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2005 Saab 9-5: MOT fail rate and common problems

DVSA MOT tests 2022–2025 · 2,440 MOT tests · Updated

36.6% of 2005 Saab 9-5 cars failed their MOT at 18 years; measured against vehicles the same age and test year, about the same as the 2004 and 2006 cars (2,440 MOT tests) [1].

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  • −2.7 to −6.7 points: the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 17 to 18 years, 2,440 MOT tests
  • Engine warning lamp at the petrol emissions check: not working or showing a fault: fails 1.6–2.2× as often as all class 4 vehicles the same age at 18 years, 4,080 MOT tests of Saab 9-5 cars first used 2004–2007
  • Over 150,000 miles: 40.7% of Saab 9-5 cars first used 2004–2007 failed at 18 years, against 34.7% at 90,000 to 120,000 miles, 2,209 MOT tests

Engine, fuel and mileage decide where one vehicle sits within these figures. Check the reg first.

Figures are for 2005 Saab 9-5 cars as a group, not for one car.

Fail rate at 18 years (2023)
36.6%
vs 43.3% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 18 years in 2023
1,111 MOT tests
Gap to all class 4, same age and year
−4.5 pts
over ages 17–18: −6.7 to −2.7 pts
2,440 MOT tests
Against the 2004 and 2006 cars
+1.9 pts
95% range −2.0 to +5.8 pts, same ages, each against its own test year
2,440 MOT tests
MOT tests of 2005 cars
2,440
tested 2022–2023, 2 ages with 1,000+ tests
2,440 MOT tests

About the same as the 2004 and 2006 cars: +1.9 points at the same ages (17–18), each year against all class 4 vehicles the same age tested in its own year; 95% range −2.0 to +5.8, from 2,440 MOT tests of 2005 cars and 2,340 of the 2004 and 2006 cars. Not adjusted for mileage.

Every Saab 9-5 year against all class 4 vehicles the same age

Saab 9-5 first-use years against all class 4 vehicles the same ageEach first-use year of the Saab 9-5 as percentage points above or below all class 4 vehicles the same age, averaged over the ages it was tested at, with 95% intervals. 2005: −4.5 pts. 2004: −5.4 pts (−8.3 to −2.5) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 18, 1,099 MOT tests20042005: −4.5 pts (−6.4 to −2.6) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 17–18, 2,440 MOT tests2005−4.52006: −7.0 pts (−8.8 to −5.2) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 16–17, 2,706 MOT tests20062007: −6.8 pts (−8.4 to −5.3) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 15–17, 3,719 MOT tests20072008: −7.7 pts (−9.7 to −5.7) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 14–15, 2,217 MOT tests2008 −9.70+9.7 pts
Percentage points above (right) or below (left) all class 4 vehicles the same age, tested in the same year, 2022 to 2025, each year averaged over the ages it was tested at. Lines show the 95% range.

2005 Saab 9-5 fail rate at each MOT

From 2022 to 2023, as these cars went from 17 to 18 years old, the fail rate went from 41.2% to 36.6%, and the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year from −2.7 to −6.7 points. The widest gap was at 18 years (−6.7 points, 1,111 MOT tests).

Test yearAgeFail rate95% rangeMOT testsAll class 4, same age and yearGap
202217 years41.2%38.6%–43.9%1,32943.9%−2.7 pts
202318 years36.6%33.9%–39.5%1,11143.3%−6.7 pts

All class 4: every class 4 vehicle (cars and light vans) tested at that age in the same test year.

2005 against the 2004 and 2006 cars, age by age

Age2005Years either side
17 years41.2% 1,329 MOT tests, tested 20222006: 36.2% (1,241, tested 2023)
18 years36.6% 1,111 MOT tests, tested 20232004: 39.0% (1,099, tested 2022)

Each year was tested in a different calendar year; the verdict compares each against all class 4 vehicles the same age tested in its own year.

What fails on a Saab 9-5 at 18 years

All Saab 9-5 MOTs at 18 years, cars first used 2004–2007 (4,080 MOT tests; DVSA item counts are not split by first-use year). The most common fail items: side/position light not working (5.1 per 100 MOT tests, a wear item), engine warning lamp at the petrol emissions check: not working or showing a fault (4.7 per 100 MOT tests) and headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect (3.6 per 100 MOT tests, a wear item).

Engine warning lamp at the petrol emissions check: not working or showing a fault: fails 1.6–2.2× as often as all class 4 vehicles the same age, across at least 3 ages.

Mileage and the fail rate at 18 years

Saab 9-5 cars first used 2004–2007 at over 150,000 miles failed 40.7% of MOTs at 18 years (1,167 MOT tests), against 34.7% at 90,000 to 120,000 miles (1,042 MOT tests). All class 4 vehicles: 46.8% and 46.3%.

Road tax for a 2005 Saab 9-5

The Vehicle Certification Agency lists 27 petrol and diesel versions of the Saab 9-5 in its data from May 2004 to May 2006, from 174 to 258 g/km CO2 [3]. A car first registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 is taxed by CO2 band, so that is 4 bands from H to K: from £325 to £445 a year at the 2026/27 rates [2].

2005 Saab 9-5: CO2 bands of the listed versions, 2026/27 rates
Band12 monthsCO2 g/kmPetrol versionsDiesel versions
H£32517401
I£36018401
J£41019901
K£445204–258231

Versions listed, not cars sold: this does not say how common each band is. The CO2 figure on the car's V5C log book decides its band. Car tax calculator for a 2005 car

Car tax and ULEZ for a 2005 car

A car first registered in the UK in 2005 was issued a 54 (January–February), 05 (March–August) or 55 (September–December) plate, unless it was registered in Northern Ireland (no age identifier) or has since moved to a private plate. An imported one is plated when first registered here, so its plate can be newer than its first-use year. 05 plates

A 2005 car is taxed by its CO2 emissions band (A to M), shown on the V5C logbook. [2]

For the London ULEZ, a 2005 petrol may or may not meet Euro 4, and a 2005 diesel usually does not meet Euro 6. The Euro standard of the car decides, not the year alone. [4] ULEZ checker

Buying a Saab 9-5? Check that exact car before the viewing.

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  • Model risks for this year and fuel
  • What similar cars did at their next MOT
  • Repairs ahead
  • Viewing checklist

See a sample report

Other Saab 9-5 years

  • 2004
  • 2005
  • 2006
  • 2007
  • 2008

Every Saab 9-5 first-use year

Other Saab models first used in 2005

Questions people ask

What is the MOT fail rate of a 2005 Saab 9-5?

36.6% at 18 years (tested 2023), from 1,111 MOT tests, against 43.3% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 18 years in 2023.

Does the 2005 Saab 9-5 fail more MOTs than the 2004 and 2006?

1.9 percentage points apart at the same ages (17–18), each against all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 2,440 MOT tests (95% range −2.0 to +5.8), so about the same.

At what ages were 2005 Saab 9-5 cars MOT tested in the data?

2 ages with at least 1,000 MOT tests: 17–18 years, tested 2022–2023, 2,440 MOT tests in all.

What fails most on a Saab 9-5 at 18 years?

5.1 in 100 MOT tests failed on side/position light not working, the most common fail item (a wear item); the most common non-wear item was engine warning lamp at the petrol emissions check: not working or showing a fault (4.7 in 100). From 4,080 MOT tests of Saab 9-5 cars first used 2004–2007, not only 2005.

Sources

  1. Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2022 to 2025. DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, 2,440 MOT tests. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.
  2. GOV.UK, Vehicle tax rates. Rules, not drawn from the MOT data.
  3. Vehicle Certification Agency, Car fuel and emissions data. VCA data, Open Government Licence v3.0.
  4. Transport for London, Ultra Low Emission Zone. Rules, not drawn from the MOT data.

Cars tested at 18 years are compared with every class 4 vehicle tested at 18 years in the same test year. These rates are not adjusted for mileage. Breakdowns and non-MOT faults are not in this data. How we compare