Common problems

Suzuki Swift common problems

What MOT testers find on the Suzuki Swift: the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 532,946 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 9 years, the most tested age

Lights and electrics fails per 100 MOTs (n=41,976)12.5

All cars at 9 years (n=9,949,012)9.2

Tyres advisories and minor defects per 100 MOTs (n=41,976)24.8

All cars, same age (n=9,949,012)25.8

What stands out

Lights and electrics fails show up on 12.5 of every 100 MOTs of a Suzuki Swift at 9 years old (n=41,976), against 9.2 for all cars of that age (n=9,949,012).
Suspension fails are less common: 2.8 per 100 MOTs against 7.9 for all cars at the same age.
The fail item testers record most often at 9 years: side/position light not working, on 4.8 per 100 MOTs (all cars 1.7).
The most common advisory or minor defect: tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge, on 13.0 per 100 MOTs.

Problems by part at 9 years

How many of every 100 MOTs found a fail, or an advisory or minor defect, in each area. A test with faults in two areas counts in both.

Suzuki Swift at 9 years (n=41,976) against all cars at 9 years (n=9,949,012). Per 100 MOTs.
Area	Fails	All cars	Advisories	All cars
Lights and electrics	12.5	9.2	7.1	4.5
Brakes	6.6	5.6	24.7	20.3
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	5.3	4.0	3.9	3.7
Tyres	5.2	6.7	24.8	25.8
Suspension	2.8	7.9	10.8	14.9
Body and structure	0.6	2.3	1.2	2.9
Exhaust, emissions and leaks	0.6	2.4	2.6	3.1
Number plates and VIN	0.2	0.3	1.3	1.7
Seat belts and airbags	0.2	0.6	0.1	0.4
Steering	0.1	1.8	0.3	2.1
Road wheels	0.1	0.4	1.0	0.7

What testers fail most on the Swift at 9 years

Fail items on the Suzuki Swift at 9 years (n=41,976), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=9,949,012).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	Typical repair (estimate)
Side/position light not working	Lights and electrics	4.8	1.7	£10 to £47 per lamp
Brake light not working	Lights and electrics	4.5	1.7	£10 to £47 per lamp
Wipers not clearing screen	Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	3.3	1.7	£15 to £30 per blade
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm	Tyres	2.2	2.5	£88 to £145 per tyre
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded	Brakes	1.9	0.3	£137 to £392 per car (rough guide)
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid	Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	1.5	1.3	£2 to £14 per car (rough guide)
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps	Lights and electrics	1.2	1.0	£10 to £47 per lamp
Brake pads under 1.5 mm	Brakes	1.2	2.0	£72 to £174 per axle (rough guide)
Individual direction indicators: incorrect colour	Lights and electrics	1.1	0.2	£10 to £47 per lamp
Tyre condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords	Tyres	1.0	1.3	£88 to £145 per tyre

Early warnings: advisories and minor defects at 9 years

Advisories and minor defects are recorded, but the car still passes. Across all cars, a part with an advisory or minor defect failed at the next MOT 5.5 times in 100 (n=88,666,940 pairs of consecutive MOTs), against 0.3 times in 100 when the same part had none (n=12,936,860,350).

Advisories and minor defects on the Suzuki Swift at 9 years (n=41,976), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=9,949,012).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	If it needs replacing (estimate)
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge	Tyres	13.0	16.4	£88 to £145 per tyre
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing	Tyres	12.0	8.5	£88 to £145 per tyre
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material	Brakes	9.8	2.1	£137 to £392 per car (rough guide)
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	Brakes	7.9	9.2	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)
Brake pads: wearing thin	Brakes	5.6	8.3	£72 to £174 per axle (rough guide)
Suspension arm pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement	Suspension	5.2	4.9	£92 to £237 per arm (rough guide)
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources	Lights and electrics	3.7	2.5
Individual direction indicators: slightly discoloured	Lights and electrics	2.8	0.5	£10 to £47 per lamp
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively	Brakes	2.4	2.7	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	2.0	2.5

Repair estimates are a guide for an independent garage: labour at the national median local garage rate (median £78 an hour from 65 garages, ONS price quotes) times estimated labour hours, plus a parts band. Labour hours and most parts bands are estimates, not quotes, and prices vary by model, engine and region. A warning light fault shows the cost of the diagnosis only.

How problems change with age

Fails per 100 MOTs in the three most common areas at 9 years. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Age	Tests (n)	Lights and electrics	Brakes	Windscreen, wipers and mirrors
3 years	31,936	2.0	1.1	3.1
4 years	37,110	2.2	1.7	5.8
5 years	37,485	3.0	2.3	5.8
6 years	39,916	4.3	3.4	4.3
7 years	41,358	6.6	4.4	3.9
8 years	41,361	9.5	5.5	4.5
9 years	41,976	12.5	6.6	5.3
10 years	40,662	14.6	7.9	5.8
11 years	34,750	16.5	9.1	6.1
12 years	31,099	17.9	11.2	6.6
13 years	29,737	18.6	14.3	7.1
14 years	28,863	18.7	16.8	7.2
15 years	30,250	19.2	18.7	7.4
16 years	27,641	19.5	19.6	7.4
17 years	20,553	20.3	19.1	7.6
18 years	11,865	21.3	18.7	7.6
19 years	4,857	21.8	17.6	7.8
20 years	1,527	20.1	17.4	8.1

Mileage

At 9 years, Suzuki Swift cars showing under 30,000 miles failed 12.2% of MOTs (n=5,211); the band that failed most, 90,000 to 120,000 miles, failed 38.4% (n=3,524). For pass and fail rates by age, see Suzuki Swift MOT fail rates.

What to check on a viewing

On the Suzuki Swift, testers most often record side/position light not working; brake light not working; wipers not clearing screen. Look at these first, then the areas below.

Lights and electrics

With someone outside, try every light: dipped and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and number plate lamps.
Check that the warning lights come on with the ignition and go out once the engine runs.
Look for misted, cracked or yellowed headlamp lenses.

Brakes

On the test drive the car should stop in a straight line without pulling, juddering or grinding.
Look at the discs through the wheels for a deep lip, heavy rust or scoring.
Check that the handbrake or electronic parking brake holds the car on a slope.
Ask when the pads, discs and brake fluid were last changed, and for the receipts.

Windscreen, wipers and mirrors

Look for chips or cracks in the windscreen, above all in front of the driver.
Run the wipers and washers: they should clear the screen without smearing.
Check that the mirrors are present, secure and not cracked.

Ask for the car's MOT history and service record: advisories that repeat from one year to the next show what has been left. GOV.UK MOT history.

Questions

What are the most common problems on the Suzuki Swift?

At 9 years, the age with the most MOT tests (41,976), the fail items testers record most often on the Suzuki Swift are side/position light not working (4.8 per 100 MOTs), brake light not working (4.5 per 100 MOTs), wipers not clearing screen (3.3 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (13.0) and tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (12.0).

Which parts of the Suzuki Swift fail more often than on other cars?

At 9 years: lights and electrics (12.5 per 100 MOTs against 9.2 for all cars); windscreen, wipers and mirrors (5.3 per 100 MOTs against 4.0 for all cars); brakes (6.6 per 100 MOTs against 5.6 for all cars). Compared with 9,949,012 MOTs of all cars the same age.

Suzuki Swift problems by area

Other Suzuki models

All Suzuki models · Common problems by make

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.

Looking at a Suzuki Swift?

These figures describe the model, not the car in front of you. Found one you might buy? See what the VetTheCar Buying Report covers, or use the tools that work without a registration.

See a sample report Car tools · MOT fail rates by model · Compare models by MOT record

Repair estimates: ONS consumer price quotes for local garage labour (09/2025 to 08/2026), the MOT inspection manual for defect wording, and estimated labour hours and parts bands. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ONS.

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources