7 to +6.4 points. The widest gap was at 7 years (+8.3 points, 2,240 MOT tests).

Test yearAgeFail rate95% rangeMOT testsAll class 4, same age and yearGap
20225 years22.7%21.0%–24.5%2,25316.0%+6.7 pts
20236 years24.7%23.0%–26.5%2,25418.2%+6.5 pts
20247 years28.4%26.6%–30.3%2,24020.1%+8.3 pts
20258 years28.1%26.3%–30.0%2,21121.7%+6.4 pts

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

2017 against the 2016 and 2018 cars, age by age

Age2017Years either side
5 years22.7% 2,253 MOT tests, tested 20222018: 22.4% (1,462, tested 2023)
6 years24.7% 2,254 MOT tests, tested 20232016: 23.5% (1,928, tested 2022)
2018: 25.5% (1,465, tested 2024)
7 years28.4% 2,240 MOT tests, tested 20242016: 24.4% (1,932, tested 2023)
2018: 27.4% (1,451, tested 2025)
8 years28.1% 2,211 MOT tests, tested 20252016: 26.5% (1,921, tested 2024)

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 8 years

All Suzuki Baleno MOTs at 8 years, cars first used 2016–2017 (4,132 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 (8.8 per 100 MOT tests), tyre tread below 1.6 mm (4.0 per 100 MOT tests, a wear item) and wipers not clearing screen (2.7 per 100 MOT tests, a wear item).

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

Mileage and the fail rate at 8 years

Suzuki Baleno cars first used 2016–2017 at 60,000 to 90,000 miles failed 34.9% of MOTs at 8 years (1,160 MOT tests), against 25.6% at 30,000 to 60,000 miles (2,035 MOT tests). All class 4 vehicles: 26.6% and 21.0%.

Car tax and ULEZ for a 2017 car

A car first registered in the UK in 2017 was issued a 66 (January–February), 17 (March–August) or 67 (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. 17 plates

A 2017 car is taxed by CO2 band if first registered before 1 April 2017, otherwise at the standard rate after the first year. If its list price was over £40,000 a car registered from 1 April 2017 pays the expensive car supplement in years 2 to 6 (to 2023), which has ended. [2] Car tax calculator for a 2017 petrol car

For the London ULEZ, a 2017 petrol usually meets Euro 4. The Euro standard of the car decides, not the year alone. [3] ULEZ checker

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Other Suzuki Baleno years

  • 2016
  • 2017
  • 2018
  • 2019

Every Suzuki Baleno first-use year

Other Suzuki models first used in 2017

Questions people ask

What is the MOT fail rate of a 2017 Suzuki Baleno?

28.1% at 8 years (tested 2025), from 2,211 MOT tests, against 21.7% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 8 years in 2025.

Does the 2017 Suzuki Baleno fail more MOTs than the 2016 and 2018?

1.6 percentage points apart at the same ages (5–8), each against all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 8,958 MOT tests (95% range −0.9 to +4.1), so about the same.

At what ages were 2017 Suzuki Baleno cars MOT tested in the data?

4 ages with at least 1,000 MOT tests: 5–8 years, tested 2022–2025, 8,958 MOT tests in all.

What fails most on a Suzuki Baleno at 8 years?

8.8 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 4,132 MOT tests of Suzuki Baleno cars first used 2016–2017, not only 2017.

Sources

  1. Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2022 to 2025. DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, 8,958 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 8 years are compared with every class 4 vehicle tested at 8 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