At a glance
How 4,841 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 64 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 36 in every 1001,765 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 17 yearsabout 120,723 miles
- First tests counted
- 4,841
What failed most often
- Coil spring (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
- Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)10 in every 100 failed tests
- Tyre condition (rear)7 in every 100 failed tests
How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.
These are patterns across 2008 Saab 9-3 vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.
Body and structure
Two faults. The strongest is the fuel system: 12 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 1,764 of 1,765 failed first attempts (99.9%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.
We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.
Fuel system
What it means
A fuel tank with a hole, or a split filler neck, from which fuel can leak must be failed for leaking even if the hole or split is above the fuel line. A leaking fuel system is Major, and graded Dangerous where it leaks excessively or there is a risk of fire. Any defective part of an LPG, CNG, LNG or hydrogen system is also graded Dangerous.
Exhaust system (front)
What it means
Exhaust fumes causing a danger to health of persons on board are graded Dangerous, and so is a silencer likely to become detached. Fumes entering the cabin are Major. One or more missing or defective mountings does not necessarily make the exhaust insecure, since testers assess the overall security of the system.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Noise, emissions and leaks
Two faults. The strongest is the diesel emissions test (pre-reg turbo rules before 01/07/2008): 3.3 times as often as on similar cars.
Diesel emissions test (pre-reg turbo rules before 01/07/2008)
Diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/07/2008)
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Suspension
Two faults. The strongest is the coil spring (rear): 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.
Coil spring (rear)
What it means
A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a coil spring. When the vehicle is jacked and lowered, a spring that does not correctly locate as the suspension returns to its normal running position is rejected as insecurely attached. A missing spring is Major, and graded Dangerous where directional control is affected.
Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)
What it means
Pins and bushes on suspension arms fail as Major when they are excessively worn. They are graded Dangerous when likely to become detached. DVSA uses the same wording for a suspension joint.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 108 first tests, 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
Brakes
One fault and one wear pattern. The strongest is the handbrake performance (roller test, rear): 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.
Handbrake performance (roller test, rear)
Brake pads (rear)
What it means
A pad worn down to its wear indicator, or contaminated with oil or grease, is Major. A pad worn below the set thickness limit, missing or incorrectly mounted is Dangerous. The manual treats an illuminated brake wear indicator as no reason for failure, although DVSA also lists an illuminated indicator as a Major row.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Advisories
Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.
An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.
Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (rear)
Other power steering components
Macpherson strut (front)
Anti-roll bar (rear)
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
MOT pass rates
How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.
- Passed first time
- 64in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 4in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 32in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 63.5% of 4,841 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 68.4%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 4 fixed and the 32 not fixed make the 36 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
Petrol and diesel
Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.
Same model, other years
Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.
Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 65 in every 100 passed first time.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 65 in every 100 | 454 |
| 2000 | 65 in every 100 | 568 |
| 2001 | 65 in every 100 | 608 |
| 2002 | 69 in every 100 | 679 |
| 2003 | 63 in every 100 | 746 |
| 2004 | 58 in every 100 | 1,777 |
| 2005 | 61 in every 100 | 2,719 |
| 2006 | 60 in every 100 | 4,231 |
| 2007 | 63 in every 100 | 5,547 |
| 2008 This car | 64 in every 100 | 4,841 |
| 2009 | 64 in every 100 | 3,192 |
| 2010 | 66 in every 100 | 3,100 |
| 2011 | 66 in every 100 | 2,179 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage matters most on a 2008 Saab 9-3.
Of 2008 Saab 9-3 vehicles with under 87,000 miles, 72 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 156,000 miles or more, 59 in every 100 did.
Petrol or diesel?
| Typical mileage | Passed first time, as tested | Passed first time, same mileage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 131,759 miles | 61 | 62 |
| Petrol | 104,725 miles | 67 | 65 |
Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 131,759 against 104,725). At the same mileage there is no clear difference between the two.
What to check at your mileage
How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.
| Under 87,000 | 110,000–131,000 | 156,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coil spring (front) | 4.2 | 3.5 | 4.1 |
| Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) | 1.4 | 3.5 | 6.0 |
| Tyre condition (rear) | 2.9 | 2.0 | 2.4 |
| Brake pads (rear) | 0.9 | 2.4 | 3.0 |
| Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front) | 2.7 | 1.6 | 1.1 |
Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.
When a car fails
of failed cars had one item to fix.
of failed cars had three or more items to fix.
of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).
Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.
FAQs
Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.
About this data
How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.
These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.
What we include
UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.
Same-day repairs
PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.
How we compare
We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.
What this does not cover
- MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
- Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
- Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
- If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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