Saab 9-5 MOT pass rate and common failures
In 2025, 65.6% of Saab 9-5 MOT tests were a first-time pass, across 6,787 tests in Great Britain. For all cars it was 71.5%.
Compared with cars of the same age
Older cars fail more often, so a model that’s mostly a few years old will look better than one that’s mostly 12. These figures compare like with like.
At 3–5 years
–
Too few tests at this age to say.
At 6–10 years
–
Too few tests at this age to say.
At 11 years and over
65.6%
All cars: 61.3% (4.3 points better). 6,774 tests.
Pass rate by age
Figures by age, with typical mileage
| Age (years) | Tests | First-time pass | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 137 | 75.9% | 62.1% | 96,250 miles |
| 14 | 524 | 71.2% | 60.2% | 108,750 miles |
| 15 | 588 | 69.6% | 58.6% | 113,750 miles |
| 16 | 628 | 68.8% | 57.5% | 118,750 miles |
| 17 | 850 | 66.1% | 57.2% | 123,750 miles |
| 18 | 808 | 62.3% | 57.0% | 131,250 miles |
| 19 | 774 | 63.3% | 57.2% | 123,750 miles |
| 20+ | 2,465 | 63.7% | 61.4% | 126,250 miles |
Typical mileage is the median reading at the test, to the nearest 2,500 miles.
What fails most often
The share of Saab 9-5 MOT tests that failed on at least one item in each area, against all cars. A test can fail on several areas at once.
| Area | 9-5 | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 25.6% | 16.6% |
| Suspension | 18.6% | 13.7% |
| Brakes | 17.1% | 10.2% |
| Tyres | 9.0% | 8.4% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 8.7% | 4.0% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 6.6% | 4.2% |
| Visibility | 4.9% | 5.2% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 2.6% | 1.1% |
Most common reasons for failing
- Position lamp: not working failed 6.4% of tests · what this means
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction failed 3.9% of tests · what this means
- Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn failed 3.9% of tests · what this means
- Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength failed 3.1% of tests
- Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect failed 3.0% of tests · what this means
- Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements failed 2.9% of tests
- Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm failed 2.5% of tests
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively failed 2.4% of tests · what this means
- Condition: has ply or cords exposed failed 2.3% of tests
- Ball joint excessively worn failed 2.0% of tests · what this means
Checking a particular 9-5?
See its own MOT history, mileage record and advisories in plain English. Free, no sign-up.
About these figures
- They cover every 9-5 version DVSA records under this name (engines, trims and generations together), on its first MOT test of each visit. A “pass with rectification” (fixed within an hour) counts as a fail, as in DVSA’s own statistics.
- Cars under three years old are left out, because the few tested that young are mostly taxis.
- Fuel mix of the cars tested: petrol 70.0%, diesel 29.9%, liquefied petrolum gas (lpg) 0.1%.
- A pass rate describes the model, not any one car. How a car has been looked after matters more.
Download these figures (CSV) · Other Saab models · All makes
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data for 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Our own analysis; not produced or endorsed by DVSA.