MOT fail rates by first-use year

2011 Saab 9-3 MOT fail rate and common faults

How Saab 9-3 cars first used in 2011 did at their MOTs from 2022 to 2025, against all cars of the same age. From 10,025 DVSA MOT tests of these cars. First use is usually the date the car was first registered.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 14 years, tested in 2025

MOT fail rate at age 14 (n=2,276)33.0%

All cars at 14 years (n=6,054,526)40.3%

Difference−7.3 pts

MOT tests of 2011 cars, 2022 to 202510,025

What stands out

In 2025, at 14 years old, Saab 9-3 cars first used in 2011 failed 33.0% of MOTs (2,276 tests), 7.3 points below the 40.3% for all cars that age.
From 2022 to 2025, as these cars went from 11 to 14 years old, the fail rate moved from 33.7% to 33.0%.
Saab 9-3 cars first used a year earlier, in 2010, failed 32.3% at the same age of 14 years (3,550 tests, in 2024).
The most common fail item that is not a wear item, for the Saab 9-3 at 14 years, is coil spring broken, at 8.3 per 100 MOTs (all cars: 4.2).

MOT fail rate by test year

Saab 9-3 cars first used in 2011: share of MOT tests that failed, by test year, against all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Test year	Age	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars	Difference
2022	11 years	33.7%	2,683	33.3%	+0.5 pts
2023	12 years	33.3%	2,610	36.0%	−2.7 pts
2024	13 years	32.5%	2,456	38.3%	−5.8 pts
2025	14 years	33.0%	2,276	40.3%	−7.3 pts

Most common faults at 14 years

These figures cover all Saab 9-3 MOTs at 14 years: cars first used 2008 to 2011, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=17,915). The list uses every first-use year so it has enough tests. Wear items (tyres, brake pads, wipers, bulbs) say more about upkeep than about the design.

MOT fail items

Fail item	Per 100 MOTs	All cars
Coil spring broken	8.3	4.2
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Wear	2.5	3.1
Brake pads under 1.5 mm Wear	2.3	2.1
Service brake performance: excessively binding	1.9	1.3
Anti-roll bar link worn	1.9	1.5
Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases	1.9	1.4
Handbrake too weak	1.8	2.0
Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt	1.7	1.5
Wipers not clearing screen Wear	1.6	2.3
On or after 01/07/2008: emissions exceed manufacturer's specified limit	1.4	0.4

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=17,915). A test with two items counts once for each.

Advisories

Advisory	Per 100 MOTs	All cars
Tyre tread close to the legal limit or worn on the edge Wear	17.1	18.4
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	11.8	11.0
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive	8.1	8.5
Brake pads wearing thin Wear	7.9	7.2
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing Wear	7.6	9.3
Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened	7.3	4.5
Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases	5.9	3.7
Coil spring: corroded	5.0	6.4
Suspension pin or bush worn, without excessive movement	4.1	8.4
Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Wear	4.1	3.8

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=17,915). A test with two items counts once for each.

Fuel type at 14 years

These figures cover all Saab 9-3 MOTs at 14 years: cars first used 2008 to 2011, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=17,915). Each fuel is set against all cars of the same fuel and age. Fuels with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

Fuel	Share of tests	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars, same fuel	Median mileage
Diesel	72.5%	36.1%	12,978	40.8%	120,371 miles
Petrol	27.5%	29.4%	4,928	40.0%	90,523 miles

Fail rate by mileage at 14 years

These figures cover all Saab 9-3 MOTs at 14 years: cars first used 2008 to 2011, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=17,915). At 14 years, Saab 9-3 cars at over 150,000 miles failed more often (40.0%, n=3,431) than those at 30,000 to 60,000 miles (24.6%, n=1,396). Bands with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

Mileage at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
30,000 to 60,000 miles	24.6%	1,396	30.5%
60,000 to 90,000 miles	28.1%	3,630	39.5%
90,000 to 120,000 miles	35.0%	5,015	44.0%
120,000 to 150,000 miles	39.1%	4,114	44.8%
Over 150,000 miles	40.0%	3,431	44.3%

Car tax rules for a 2011 car

Cars first registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 are taxed by CO2 emissions band, from band A (the lowest emissions) to band M. The band is set by the CO2 figure on the V5C logbook.

These are the rules, not the amount for a specific car. Car tax check

ULEZ and clean air zones

Petrol cars first registered from 2006 usually meet Euro 4, the petrol standard for the London ULEZ, so they usually do not pay the daily charge.
Diesel cars first registered before September 2015 usually do not meet Euro 6, so a 2011 diesel usually pays the ULEZ daily charge. A few models met Euro 6 early.
The clean air zones in Birmingham and Bristol use the same Euro 4 petrol and Euro 6 diesel standards. The low emission zones in Scotland use them too, but enforce them with fines, not a daily charge.

The Euro standard of the car decides, not the year alone. ULEZ checker

Other years of the Saab 9-3

2010 Saab 9-3

More on the Saab 9-3

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

Found one you might buy? Vet the specific car.

These figures describe 2011 Saab 9-3 cars as a group, not any one car. The VetTheCar Buying Report looks at the car you are buying: its MOT history, what similar cars did next, and what to ask the seller.

See an example Buying Report All car tools

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources

Car tax and clean air zone rules are summarised from GOV.UK and Transport for London guidance. They are general rules and are not drawn from the MOT data.