Pass rate
73.5%
Below average — 1.3 pts ahead of the 72.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 8,501 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £26–£69
2004 Saab 9-3 MOT pass rate
- 2004
- 2 trims combined
- typical 111,518 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Suspension
25.5% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Which year to buy
- Best 2012 82.1% pass
- Avoid 2006 73.3% pass
Across the 13 years on record, a spread of 8.8 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 66.2%
- Typical mileage
- 112k mi
The 2004 Saab 9-3 MOT pass rate is 73.5% of its MOT tests — 1.3 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 25.5% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Emissions & leaks: 2.1× the national share
Emissions & leaks make up 11.7% of everything recorded on the 2004 Saab 9-3, against 5.5% nationally — 6.2 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 25.5%, but at 21.0% nationally that one is ordinary. A smoky diesel or a leaking joint fails on emissions more often than on wear, so ask for a recent emissions printout.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Saab 9-3? Get an email when these numbers change .
Every Saab 9-3 first registered in 2004 is combined here — 2 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.
How does the 2004 Saab 9-3 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.2%, so this figure is 1.3 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 66.2%. The median 2004 Saab 9-3 in this dataset had covered 111,518 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Petrol — 95% of tests, with a 73.7% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 73.3% of the time, April–September 73.7%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Headlamp lens slightly defective", noted on 4.96% of tests.
- 8,501 recorded tests behind this page.
- 73.5% overall pass rate, 66.2% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Saab 9-3, the average is 74.9% — best year 2012 (82.1%), worst 2006 (73.3%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 8,501
- Typical mileage (median)
- 111,518 mi
- Make and model
- Saab 9-3
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Headlight Bulb
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the 9-3 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 62% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (95% of tests).
Where the Saab 9-3 is most common
Across all 9-3 model years on record (2000–2012): 55,445 Saab 9-3 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 137,405 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 1,618 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.
| # | Postcode area | Cars | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham (B) | 1,618 | 80.1% |
| 2 | Norwich (NR) | 1,318 | 75.3% |
| 3 | Sheffield (S) | 1,195 | 83.2% |
| 4 | Peterborough (PE) | 1,152 | 73.8% |
| 5 | Bristol (BS) | 1,082 | 70.4% |
| 6 | Ashford (TN) | 1,048 | 75.6% |
| 7 | Reading (RG) | 985 | 79.0% |
| 8 | Portsmouth (PO) | 945 | 73.6% |
| 9 | Leicester (LE) | 935 | 78.0% |
| 10 | Nottingham (NG) | 883 | 72.5% |
| 11 | Guildford (GU) | 835 | 74.5% |
| 12 | Northampton (NN) | 833 | 73.8% |
| 13 | Ipswich (IP) | 814 | 73.4% |
| 14 | Derby (DE) | 803 | 75.3% |
| 15 | Gloucester (GL) | 794 | 71.8% |
| 16 | Edinburgh (EH) | 791 | 69.6% |
| 17 | Glasgow (G) | 773 | 75.4% |
| 18 | Cardiff (CF) | 730 | 70.7% |
| 19 | Southampton (SO) | 726 | 73.5% |
| 20 | Brighton (BN) | 722 | 72.9% |
The twenty areas with the most Saab 9-3 cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →
Regional pass rates for the 9-3
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 2,124 | 75.6% |
| South West | 1,199 | 67.3% |
| East of England | 1,113 | 74.9% |
| West Midlands | 680 | 75.6% |
| North West | 676 | 72.6% |
| East Midlands | 620 | 73.2% |
| London | 604 | 80.3% |
| Yorkshire | 501 | 74.7% |
| Scotland | 378 | 69.0% |
| Wales | 366 | 70.5% |
| North East | 236 | 69.9% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2004 9-3
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2004 9-3
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the lights 5.0% of tests
“headlamp lens slightly defective”
Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.
-
Check the windscreen 3.8% of tests
“windscreen damaged”
Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.
-
Check the coil springs 3.3% of tests
“coil spring fractured or broken”
Look up inside each wheel arch with a torch, all the way round the spring. A snapped spring usually breaks at the very bottom coil, where a quick glance will not reach.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2004 9-3 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £26–£69 — and 40% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £26–£69
- Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
- £5–£20
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 70%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 40%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 8,501 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the 9-3, side by side
13 model years on record, from 2000 to 2012. Across them the pass rate runs from 73.3% to 82.1% — a spread of 8.8 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 76.6% component mounting prescribed…
- 2001 75.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2002 76.5% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2003 74.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2004 73.5%headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2005 73.6% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2006 73.3% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2007 74.5% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2008 75.3% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2009 76.1% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2010 76.3% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2011 76.3% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2012 82.1% coil spring fractured or broken
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2004 Saab 9-3 with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2004 cars with a similar record
- Nissan Almera 73.5%
- Suzuki Wagon-R+ 73.2%
- Volvo S60 73.8%
- Volkswagen Lupo 73.8%
- Audi Tt 73.1%
- Mercedes-Benz Clk 73.9%
Closest pass rates among 2004 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2004 Saab 9-3 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 25,040 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 6,480 | 25.50% | 20.98% | +4.52 |
| Brakes | 4,109 | 16.20% | 20.89% | −4.69 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3,948 | 15.50% | 12.21% | +3.29 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 2,966 | 11.70% | 5.52% | +6.18 |
| Tyres | 2,904 | 11.40% | 19.76% | −8.36 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 1,728 | 6.80% | 5.57% | +1.23 |
| Visibility | 961 | 3.80% | 4.97% | −1.17 |
| Steering | 683 | 2.70% | 2.57% | +0.13 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 637 | 2.50% | 1.76% | +0.74 |
| Non-component advisories | 624 | 2.50% | 4.18% | −1.68 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 5.0% | £5–25 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 4.3% | £5–20 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 3.8% | £80–200 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.6% | £5–25 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 3.3% | £25–65 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.1% | £30–80 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 3.0% | £18–45 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 2.4% | £45–110 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 1.9% | £45–120 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 1.9% | £18–45 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 26.0% | £200–700 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 15.2% | £45–95 |
| Sub-frame corroded and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 13.6% | £180–450 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 12.2% | £45–110 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 11.1% | £45–95 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 10.1% | £40–150 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 50 | 88.0% | 21,996 mi |
| 30-60k | 523 | 81.3% | 49,203 mi |
| 60-90k | 1,759 | 77.7% | 76,871 mi |
| 90-120k | 2,664 | 72.5% | 105,222 mi |
| 120k+ | 3,455 | 70.9% | 149,684 mi |
Source: 8,501 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2004 9-3 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2004 Saab 9-3?
73.5% of the 8,501 2004 Saab 9-3 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.2% for cars first used in 2004. First-attempt pass rate: 66.2%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2004 Saab 9-3?
The three most recorded items are headlamp lens slightly defective (4.96%), registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (4.26%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (3.80%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2004 Saab 9-3 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 88.0% of the time, falling to 70.9% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2004 Saab 9-3 in this dataset had covered 111,518 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2004 Saab 9-3?
Petrol: 73.7% pass rate across 8,084 tests. Diesel: 70.7% pass rate across 410 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2004 Saab 9-3 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 73.3% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 73.7%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.