2009 Saab 9-5: MOT pass rate and reliability

73.4% of 2009 Saab 9-5s pass the MOT first time, measured across 602 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 116,996 miles.

How the 2009 compares

  • Against all Saab 9-5s (70.7%, 7,856 tests): +2.7 points
  • Against all 2009 cars (66.1%): +7.3 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 2009 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 2009 9-5

The 2009 is one of the stronger years for this model, passing 2.7 points more often than the Saab 9-5 average. That is a point in its favour, though condition and service history still matter more than the model year. 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 17-year-old car fails on

A 2009 car is 17 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 2009 Saab 9-5 the average at test was 116,996 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 2009 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Saab 9-5 MOT data · Every model