Suzuki Ignis review

The Suzuki Ignis costs a bit more to buy than city cars such as the Hyundai i10,  Kia Picanto or Volkswagen Up, but it undercuts every other small SUV out there. A Dacia Duster, from the class above, is available for around the same price, and offers much more space, but the Ignis is cheaper than the Duster if you want four-wheel drive. Suzuki frequently offers discounts on the list price and very tempting PCP finance deals, so make sure you check out our New Car Buying service – an Ignis could be cheaper than you think.

Our True MPG fuel economy tests on the Ignis led to a real-world average of 59.6mpg for front-wheel drive models to make it one of the most economical cars we've ever tested. That's no small feat considering the vast numbers of full hybrids and diesels we’ve also figured. Expect that figure to drop if you opt for four-wheel drive, although the Ignis Allgrip still managed over 50mpg in our tests.

And the good news doesn't stop there. Comparatively low CO2 emissions help to keep company car tax palatable, although that’s countered somewhat by resale values that lag behind the best small cars and SUVs. Servicing and insurance costs are also relatively high.

SZ-T is our favourite trim, and it’s easy to see why. It adds the aforementioned touchscreen infotainment system, 16in alloy wheels, a rear-view camera and the clever sliding rear seats to the entry-level SZ3 model’s front electric windows, DAB radio, Bluetooth, four-speaker stereo and air conditioning. All in all, SZ-T represents the best value in the range.

That said, we can see why you would go for SZ5: for a relatively small premium it gives you a few additional creature comforts plus automatic emergency braking (AEB) as standard to push the Ignis’s Euro NCAP score to the maximum five stars, way better than the Duster and the majority of city cars, too. On models without AEB, that rating drops to three.

The Ignis didn’t perform particularly well in our 2020 reliability survey; it tied with the Dacia Sandero for last place in our value car class, and it's less dependable than any of the small SUVs we have data for. Suzuki as a brand finished a mid-table joint 14th out of 31 manufacturers. Suzuki’s warranty runs for three years or 60,000-miles; that’s pretty much standard for the class.

All versions come with an immobiliser and security deadlocks on the doors.

Use our True MPG calculator and see what your car really does to the gallon

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