Pass rate
78.6%
Around average — 1.4 pts ahead of the 77.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 98 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £27–£76
2012 Saab 9-5 MOT pass rate
- 2012
- typical 86,926 mi
Only 98 tests of this exact model and year are in the DVSA data, below the 100 we ask for before a page goes in the index. The figures are still shown, because they are the only ones there are.
Most common fault
Suspension
33.1% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Which year to buy
- Best 2011 82.9% pass
- Avoid 2002 73.2% pass
Across the 13 years on record, a spread of 9.7 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 73.8%
- Typical mileage
- 87k mi
The 2012 Saab 9-5 MOT pass rate is 78.6% of its MOT tests — 1.4 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 33.1% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Saab 9-5 does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Suspension: 1.6× the national share
Suspension accounts for 33.1% of everything recorded on the 2012 Saab 9-5, against 21.0% nationally — 12.1 points above. Ask for the front and rear suspension to be checked on a ramp before you buy — worn bushes and broken springs are cheap to look at and expensive to discover at test time.
- Based on a small sample. 98 tests back this page. That is enough to publish and to index, not enough to treat the decimal places as precise — read the pattern, not the second digit.
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 9-5? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2012 Saab 9-5 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 77.2%, so this figure is 1.4 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 73.8%. The median 2012 Saab 9-5 in this dataset had covered 86,926 mi.
55% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 75.9% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 73.3% of the time, April–September 83.0%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Coil spring fractured or broken", noted on 5.10% of tests.
- 98 recorded tests behind this page.
- 78.6% overall pass rate, 73.8% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Saab 9-5, the average is 76.3% — best year 2011 (82.9%), worst 2002 (73.2%).
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
- 98
- Typical mileage (median)
- 86,926 mi
- Make and model
- Saab 9-5
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
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 9-5 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 60% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (55% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the 9-5
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 25 | 84.0% |
| Scotland | 24 | 70.8% |
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 2012 9-5
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 2012 9-5
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 5.1% 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 lights 4.1% of tests
“position lamp not working”
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 4.1% 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.
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 2012 9-5 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £27–£76 — and 43% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £27–£76
- Cheapest common item: stop lamp with a multiple light source up to…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd…
- £60–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 70%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 43%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 98 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 9-5, side by side
13 model years on record, from 2000 to 2012. Across them the pass rate runs from 73.2% to 82.9% — a spread of 9.7 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 76.3% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2001 78.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2002 73.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2003 73.8% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2004 74.6% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2005 74.8% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2006 75.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2007 76.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2008 76.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2009 77.9% malfunction indicator lamp…
- 2010 80.0% position lamp not working
- 2011 82.9% position lamp not working
- 2012 78.6%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 2012 Saab 9-5 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 2012 cars with a similar record
- Volvo S60 78.6%
- Ford C-Max 78.5%
- Mitsubishi Asx 78.5%
- Volkswagen Golf 78.7%
- Volkswagen Touran 78.7%
- Skoda Yeti 78.8%
Closest pass rates among 2012 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 2012 Saab 9-5 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 178 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 | 59 | 33.10% | 20.98% | +12.12 |
| Brakes | 35 | 19.70% | 20.89% | −1.19 |
| Tyres | 29 | 16.30% | 19.76% | −3.46 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 17 | 9.60% | 12.21% | −2.61 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 11 | 6.20% | 5.52% | +0.68 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 9 | 5.10% | 5.57% | −0.47 |
| Visibility | 7 | 3.90% | 4.97% | −1.07 |
| Non-component advisories | 6 | 3.40% | 4.18% | −0.78 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 3 | 1.70% | 1.76% | −0.06 |
| Steering | 2 | 1.10% | 2.57% | −1.47 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 5.1% | £25–65 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 4.1% | £5–25 |
| Stop lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 4.1% | £3–12 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 4.1% | £80–200 |
| Anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an ABS fault Brakes | Major | 3.1% | £3–15 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Major | 3.1% | £18–45 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 3.1% | £45–95 |
| Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | Major | 2.0% | £8–22 |
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 1.0% | £60–250 |
| Catalyst emissions emissions likely to be affected by an exhaust leak Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 1.0% | £60–250 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sub-frame corroded and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 20.4% | £180–450 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 14.3% | £45–95 |
| Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension | Advisory | 11.2% | £30–75 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 8.2% | £45–110 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 8.2% | £25–65 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 7.1% | £18–45 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 8 | 87.5% | 19,046 mi |
| 30-60k | 13 | 84.6% | 51,361 mi |
| 60-90k | 34 | 73.5% | 76,966 mi |
| 90-120k | 24 | 87.5% | 106,550 mi |
| 120k+ | 19 | 68.4% | 142,079 mi |
Source: 98 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.
2012 9-5 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2012 Saab 9-5?
78.6% of the 98 2012 Saab 9-5 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 77.2% for cars first used in 2012. First-attempt pass rate: 73.8%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2012 Saab 9-5?
The three most recorded items are coil spring fractured or broken (5.10%), position lamp not working (4.08%), stop lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning (4.08%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2012 Saab 9-5 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 87.5% of the time, falling to 68.4% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2012 Saab 9-5 in this dataset had covered 86,926 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2012 Saab 9-5?
Petrol: 75.9% pass rate across 54 tests. Diesel: 81.8% pass rate across 44 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2012 Saab 9-5 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 73.3% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 83.0%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.