Saab 9-3: which years to avoid

Based on 39,100 real MOT tests from DVSA records. Each year is compared against every other car first registered the same year — otherwise the numbers would only tell you that older cars fail more, which you knew.

The short answer

No model year stands out as one to avoid. Every year sits within 15% of the failure rate for cars of the same age.

Found a Saab 9-3 you like?

Averages tell you what to expect. Its registration tells you what actually happened — every MOT, every advisory, and whether the mileage adds up.

Every 9-3 model year

Shaded rows are the years that differ most from other cars of the same age — worse, better.

MOT failure rate by registration year for the Saab 9-3
Registered	MOT tests	Fail rate	vs same-age cars
2003	1,167	33.2%	about average
2004	2,704	33.7%	about average
2005	4,154	35.4%	about average
2006	6,523	35.8%	about average
2007	8,002	33.3%	about average
2008	6,706	31.9%	about average
2009	4,010	29.6%	about average
2010	3,501	29.3%	about average
2011	2,333	30.8%	about average

How this is worked out

Every MOT test recorded by DVSA in 2023 on a Saab 9-3, grouped by the year the car was first registered. Retests are excluded, so a car that failed and was fixed still counts as a failure. Each year's rate is then divided by the rate for all cars first registered that year — so 120 means 20% more failures than its contemporaries, not 20% more than a brand new car.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.