2025 MOT results
Saab 9-3 common problems
The most common reason a Saab 9-3 fails its MOT is a broken coil spring, on 16.8% of its 11,798 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 2 faults stand out: a broken coil spring at 16.8% of failures against 8.6% expected; worn brake pads at 6.6% of failures against 4.3% expected.
- Tests in 2025 32,421 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 36.4% 11,798 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 9.2% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 66.3% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Saab 9-3 MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Saab 9-3 tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 16.8% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 9.0% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 6.8% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 6.6% |
| Exhaust system: major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 6.2% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 6.0% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 5.8% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 5.5% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.1% |
| Service brake performance: excessively binding Brakes | 5.1% |
| Linkage ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 4.5% |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | 4.1% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Broken coil spring
16.8% of failures 8.6% expected 2 times as often
A broken suspension spring, which usually snaps in the bottom coil and often fails on both sides within a year.
Look at each corner for a sagging ride height, and listen for a knock over speed bumps.
-
Sidelight out
9.0% of failures 13.3% expected somewhat less often
A sidelight, also called a position lamp, not working. It marks the width of the car at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
-
Weak handbrake
6.8% of failures 6.2% expected about as expected
The handbrake cannot hold the car to the efficiency the test requires, usually from a stretched cable or seized rear callipers.
On a hill, the handbrake should hold the car with a couple of clicks left in the lever.
-
Worn brake pads
6.6% of failures 4.3% expected 1.5 times as often
Friction material worn under 1.5mm, thinner than the point most manufacturers call the limit.
Look through the wheel spokes at the pad against the disc; wear indicators squeal before they get this far.
-
Exhaust leak
6.2% of failures 4.3% expected somewhat more often
A hole or split letting exhaust gas out before the tailpipe.
A blowing or rasping note under load, loudest from cold.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
6.0% of failures 6.0% expected about as expected
Wiper blades that leave the windscreen smeared or streaked across the area the driver looks through.
Look for split or hardened rubber, and lift each blade to see whether it still sits flat.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Saab 9-3, on 42.1% of failed tests.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 42.1% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 36.4% |
| Brakes | 27.2% |
| Tyres | 17.6% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 16.6% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 15.9% |
| Visibility | 14.7% |
| Steering | 6.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
66.3% of Saab 9-3 tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Saab 9-3s, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 17.7% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 15.7% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 13.0% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 11.9% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 10.2% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 7.3% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 7.1% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 6.7% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 6.4% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 6.2% |
| Flexible brake hoses: slight corrosion to ferrule Brakes | 4.4% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 3.3% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Saab 9-3 gets older
A 2011 Saab 9-3 failed 33.2% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2005 one failed 39.0%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2011 Saab 9-3 33.2% failed, from 2,259 tests
- Broken coil spring 27.5%
- Sub-frame corroded and seriously weakened 6.9%
- Cut tyre 6.5%
- Exhaust leak 6.1%
- Weak handbrake 6.1%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 6.0%
2005 Saab 9-3 39.0% failed, from 2,839 tests
- Sidelight out 16.0%
- Headlamp aim out of line 12.3%
- Broken coil spring 11.8%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 8.0%
- Worn brake pads 7.2%
- Exhaust leak 6.5%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
Saab 9-3 problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Saab 9-3?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Coil spring: fractured or broken” is the most common: it appears on 16.8% of failed Saab 9-3 tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 42.1% of failed tests.
How often does a Saab 9-3 fail its MOT?
36.4% of Saab 9-3 tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 32,421 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 55 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Saab 9-3 than on other cars?
Yes. “Coil spring: fractured or broken” appears on 16.8% of its failures against 8.6% for cars of the same age, and “Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick” appears on 6.6% of its failures against 4.3% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Saab 9-3 aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 32,421 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.