Suzuki Swift review - Reliability and safety

The Suzuki Swift didn't feature in the 2021 Driver Power survey, but Suzuki itself achieved a middling 14th place finish out of 29 manufacturers. 

The Swift was awarded two separate ratings by Euro NCAP. In standard guise it was given three stars out of five. While its 83 per cent adult occupant and 75 per cent child occupant scores are decent enough, it was let down by a 25 per cent safety assist score.

Euro NCAP gave the Swift four stars, however, when it was fitted with an optional safety pack that included autonomous emergency braking. In this guise, the Swift scored 88 per cent for adults, and 44 per cent for its safety assistance systems.

Suzuki updated the Swift's safety kit in 2020 as part of the model's facelift. All versions now include adaptive cruise control, while SZ-T and SZ5 cars feature a lane departure warning and prevention function, a blind spot monitor, a rear-cross traffic alert, traffic sign recognition and a rear parking camera.

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Warranty

All Suzuki Swifts get a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty. That’s a typical duration for the industry in general, albeit with a slightly higher mileage limit (many brands still operate on a 12,000-miles-per-year basis). However, the Swift’s warranty can’t match the Kia Rio’s seven-year policy, or the five years of cover offered with the Hyundai i20.

Servicing

Suzuki has a history of shorter service intervals than many of its rivals, and the Swift looks set to continue that pattern. Its service intervals are listed as every 12 months or 15,000 kilometres (just over 9,300 miles). That’s a slightly shorter distance than you’ll find with many other superminis - although given how most Swift customers use their cars, the annual interval is likely to kick in before the mileage does anyway.