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2007 Saab 9-5: MOT fail rate and common problems

DVSA MOT tests 2022–2025 · 3,719 MOT tests · Updated

33.8% of 2007 Saab 9-5 cars failed their MOT at 17 years; measured against vehicles the same age and test year, about the same as the 2006 and 2008 cars (3,719 MOT tests) [1].

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  • −6.2 to −8.9 points: the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 15 to 17 years, 3,719 MOT tests
  • Over 150,000 miles: 41.6% of Saab 9-5 cars first used 2005–2008 failed at 17 years, against 36.7% at 90,000 to 120,000 miles, 2,314 MOT tests
  • At 17 years (tested 2024): 33.8% failed, against 42.7% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 17 years in 2024, 1,035 MOT tests

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

Figures are for 2007 Saab 9-5 cars as a group, not for one car.

Fail rate at 17 years (2024)
33.8%
vs 42.7% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 17 years in 2024
1,035 MOT tests
Gap to all class 4, same age and year
−6.8 pts
over ages 15–17: −8.9 to −5.8 pts
3,719 MOT tests
Against the 2006 and 2008 cars
+0.3 pts
95% range −3.5 to +4.1 pts, same ages, each against its own test year
3,719 MOT tests
MOT tests of 2007 cars
3,719
tested 2022–2024, 3 ages with 1,000+ tests
3,719 MOT tests

About the same as the 2006 and 2008 cars: +0.3 points at the same ages (15–17), each year against all class 4 vehicles the same age tested in its own year; 95% range −3.5 to +4.1, from 3,719 MOT tests of 2007 cars and 3,755 of the 2006 and 2008 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. 2007: −6.8 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 tests20052006: −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 tests2007−6.82008: −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.

2007 Saab 9-5 fail rate at each MOT

From 2022 to 2024, as these cars went from 15 to 17 years old, the fail rate went from 36.2% to 33.8%, and the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year from −6.2 to −8.9 points. The widest gap was at 17 years (−8.9 points, 1,035 MOT tests).

Test yearAgeFail rate95% rangeMOT testsAll class 4, same age and yearGap
202215 years36.2%33.8%–38.7%1,46442.4%−6.2 pts
202316 years36.8%34.1%–39.5%1,22042.6%−5.8 pts
202417 years33.8%31.0%–36.8%1,03542.7%−8.9 pts

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

2007 against the 2006 and 2008 cars, age by age

Age2007Years either side
15 years36.2% 1,464 MOT tests, tested 20222008: 35.0% (1,049, tested 2023)
16 years36.8% 1,220 MOT tests, tested 20232006: 36.7% (1,465, tested 2022)
17 years33.8% 1,035 MOT tests, tested 20242006: 36.2% (1,241, tested 2023)

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 17 years

All Saab 9-5 MOTs at 17 years, cars first used 2005–2008 (4,383 MOT tests; DVSA item counts are not split by first-use year). The most common fail items: side/position light not working (5.0 per 100 MOT tests, a wear item), engine warning lamp at the petrol emissions check: not working or showing a fault (4.2 per 100 MOT tests) and headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect (3.3 per 100 MOT tests, a wear item).

No item fails at a clearly different rate from all class 4 vehicles the same age across 3 or more ages.

Mileage and the fail rate at 17 years

Saab 9-5 cars first used 2005–2008 at over 150,000 miles failed 41.6% of MOTs at 17 years (1,092 MOT tests), against 36.7% at 90,000 to 120,000 miles (1,222 MOT tests). All class 4 vehicles: 46.5% and 46.2%.

Road tax for a 2007 Saab 9-5

The Vehicle Certification Agency lists 36 petrol and diesel versions of the Saab 9-5 in its data from May 2006 to May 2008, 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 6 bands from H to M: from £325 to £790 a year at the 2026/27 rates [2].

2007 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£445204–225151
L£760226–255150
M£79025820

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 2007 car

Car tax and ULEZ for a 2007 car

A car first registered in the UK in 2007 was issued a 56 (January–February), 07 (March–August) or 57 (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. 07 plates

A 2007 car is taxed by its CO2 emissions band (A to M), shown on the V5C logbook. [2]

For the London ULEZ, a 2007 petrol usually meets Euro 4, and a 2007 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 2007

Questions people ask

What is the MOT fail rate of a 2007 Saab 9-5?

33.8% at 17 years (tested 2024), from 1,035 MOT tests, against 42.7% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 17 years in 2024.

Does the 2007 Saab 9-5 fail more MOTs than the 2006 and 2008?

0.3 percentage points apart at the same ages (15–17), each against all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 3,719 MOT tests (95% range −3.5 to +4.1), so about the same.

At what ages were 2007 Saab 9-5 cars MOT tested in the data?

3 ages with at least 1,000 MOT tests: 15–17 years, tested 2022–2024, 3,719 MOT tests in all.

What fails most on a Saab 9-5 at 17 years?

5.0 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 (4.2 in 100). From 4,383 MOT tests of Saab 9-5 cars first used 2005–2008, not only 2007.

Sources

  1. Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2022 to 2025. DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, 3,719 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 17 years are compared with every class 4 vehicle tested at 17 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