63.4%
Saab 900
Saab 900 MOT pass rate and common problems
The Saab 900 passed 63.4% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 8.9 percentage points below the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the 900 compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
64%
Saab average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The 900 runs 0.5 points behind the Saab average. It is 3rd of the 3 Saab models in the data. The average 900 arrived at its test 32.8 years old with 131,009 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
900 MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 years and over | 2,116 | 63.4% | 8.9 pts below |
Every Saab 900 tested in 2025 was aged 11 years and over, so there is no other age group to compare with. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where 900 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Saab 900 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes together account for 46.1% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common 900 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Saab 900 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 34% of everything testers recorded against failed Saab 900 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a 900
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: side repeaters not working, headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect and position lamp not working. 8.8% of failure items.
2
Suspension
Recorded most often: component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength. 8% of failure items.
3
Brakes
Recorded most often: rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements and service brake performance excessively binding. 6.6% of failure items.
4
Visibility
Recorded most often: wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively and washers not working. 5.7% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific 900 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Saab 900 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Saab 900 MOT FAQs
What is the Saab 900 MOT pass rate?
63.4% of Saab 900 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 2,116 tests. That is 8.9 percentage points below the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 452nd of 575 models.
What does a Saab 900 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Saab 900 cars failing their 2025 MOT was component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength, on 8% of failure items. Next were rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (4.4%) and side repeaters not working (3.4%).
Which area causes the most Saab 900 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 25.3%, followed by brakes at 20.8%.
Does this mean every Saab 900 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Saab 900 that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific Saab 900's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.