Where each one leads
Suzuki Swift
- Against cars of the same age, the Suzuki Swift comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 1% more often than average) than the Volkswagen Fox (passes 11% less often than average).
- Fewer Suzuki Swift cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (2.7% against 5.4%).
Volkswagen Fox
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Suzuki Swift | Volkswagen Fox | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1988–2002 | 1987–1993 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 607,111 (2010–2022) | 36,718 (2010–2018) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 155,407 | 10,450 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 95,548 | 15,847 |
| In traffic in Finland | 3,396 | — |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Suzuki Swift | Volkswagen Fox | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 72% | 52% |
| … against cars of the same age | +1% | −11% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 2.7% | 5.4% |
| US owner complaints | 41 | 81 |
| Most complaints about | Seat belts | Engine and engine cooling |
| Model year with most complaints | 1991 (7) | 1988 (23) |
| US recall campaigns | 4 | 5 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 44 | 34 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 5 | 5 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Suzuki Swift | Volkswagen Fox | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 8.1 l/100 km (2011) | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 5.4 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 5.4 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 113 g/km | — |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 66 kW (88 hp) | 40 kW (54 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,006 kg | 1,119 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €16,544 | €11,568 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 121,000 km | — |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).