Suzuki Jimny 1998: MOT failure rate for its age

37.6% of 210 MOT tests of the Suzuki Jimny first registered in 1998 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 91.4 (95% CI 71.2–111.5; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 1998 build year is no different from other years of the same model at the same age. This is a rough estimate from a smaller sample.

Suzuki Jimny built in 1998 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	37.6	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	210
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 71.2–111.5)	91.4	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	210
Rank among this model's 23 build years	5	of 23	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	210
Tested in 2024	5	tests	median 145,579 miles	2024	5

Built 1998 against Suzuki Jimny normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 21: 40.5% vs 42.5%; age 22: 34.3% vs 39.7%. Axis from 0% to 50%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 1998 Suzuki Jimny by registration · All Suzuki Jimny MOT statistics · Download the build-year table (CSV)

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 1998 Suzuki Jimny fail at each age?

Cars built in 1998 were tested at ages 21 to 22 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

Suzuki Jimny built 1998: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
Age	Tests	Failed, %	95% interval	Normal for this model at that age, %	Index (100 = normal)
21	111 (rough estimate)	40.5	31.9–49.8	42.5	95.5
22	99 (rough estimate)	34.3	25.7–44.1	39.7	86.5

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 210 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 1998 Suzuki Jimny?

The most common failure group on cars built in 1998 is body, chassis, structure: 32.9 items per 100 first tests, against 18.8 across all build years of the Suzuki Jimny. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 1998 were tested at ages 21 to 22.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Suzuki Jimny built 1998 against the Suzuki Jimny in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 1998, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Body, chassis, structure	32.9	18.8	151
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	32.5	16.7	149
Brakes	23.3	19.5	107
Noise, emissions and leaks	19.8	8.4	91
Suspension	17.9	17.8	82

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 459 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 1998 compare with the years around it?

Among the 23 published build years of the Suzuki Jimny, 1998 ranks 5 (1 = fails least for its age). 1999: index 105.3.

Suzuki Jimny build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
1998	91.4	71.2–111.5	no different (rough estimate)	210
1999	105.3	97.2–113.4	no different (rough estimate)	1,509
2000	98.4	93.6–103.2	no different	4,026
2001	100.7	96.7–104.6	no different	6,318
2002	99.8	96.7–102.8	no different	10,264
2003	100.6	97.9–103.4	no different	12,998
2004	97.9	95.3–100.4	no different	14,680
2005	103.6	100.7–106.5	worse	12,309
2006	106.3	103.2–109.4	worse	11,143
2007	100.6	97.5–103.7	no different	11,247
2008	90.7	87.0–94.4	better	7,656
2009	87.1	82.5–91.6	better	5,239
2010	99.6	94.0–105.3	no different	4,170
2011	101.5	95.8–107.1	no different	4,620
2012	101.1	95.7–106.6	no different	5,530
2013	90.1	84.7–95.4	better	5,423
2014	102.7	96.6–108.9	no different	5,288
2015	111.0	104.6–117.3	worse	5,949
2016	107.6	101.0–114.2	worse	6,335
2017	105.7	97.9–113.5	no different	4,975
2018	103.9	91.2–116.6	no different (rough estimate)	1,991
2019	57.7	50.0–65.4	better (rough estimate)	3,563
2020	92.4	77.4–107.4	no different (rough estimate)	1,775

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 147,218 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). Suzuki Jimny 1998 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/suzuki-jimny/1998/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

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