Suzuki Vitara SUV - MPG, running costs & CO2
Fuel economy and other running costs are reasonable
The entry-level SZ-T model has a reasonably competitive starting price, but the mild-hybrid technology has pushed prices up by around £1,500. Forecasts suggest the Vitara won’t keep its value particularly well, which may push up your monthly payments on PCP finance deals.
The Vitara's fuel consumption figures have improved since the electrical assistance was added, but the new full-hybrid powertrain is only slightly more economical – on paper at least. It’s now competitive with fuel-sipping rivals, so it shouldn’t be too expensive to run.
Suzuki Vitara MPG & CO2
The mild-hybrid Vitara is powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which is said to return 52.3mpg in two-wheel drive models. CO2 emissions of 120g/km give it a middling Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) rate for company-car drivers.
We wouldn’t recommend going for the four-wheel ALLGRIP drive model unless you really need it because it costs significantly more to buy, adding a premium of around £1,800 to the list price for the SZ5 model. It also has an impact on efficiency, reducing fuel economy to around 47.8mpg while pushing up the CO2 emissions to 132g/km – placing it in a higher BiK banding than the front-wheel drive version.
Suzuki also introduced a full-hybrid Vitara in 2022, combining a 1.5-litre petrol engine with a small electric motor and 0.84kWh battery. This charges while the car drives, so doesn’t require plugging in, but can only propel the car with the petrol motor switched off for short distances. It gives the Vitara a fuel-efficiency figure of up to 54.3mpg, with emissions from 119g/km. Upgrade to ALLGRIP four-wheel drive and efficiency drops to 48.7mpg and 130g/km, so we’d only recommend it if you live in an area with lots of slippery roads.
As every Vitara has mild-hybrid or full-hybrid technology, they qualify for a small reduction in VED (road tax), after a CO2-weighted year-one payment that’s included in the on-the-road price.
Insurance group
The Vitara sits in group 21-22 depending on the trim level, and if you spec the ALLGRIP four-wheel drive it’s much more expensive to insure than several small SUV rivals. By comparison, several entry-level versions of the Vitara’s rivals sit in far lower groups, with the Nissan Juke starting in group 11 and the least powerful Renault Captur starting in group eight.
Warranty
As with the rest of its range, Suzuki offers a three-year/60,000-mile warranty on the Vitara. This was once considered the industry standard, but rivals like the Kia Stonic come with a longer cover period as standard.
Servicing
Suzuki says its cars should be serviced once a year or every 9,000 miles – whichever comes first. If you don’t drive many miles, this should mean the same annual trip to the dealership as most rivals, but if you drive a lot, the Vitara could prove more expensive than models with more miles between services. Suzuki offers a range of fixed-cost servicing packages across its cars, so the Vitara should also benefit from this.
