2008 Saab 9-3: MOT pass rate and reliability
69.3% of 2008 Saab 9-3s pass the MOT first time, measured across 5,720 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 123,246 miles.
How the 2008 compares
- Against all Saab 9-3s (68.6%, 36,326 tests): +0.7 points
- Against all 2008 cars (64.7%): +4.6 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every Saab 9-3 model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2008 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Saab 9-3:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 70.9% | 292 | 110,818 |
| 1999 | 72.6% | 508 | 109,727 |
| 2000 | 71.4% | 660 | 106,624 |
| 2001 | 71% | 751 | 108,107 |
| 2002 | 69.2% | 819 | 108,245 |
| 2003 | 68.1% | 907 | 114,407 |
| 2004 | 66% | 2,184 | 113,610 |
| 2005 | 67.3% | 3,365 | 115,987 |
| 2006 | 65.9% | 5,244 | 118,853 |
| 2007 | 67.4% | 6,628 | 119,012 |
| 2008 | 69.3% | 5,720 | 123,246 |
| 2009 | 69.7% | 3,612 | 113,082 |
| 2010 | 71.5% | 3,272 | 111,142 |
| 2011 | 71.4% | 2,196 | 112,993 |
What this means if you are buying a 2008 9-3
The 2008 sits close to the Saab 9-3 average, so there is no strong model-year signal either way. Judge the individual car on its own history. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.
What an 18-year-old car fails on
A 2008 car is 18 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:
- Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
- Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
- Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
- Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
- Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
- Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested
That is high mileage, so timing belts, clutches, suspension bushes and corrosion are the items worth budgeting for rather than the MOT itself. On a 2008 Saab 9-3 the average at test was 123,246 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.
The strongest year for this model is 1999 at 72.6%, and the weakest in our data is 2006 at 65.9%. That 6.7 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2008 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2005 Saab 9-3 - 67.3%
- 2006 Saab 9-3 - 65.9%
- 2007 Saab 9-3 - 67.4%
- 2009 Saab 9-3 - 69.7%
- 2010 Saab 9-3 - 71.5%
- 2011 Saab 9-3 - 71.4%