2002 Saab 9-5: MOT pass rate and reliability
62.8% of 2002 Saab 9-5s pass the MOT first time, measured across 436 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 124,572 miles.
How the 2002 compares
- Against all Saab 9-5s (70.7%, 7,856 tests): -7.9 points
- Against all 2002 cars (65.4%): -2.6 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every Saab 9-5 model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2002 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Saab 9-5:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 69.8% | 275 | 128,014 |
| 2001 | 71.3% | 328 | 126,100 |
| 2002 | 62.8% | 436 | 124,572 |
| 2003 | 66.1% | 481 | 132,615 |
| 2004 | 68.3% | 756 | 132,026 |
| 2005 | 68.7% | 903 | 129,612 |
| 2006 | 69.2% | 965 | 128,612 |
| 2007 | 73% | 1,004 | 125,288 |
| 2008 | 70.5% | 860 | 122,186 |
| 2009 | 73.4% | 602 | 116,996 |
| 2010 | 76.1% | 612 | 112,436 |
| 2011 | 81.6% | 320 | 112,476 |
What this means if you are buying a 2002 9-5
The 2002 is a weaker year for this model, passing 7.9 points less often than the Saab 9-5 average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2002 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. 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 a 24-year-old car fails on
A 2002 car is 24 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 2002 Saab 9-5 the average at test was 124,572 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 2011 at 81.6%, and the weakest in our data is 2002 at 62.8%. That 18.8 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2002 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2000 Saab 9-5 - 69.8%
- 2001 Saab 9-5 - 71.3%
- 2003 Saab 9-5 - 66.1%
- 2004 Saab 9-5 - 68.3%
- 2005 Saab 9-5 - 68.7%