Saab 9-5, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
5,514 Saab 9-5s are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 65.6% of initial MOT tests, 6.7 points below the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific 9-5? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Saab 9-5 at the MOT
65.6% of 6,787 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the 9-5 422nd of 575 models.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Where 9-5s fail
Share of all failure items recorded on Saab 9-5 tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were position lamp not working (6.5%), pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (4.1%) and malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction (4%).
The MOT page lists every common 9-5 MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The 9-5's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
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Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.27% of 9-5 failure items
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Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.19.5% of 9-5 failure items
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Brakes
Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing.18.2% of 9-5 failure items
Saab 9-5s in the UK
5,514 were licensed at the end of June 2026, the 2nd most of any Saab. The number licensed has fallen 83% since the end of 2014.
- Change since 2014
- −83%from 33,327 licensed
- Typical year of first use
- 2006half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2006 or earlier
- Declared off the road
- 4,75946% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed Saab 9-5s since 2014
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2014 | 33,327 |
| End of 2015 | 29,829 |
| End of 2016 | 26,337 |
| End of 2017 | 22,726 |
| End of 2018 | 19,184 |
| End of 2019 | 16,107 |
| End of 2020 | 13,662 |
| End of 2021 | 11,532 |
| End of 2022 | 9,826 |
| End of 2023 | 8,332 |
| End of 2024 | 6,987 |
| End of 2025 | 5,973 |
| End of June 2026 | 5,514 |
How old they are
Licensed Saab 9-5s by year of first use.
A further 6 were first used before 1998.
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 20 |
| 2011 | 273 |
| 2010 | 534 |
| 2009 | 524 |
| 2008 | 681 |
| 2007 | 744 |
| 2006 | 690 |
| 2005 | 671 |
| 2004 | 506 |
| 2003 | 325 |
| 2002 | 290 |
| 2001 | 214 |
| 2000 | 193 |
| 1999 | 138 |
| 1998 | 55 |
9-5 engines and fuel
2.3 litre engines made up 47% of Saab 9-5 MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.0 litre at 29%. Petrol accounts for 70% of licensed 9-5s and diesel for 29%.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 6,785 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Fuel type, licensed 9-5s
DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.
| Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 3,856 | 70% |
| Diesel | 1,603 | 29% |
| Hybrid electric | 1 | <0.1% |
| Other fuels | 54 | 1% |
Saab 9-5 recalls
4 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Saab 9-5. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every 9-5 is affected.
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Dec 2010 R/2010/214
Steering wheel airbag may not perform correctly in a collision
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- It has been identified that in the unlikely event of a collision where there is a need for the deployment of the driver airbag it is a possible that the drivers airbag module may separate form its mounting on the steering wheel horn plate.
- Remedy
- Recall all affected vehicles and replace the drivers airbag module.
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Jan 2009 R/2008/188
Fuel may leak - fire may occur
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Fuel may leak from the return hose because it is not to specification and will age/crack prematurely. In the worst case fire may occur.
- Remedy
- Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected to replace the fuel return hose.
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Jan 2003 R/2003/005
Detachable tow bar may become insecure
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Under certain conditions the detachable tow bar may work loose resulting in the tow bar becoming detached from the vehicle.
- Remedy
- Replace the tow ball and housing with a calibrated unit.
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Jul 2002 R/2002/093
Towball came adrift from towbar
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- A combination of internal and external forces caused the towball to prematurely detach itself from the towball housing resulting in separation of the trailer from the drawing unit.
- Remedy
- All towballs and housing will initially be modified and then replaced with calibrated units at a later date.
Other Saab models
The most-tested Saab models in 2025, against the 9-5's 65.6% MOT pass rate.
Saab 9-5 FAQs
How many Saab 9-5s are there in the UK?
5,514 Saab 9-5s were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 4,759 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the Saab 9-5 reliable?
MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 65.6% first-time pass rate for the Saab 9-5 across 6,787 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the Saab 9-5 had any recalls?
4 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Saab 9-5. The most recent was published in December 2010. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.
What should I check before buying a used Saab 9-5?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, suspension and brakes. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.
How do I check a Saab 9-5's history?
Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.
Already found a 9-5?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Saab history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to October 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.