Saab 900 MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Saab 900 took 2,546 MOT tests in Britain and passed 63% of them first time, below the national average of 71% for all cars. The figures below come from the DVSA's record of every test, so they show what testers actually found on these cars rather than what owners report.
- MOT tests in 2023
- 2,546
- First-time pass rate
- 63%
- All cars
- 71%
What the 900 fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Lights and electrics17.0% (all cars 11.3%)
- Brakes13.6% (all cars 6.8%)
- Suspension10.2% (all cars 9.0%)
- Body and structure9.3% (all cars 3.5%)
- Visibility8.0% (all cars 4.8%)
- Exhaust and emissions7.6% (all cars 3.1%)
- Steering3.8% (all cars 1.8%)
- Tyres3.6% (all cars 6.4%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength 6.1%
- Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements 4.8%
- Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases 3.2%
- Position lamp: not working 3.0%
- Side repeaters: not working 2.9%
- Washers: not working 2.8%
- Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 2.7%
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 2.7%
Most common advisories
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 21.5%
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 9.2%
- Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases 8.9%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 8.9%
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 7.7%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 6.5%
- Coil spring: corroded 5.1%
- Flexible brake hoses: has slight corrosion to ferrule 5.0%
Pass rate by year of registration
Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.
| First registered | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 389 | 65% |
| 1993 | 425 | 62% |
| 1997 | 327 | 61% |
Check a particular 900
Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.
Other Saab models
Source: Department for Transport, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023, cars and light vans, normal tests only. Pass rates are first-time passes; a pass after repair at the test station counts as a fail. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.