Saab 9-5: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Saab 9-5 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 6.5 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 7,918 individual Saab 9-5 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 70.2% first-time pass rate means roughly 30 in every 100 Saab 9-5s presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Saab 9-5 tested had covered 123,910 miles and was built around 2006.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Saab 9-5 bought as a repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Saab 9-5 rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see what damaged Saab 9-5s actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Saab 9-5

1. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 3% of tests (3.6x the national rate for this defect)
2. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 2.9% of tests (3.17x the national rate for this defect)
3. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 2.1% of tests (2.55x the national rate for this defect)
4. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 4% of tests (2.26x the national rate for this defect)
5. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2.2% of tests (2.23x the national rate for this defect)
6. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3.4% of tests (2.11x the national rate for this defect)
7. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 1.5% of tests (1.92x the national rate for this defect)
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 6.3% of tests (1.71x the national rate for this defect)
9. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 1.4% of tests (1.59x the national rate for this defect)
10. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.5% of tests (1.26x the national rate for this defect)

From 12,254 DVSA-tracked Saab 9-5 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.4% of these flagged Saab 9-5 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Saab 9-5 pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each Saab 9-5 year:

• 2000 Saab 9-5 - 69.8% first-time pass, 275 tests
• 2001 Saab 9-5 - 71.3% first-time pass, 328 tests
• 2002 Saab 9-5 - 62.8% first-time pass, 436 tests
• 2003 Saab 9-5 - 66.1% first-time pass, 481 tests
• 2004 Saab 9-5 - 68.3% first-time pass, 756 tests
• 2005 Saab 9-5 - 68.7% first-time pass, 903 tests
• 2006 Saab 9-5 - 69.2% first-time pass, 965 tests
• 2007 Saab 9-5 - 73% first-time pass, 1,004 tests
• 2008 Saab 9-5 - 70.5% first-time pass, 860 tests
• 2009 Saab 9-5 - 73.4% first-time pass, 602 tests
• 2010 Saab 9-5 - 76.1% first-time pass, 612 tests
• 2011 Saab 9-5 - 81.6% first-time pass, 320 tests

Saab 9-5 by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

• Petrol Saab 9-5 - 70.9% first-time pass, 5,406 tests
• Diesel Saab 9-5 - 70.5% first-time pass, 2,438 tests

Other Saab models

• Saab 9-3 - 68.1%
• Saab 900 - 69.3%

Models with a similar pass rate

• MG Zt - 70.4%
• Rover Metro - 70.4%
• Peugeot Expert - 70.2%
• Peugeot Independence - 70.2%
• Toyota Carina - 70.2%
• SEAT Exeo - 70.1%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate