1990 Saab 900: MOT pass rate and reliability
69.8% of 1990 Saab 900s pass the MOT first time, measured across 275 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 142,473 miles.
How the 1990 compares
- Against all Saab 900s (70.2%, 2,265 tests): -0.4 points
- Against all 1990 cars (76%): -6.2 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every Saab 900 model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 1990 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Saab 900:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 69.8% | 275 | 142,473 |
| 1991 | 73.9% | 241 | 150,289 |
| 1992 | 70.9% | 330 | 140,751 |
| 1993 | 66.7% | 405 | 144,006 |
| 1997 | 71% | 259 | 108,387 |
What this means if you are buying a 1990 900
The 1990 sits close to the Saab 900 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 a 36-year-old car fails on
A 1990 car is 36 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 very high mileage. Clutches, dual-mass flywheels and head gaskets have usually been through at least one repair by this point, so ask for evidence rather than assume the car is original everywhere. On a 1990 Saab 900 the average at test was 142,473 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 1991 at 73.9%, and the weakest in our data is 1993 at 66.7%. That 7.2 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 1990 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 1991 Saab 900 - 73.9%
- 1992 Saab 900 - 70.9%
- 1993 Saab 900 - 66.7%