Saab 900: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Saab 900 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 7.4 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 2,293 individual Saab 900 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 69.3% first-time pass rate means roughly 31 in every 100 Saab 900s 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 900 tested had covered 131,494 miles and was built around 1992.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Saab 900 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 900 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 900s actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Saab 900

1. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 1.9% of tests (17.43x the national rate for this defect)
2. 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, 7.9% of tests (9.51x the national rate for this defect)
3. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 2.5% of tests (8.39x the national rate for this defect)
4. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 1.8% of tests (7.86x the national rate for this defect)
5. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 2.6% of tests (7.18x the national rate for this defect)
6. Parking brake inoperative on one side, 2.5% of tests (5.67x the national rate for this defect)
7. A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.2% of tests (4.59x the national rate for this defect)
8. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 4.2% of tests (4.31x the national rate for this defect)
9. Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.1% of tests (3.71x the national rate for this defect)
10. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 2.8% of tests (3.64x the national rate for this defect)

From 5,749 DVSA-tracked Saab 900 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 2.93% of these flagged Saab 900 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Saab 900 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 900 year:

• 1990 Saab 900 - 69.8% first-time pass, 275 tests
• 1991 Saab 900 - 73.9% first-time pass, 241 tests
• 1992 Saab 900 - 70.9% first-time pass, 330 tests
• 1993 Saab 900 - 66.7% first-time pass, 405 tests
• 1997 Saab 900 - 71% first-time pass, 259 tests

Other Saab models

• Saab 9-3 - 68.1%
• Saab 9-5 - 70.2%

Models with a similar pass rate

• MG Zr - 69.5%
• Renault Zoe - 69.4%
• Fiat Panda - 69.3%
• Renault Master - 69.2%
• Ssangyong Rexton - 69.2%
• Rover 25 - 69.2%

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