• Straightforward 1.5-litre engine
• Can be very economical with manual gearbox
• Maintenance is cheap, build is robust

What are the running costs of the Suzuki Jimny?

There was just the one engine available in this Suzuki Jimny for the UK: a 1.5-litre petrol that does without any form of emissions-lowering or performance-enhancing turbocharging technology. It’s an honest and relatively economical powerplant that delivers enough power and drivability in most off-road situations but may feel out of its depths on the road.

Being a lightweight vehicle – compared with most contemporary SUV rivals – the Jimny is capable of more than 40mpg in the real world, even if the official WLTP figures pegged it to mid-30s miles-per-gallon. However, its official CO2 emissions rating of 154g/km (for the more efficient manual gearbox version; the auto is even worse at 170g/km) are not very impressive for a vehicle of this size, which made it comparatively expensive to tax when new.

For those who care about more than just the fossil fuels, the Suzuki Jimny has the potential to be a long-lived investment. Not only is it well made, but the separate chassis, solid components and worldwide presence mean it will be going long after more complex rivals have been recycled.

View detailed mpg and CO2 figures on our Suzuki Jimny specs pages

Suzuki Jimny servicing and warranty

Unlike many low-cost 4×4-type vehicles, such as all-terrain vehicles, the Suzuki has relatively inexpensive, readily-available parts, a number of highly competent dealers and excellent support. It’s worth considering the Jimny for forestry, farm and off-road site work instead of these quad-bike type cars, purely for the reduced costs and potential downtime reductions; the petrol-only powertrain may increase running costs for agricultural diesel users, though.

The official Suzuki Jimny service intervals are once every 12 months or 12,500 miles.

The original warranty covered the Jimny for three years or 60,000 miles – whichever came sooner. There is an option for an official Suzuki extended warranty.

Suzuki Jimny reliability

• Designed to be simple to maintain
• Repairs should also prove quick and easy
• Only two recalls

Historically, the Suzuki Jimny has always been a reliable vehicle – and this latest generation isn’t proving any different. If serviced on schedule and kept clean (to reduce the likelihood of rust), this is a small off-roader that should last very well indeed.

There have only been two official recalls for this model. One for a small batch of fuel pumps, another – more extensive – for a wiring issue that might prevent the airbags from working correctly.

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If buying a second-hand Jimny, make sure any recall work has been properly carried out. It might also be worth investing in a professional inspection – ideally by a specialist – as there is a high-chance any Jimny may have been used off-road. While they are built to handle this, and repairs are usually inexpensive, you don’t want to miss any damage underneath that might not be easy to detect at a glance.