Suzuki Ignis SUV - Reliability & safety

The Suzuki Ignis should be a reliable car – its maker has a decent reputation for dependability – but its safety rating is more of a mixed bag.

Suzuki Ignis reliability

The Suzuki Baleno and Suzuki Swift feature the same engine and SHVS hybrid setup; and as they've now been on sale for a while, any early niggles should have been ironed out.

It’s also fair to say that while parts of the Ignis’ interior feel a little low-rent, everything feels well screwed together and no tell-tale rattles presented themselves during our test drive. The latter isn’t always a given, even with the brand-new cars given to road testers.

The Suzuki brand came 17th out of 30 manufacturers in our 2020 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, a fall from eighth in 2019. A reasonable 12% of owners reported a fault within the first year of ownership.

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Safety

Ever since independent safety body Euro NCAP changed and toughened up its test criteria, cars can be awarded two different ratings. The first of these applies to the car in standard form, while the second judges the crash protection on offer when it’s fitted with optional safety equipment.

The Ignis scored a reasonably disappointing three out of five stars when unadorned with extra safety kit. Its 79% adult occupant and 79% child occupant protection scores are reasonable – though by no means exceptional – but it fell down in the safety assist category, managing a low 25% result.

Things change quite considerably if you order your Ignis in top-spec SZ5 trim, which includes Suzuki’s Dual Camera Brake Support (DCBS) system. This is the brand’s proprietary name for autonomous emergency braking (AEB), which will stop the car for you automatically if an obstacle is detected and you take no appropriate action. With the DCBS pack fitted, the Ignis was awarded the full five stars, while its adult occupant score increased by 8% and its safety assist rating rose significantly, to 60%.

The disparity between these two ratings suggests two things: firstly, it’s a good idea to order your Ignis with DCBS; secondly, this system should be included as standard. A lane-departure warning system is also offered as an option, as is a ‘weaving alert function’. The first of these vibrates the steering wheel and flashes a warning light if you change lanes without indicating, while the second alerts you if you weave from side to side within your lane.