Pass rate
80.0%
Around average — 7.0 pts ahead of the 73.0% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 160 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £30–£79
2007 Saab 9-3 Aero MOT pass rate
- 2007
- 3 trims combined
- typical 110,736 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Suspension
26.1% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Which year to buy
- Best 2007 80.0% pass · this year
- Avoid 2006 71.7% pass
Across the 6 years on record, a spread of 8.3 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 76.5%
- Typical mileage
- 111k mi
The 2007 Saab 9-3 Aero MOT pass rate is 80.0% of its MOT tests — 7.0 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 26.1% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Emissions & leaks: 2.4× the national share
Emissions & leaks make up 13.2% of everything recorded on the 2007 Saab 9-3 Aero, against 5.5% nationally — 7.7 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 26.1%, 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.
- Beats its own age and mileage. Once you allow for how old and how far these cars have been driven, the expected pass rate is 73.0% and this one manages 80.0% — 7.0 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 18% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
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 Aero? Get an email when these numbers change .
Every Saab 9-3 Aero first registered in 2007 is combined here — 3 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.
How does the 2007 Saab 9-3 Aero compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 73.0%, so this figure is 7.0 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 76.5%. The median 2007 Saab 9-3 Aero in this dataset had covered 110,736 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 82.2% of the time, April–September 77.1%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Coil spring fractured or broken", noted on 5.00% of tests.
- 160 recorded tests behind this page.
- 80.0% overall pass rate, 76.5% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Saab 9-3 Aero, the average is 74.7% — best year 2007 (80.0%), worst 2006 (71.7%).
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
- 160
- Typical mileage (median)
- 110,736 mi
- Make and model
- Saab 9-3 Aero
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Coil Spring
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the 9-3 Aero MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 67% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the 9-3 Aero
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 37 | 81.1% |
| East of England | 27 | 77.8% |
| South West | 26 | 65.4% |
| London | 22 | 90.9% |
| North West | 17 | 88.2% |
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 2007 9-3 Aero
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 2007 9-3 Aero
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 coil springs 5.0% 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.
-
Check the suspension joints 3.8% of tests
“linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated”
With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.
-
Check the wipers and washers 3.1% of tests
“washers not working”
Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.
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 2007 9-3 Aero through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £30–£79 — and 18% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £30–£79
- Cheapest common item: washers not working
- £5–£15
- Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot severely…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 80%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 18%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 160 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 Aero, side by side
6 model years on record, from 2003 to 2008. Across them the pass rate runs from 71.7% to 80.0% — a spread of 8.3 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2003 73.8% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2004 74.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2005 72.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2006 71.7% position lamp not working
- 2007 80.0%coil spring fractured or broken
- 2008 72.5% windscreen damaged but not…
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 2007 Saab 9-3 Aero 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 2007 cars with a similar record
- Audi A5 80.0%
- Subaru Impreza 79.7%
- BMW 525 79.7%
- BMW 5 Series 79.7%
- BMW 630 80.5%
- Toyota Prius 79.3%
Closest pass rates among 2007 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 2007 Saab 9-3 Aero 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 391 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 | 103 | 26.10% | 20.98% | +5.12 |
| Tyres | 68 | 17.30% | 19.76% | −2.46 |
| Brakes | 65 | 16.50% | 20.89% | −4.39 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 52 | 13.20% | 5.52% | +7.68 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 31 | 7.90% | 12.21% | −4.31 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 24 | 6.10% | 5.57% | +0.53 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 16 | 4.10% | 1.76% | +2.34 |
| Visibility | 15 | 3.80% | 4.97% | −1.17 |
| Non-component advisories | 13 | 3.30% | 4.18% | −0.88 |
| Steering | 4 | 1.00% | 2.57% | −1.57 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 5.0% | £25–65 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 3.8% | £18–45 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 3.1% | £18–45 |
| Washers not working Visibility | Major | 3.1% | £5–15 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 3.1% | £80–200 |
| Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | Major | 1.9% | £18–45 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Major | 1.9% | £18–45 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 1.9% | £80–250 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 1.9% | £5–20 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Major | 1.9% | £45–95 |
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 | 26.9% | £200–700 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 16.3% | £45–95 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 16.3% | £45–95 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 10.6% | £40–150 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 10.0% | £45–110 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 10.0% | £25–65 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-60k | 4 | 75.0% | 51,619 mi |
| 60-90k | 30 | 86.7% | 78,760 mi |
| 90-120k | 71 | 80.3% | 106,680 mi |
| 120k+ | 55 | 76.4% | 143,053 mi |
Source: 160 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.
2007 9-3 Aero MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2007 Saab 9-3 Aero?
80.0% of the 160 2007 Saab 9-3 Aero tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 73.0% for cars first used in 2007. First-attempt pass rate: 76.5%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2007 Saab 9-3 Aero?
The three most recorded items are coil spring fractured or broken (5.00%), linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (3.75%), ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (3.13%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2007 Saab 9-3 Aero MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 75.0% of the time, falling to 76.4% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2007 Saab 9-3 Aero in this dataset had covered 110,736 mi.
Does the season affect the 2007 Saab 9-3 Aero MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 82.2% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 77.1%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.