Car statistics
Saab 9-5 Aero statistics
How many Saab 9-5 Aeros are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, and how the Aero compares with other versions of the Saab 9-5. Built from DVLA licensing records, with MOT results for the Saab 9-5.
- Licensed in Great Britain 1,370 −11.7% on a year earlier
- Declared SORN 1,195 Off the road, not taxed
- Still registered 32.7% Other Saab 9-5 versions 14.3%
- Peak year 2007 8,609 licensed
- Share of Saab 9-5s 25.9% of those licensed or SORN
- Declared off the road 46.6% of those still registered are SORN
How many Saab 9-5 Aeros are left in Great Britain?
There were 1,370 Saab 9-5 Aeros licensed in Great Britain at the end of June 2026, and a further 1,195 declared off the road (SORN). The licensed count is 84.1% lower than its peak of 8,609 in 2007.
Saab 9-5 Aeros licensed and SORN in Great Britain
This data records SORN from 2007, so the SORN line starts there.
| Year | Licensed | Declared SORN |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 338 | – |
| 2000 | 1,623 | – |
| 2001 | 2,665 | – |
| 2002 | 4,499 | – |
| 2003 | 5,650 | – |
| 2004 | 6,579 | – |
| 2005 | 7,446 | – |
| 2006 | 8,141 | – |
| 2007 | 8,609 | 104 |
| 2008 | 8,604 | 143 |
| 2009 | 8,551 | 130 |
| 2010 | 8,280 | 207 |
| 2011 | 7,875 | 255 |
| 2012 | 7,388 | 310 |
| 2013 | 6,847 | 377 |
| 2014 | 6,228 | 456 |
| 2015 | 5,582 | 628 |
| 2016 | 4,979 | 792 |
| 2017 | 4,387 | 882 |
| 2018 | 3,812 | 963 |
| 2019 | 3,300 | 1,038 |
| 2020 | 2,850 | 1,131 |
| 2021 | 2,504 | 1,132 |
| 2022 | 2,218 | 1,138 |
| 2023 | 1,915 | 1,186 |
| 2024 | 1,660 | 1,161 |
| 2025 | 1,461 | 1,184 |
| 2026 | 1,370 | 1,195 |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Fuel type
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
How many Saab 9-5 Aeros have survived?
32.7% of the Saab 9-5 Aeros first registered since 2001 are still registered, licensed or SORN. For other versions of the Saab 9-5 first registered in the same years, the figure is 14.3%, so Saab 9-5 Aeros are 2.3 times as likely to have survived.
Share still registered (licensed or SORN)
Compared with 4 other versions of the Saab 9-5 first registered in the same years.
| Version | Share still registered |
|---|---|
| Saab 9-5 Aero | 32.7% |
| Other Saab 9-5 versions of the same age | 14.3% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Saab 9-5 Aero registrations over time
Registrations of Saab 9-5 Aeros for the first time in Great Britain peaked at 1,833 in 2002. In 2025, 0 were registered.
Registered for the first time, by year
| Year | First registrations |
|---|---|
| ’01 | 1,111 |
| ’02 | 1,833 |
| ’03 | 1,312 |
| ’04 | 979 |
| ’05 | 904 |
| ’06 | 838 |
| ’07 | 618 |
| ’08 | 213 |
| ’09 | 5 |
| ’10 | 1 |
| ’11 | 8 |
| ’12 | 5 |
| ’13 | 3 |
| ’14 | 1 |
| ’15 | 3 |
| ’16 | 0 |
| ’17 | 2 |
| ’18 | 0 |
| ’19 | 1 |
| ’20 | 1 |
| ’21 | 1 |
| ’22 | 0 |
| ’23 | 1 |
| ’24 | 2 |
| ’25 | 0 |
Source:DfT / DVLA 2001 to 2025 Updated
Saab 9-5 Aero engine sizes and fuel types
Of the 1,480 Saab 9-5 Aeros licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 99.8% have an engine of 2,201cc to 2,300cc.
Engine sizes, end of 2025
DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.
| Engine size | Share of those licensed |
|---|---|
| 2,201cc to 2,300cc 1,477 licensed | 99.8% |
| Other sizes 3 licensed | 0.2% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2014 to end of 2025 Updated
Fuel type, 2014 to 2025
Share of those licensed at the end of each year.
| Year | Petrol | Other |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 98.9% | 1.0% |
| 2015 | 98.8% | 1.1% |
| 2016 | 98.9% | 1.1% |
| 2017 | 98.9% | 1.1% |
| 2018 | 98.9% | 1.1% |
| 2019 | 99.0% | 1.0% |
| 2020 | 99.0% | 0.9% |
| 2021 | 99.2% | 0.8% |
| 2022 | 99.1% | 0.8% |
| 2023 | 99.1% | 0.9% |
| 2024 | 99.2% | 0.7% |
| 2025 | 99.1% | 0.8% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2014 to end of 2025 Updated
United Kingdom figures from DfT table VEH0220 (licensed cars at the end of each year, SORN excluded), so they differ slightly from the Great Britain counts elsewhere on this page. This covers cars DVLA records under this version’s name only; the Saab 9-5 page covers every version. How we use engine sizes.
Saab 9-5 MOT reliability
In 2025, 65.6% of Saab 9-5 MOT tests were passed first time, against 72.8% for all cars. Cars of the same ages pass 59.6% of the time, so the Saab 9-5 does better than average for its age, by 6.0 points.
DVSA's MOT results name the model, not the version, so these figures cover all Saab 9-5s tested, the Aero among them. For the full breakdown, including defects in detail and results year by year, see the Saab 9-5 page.
MOT first-time pass rate by age: Saab 9-5 vs all cars
Each bar pair covers cars of the same age, so an older fleet does not count against the model.
| Vehicle age | Saab 9-5 | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| 15–19 years | 66.3% | 58.0% |
| 20+ years | 63.8% | 61.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Most common MOT failure categories
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the most common reason a Saab 9-5 fails. A failed test can have defects in more than one category.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 47.6% |
| Suspension | 34.3% |
| Brakes | 29.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 20.6% |
| Tyres | 18.7% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 15.3% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Other versions of the Saab 9-5
Versions of the Saab 9-5 with their own page. The Saab 9-5 page covers all 5,405 licensed, whatever the version.
| Version | Licensed | SORN | Still registered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saab 9-5 Aero | 1,370 | 1,195 | 32.7% |
| Saab 9-5 Vector Sport | 277 | 120 | 29.1% |
| Saab 9-5 Aero AN Hot | 144 | 50 | 54.0% |
| Saab 9-5 Aero TURBO4 | 85 | 18 | 85.1% |
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed and SORN counts | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of June 2026 | 2,565 Saab 9-5 Aero records (licensed and SORN) | 2 October 2026 |
| MOT results (whole model) | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 6,813 MOT tests | 15 September 2026 |
| Registered for the first time | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | 2001 to 2025 | – | 2 October 2026 |
- Figures cover Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland is not included.
- Licensed counts are vehicles with a current tax or exemption at the end of each year (or the latest quarter). SORN counts are shown separately, from 2007.
- This version groups DVLA’s detailed model names “9-5 AERO”, “9-5 AERO AUTO”, “9-5 AERO S-A”. Engine size, gearbox, number of doors and fuel are ignored, so every engine and gearbox counts together.
- Survival compares the number still registered (licensed or SORN) with the number first registered since 2001. Other versions are those of the same model with the same average year of first registration.
- First registrations count vehicles registered in Great Britain for the first time, including used imports.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.