Suzuki Alto (09 on) - Review

Review by Dan Harrison on
Last Updated: 06 June 2011
The Alto is a small car that’s designed to cut costs to the bone. It’s cheap to buy and even cheaper to run. Those on a tight budget will appreciate its exceptional fuel economy, low insurance costs (it's in group one) and cheap road tax. The Alto also feels robustly built, while the interior boasts a reasonable level of equipment. What it does lack, however, is the 'fun factor' that you get with so many other small cars. The Toyota Aygo/Citroen C1/Peugeot 107 are cheap, but very cheerful, while slightly more expensive options like the Ford Ka are in a different league. The Alto is built to a budget - and feels like it.
3 out of 5

Other Suzuki reviews

4 out of 5

Running costs

List prices compare well with cars of a similar size and there’s equipment offered on the Alto that’s not available on other models. Fuel economy is impressive – manual models will return 64mpg, while the auto still returns an impressive 52mpg. The Alto’s engine is also low on CO2, which means that road tax costs are low. Parts and servicing are reasonably priced and it falls into the lowest insurance band – group 1. As demand for small cars that are cheap to run, like the Alto, is strong, you can expect it to hold onto a significant amount of its value, too.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

9,000 miles.

Warranty

Three years/60,000 miles.

Road tax (12 months)

£0.00 - £30.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

4.5 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
    99
  • B
  • C
    118
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

With emissions of just 103g/km of CO2, the Alto takes its place as one of the greenest petrol cars on the road. A version with stop-and-start technology – which cuts off the engine in stationary traffic and produces just 95g/km - is in the pipeline.

Find the exact engine and CO2