Saab 9-3 MOT failure rate and common faults
27,048 Saab 9-3 cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 36.3% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 42.0% of the time, which makes the Saab 9-3 14% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
36.3%
failed first time
27,048 MOT tests in 2025
-14%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 42.0%
73 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
131.1
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 143.5
What fails on a Saab 9-3 MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common Saab 9-3 MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 75.4 |
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 33.3 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 26.9 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 26.2 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 25.1 |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect | Lights and electrics | 24.0 |
| Parking brake efficiency: efficiency below requirements | Brakes | 22.4 |
| Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases | Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts | 21.6 |
| Service brake performance: excessively binding | Brakes | 20.3 |
| Ball joint excessively worn | Suspension | 20.0 |
Saab 9-3 MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2,259 | 33.2% | 38.8% | 114,000 |
| 2010 | 3,226 | 34.0% | 40.7% | 112,900 |
| 2009 | 3,331 | 34.8% | 41.8% | 113,400 |
| 2008 | 5,017 | 36.1% | 42.9% | 123,000 |
| 2007 | 5,774 | 36.7% | 42.7% | 117,900 |
| 2006 | 4,403 | 39.3% | 43.0% | 117,100 |
| 2005 | 2,832 | 39.0% | 42.4% | 114,200 |
Advisories to look for in a Saab 9-3's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the Saab 9-3, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge269.7
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened187.0
- Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened157.0
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing139.7
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive137.6
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement98.1
Checking a used Saab 9-3 before you buy
The Saab 9-3 has no part of the car that fails well above average for its age, so check the areas that fail most often overall.
Suspension
Drive over speed bumps with the radio off and listen for knocks. Look at the car side on: a corner sitting lower than the others often means a broken coil spring.
Lights and electrics
Walk round the car with every light on: headlights on dip and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and the number plate lamp. A pattern of electrical faults costs more than a bulb.
Brakes
Look through the wheel spokes at the discs for a deep lip or scoring, check the handbrake holds the car on a slope, and feel for a pull to one side when braking hard.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Fuel mix of the Saab 9-3 cars tested: Diesel 51%, Petrol 49%. Average age at test 17.2 years, average recorded mileage 116,600.
Saab 9-3 MOT questions
What is the Saab 9-3 MOT failure rate?
36.3% of Saab 9-3 cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 27,048 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 42.0% of the time, so the Saab 9-3 was 14% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Saab 9-3 MOT?
Suspension caused the most failure items, at 240 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Coil spring: fractured or broken", recorded 75.4 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Saab 9-3 year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2009 registrations did best: 34.8% failed against an average of 41.8% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular Saab 9-3 will pass?
No. These are averages across every Saab 9-3 tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Ranked close to the Saab 9-3
- Volvo V70rank 70
- Mercedes-Benz GLArank 71
- Toyota Corollarank 72
- Skoda Yetirank 74
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many Saab 9-3 cars of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.