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

Safety

The Alto was crash tested in 2009 under Euro NCAP's more stringent criteria. This is one overall rating (from one to five stars) that covers adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, pedestrian protection and a new area of assessment - safety assist. It only managed a three-star rating, which is far from impressive. According to the crash experts the score was limited by its performance in adult occupant protection and child protection. Safety equipment is reasonable for a car of this size, with dual front and side airbags, ABS and Isofix child seat anchor points. The top spec SZ4 gets a little more in the way of safety kit with curtain airbags and an electronic stability programme, which helps to bring the car under control in the event of a skid.

NCAP Test

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  • Adult Occupant Rating

    3 out of 5
3.5 out of 5

Reliability

Suzuki has an excellent reputation for reliability and there’s no reason to doubt that the Alto won't continue this. It uses tried-and-tested technology, while the interior plastics feel robust.

Car check problem points

Body

No problems reported.

Engine/Gearbox

No problems reported.

Other

No problems reported.