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1998 Saab 9-3 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1998 perform at MOT as they age

28 years
Current Age
66.5%
Latest Pass Rate
38,099
Total Tests (All Years)
106,187 mi
Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1998 Saab 9-3 as it ages.

11 yrs56.7%
12 yrs54.6%
13 yrs52.9%
14 yrs53.6%
15 yrs50.6%
16 yrs51.6%
17 yrs52.6%
18 yrs53.0%
19 yrs55.9%
20 yrs51.0%
21 yrs55.2%
22 yrs58.4%
23 yrs59.9%
24 yrs62.6%
25 yrs60.2%
26 yrs66.5%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 11 to 26 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
11 yrs56.7%6,678
12 yrs54.6%5,917
13 yrs52.9%5,370
14 yrs53.6%4,438
15 yrs50.6%3,589
16 yrs51.6%2,869
17 yrs52.6%2,303
18 yrs53.0%1,854
19 yrs55.9%1,433
20 yrs51.0%817
21 yrs55.2%632
22 yrs58.4%483
23 yrs59.9%484
24 yrs62.6%361
25 yrs60.2%349
26 yrs66.5%522

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1998 Saab 9-3 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 16 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2024 (26 yrs)66.5%522
2023 (25 yrs)60.2%349
2022 (24 yrs)62.6%361
2021 (23 yrs)59.9%484
2020 (22 yrs)58.4%483
2019 (21 yrs)55.2%632
2018 (20 yrs)51%817
2017 (19 yrs)55.9%1,433
2016 (18 yrs)53%1,854
2015 (17 yrs)52.6%2,303
2014 (16 yrs)51.6%2,869
2013 (15 yrs)50.6%3,589
2012 (14 yrs)53.6%4,438
2011 (13 yrs)52.9%5,370
2010 (12 yrs)54.6%5,917
2009 (11 yrs)56.7%6,678

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
56.7%
Age (yrs) 11Tests 6,678Avg Mileage 105,058Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 25.4%
2010High Fail Rate
54.6%
Age (yrs) 12Tests 5,917Avg Mileage 110,518Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 26.8%
2011High Fail Rate
52.9%
Age (yrs) 13Tests 5,370Avg Mileage 112,829Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 27.6%
2012High Fail Rate
53.6%
Age (yrs) 14Tests 4,438Avg Mileage 114,460Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 27.4%
2013High Fail Rate
50.6%
Age (yrs) 15Tests 3,589Avg Mileage 114,846Top Failure Brakes — 59.9%
2014High Fail Rate
51.6%
Age (yrs) 16Tests 2,869Avg Mileage 115,937Top Failure Brakes — 65.3%
2015High Fail Rate
52.6%
Age (yrs) 17Tests 2,303Avg Mileage 116,188Top Failure Brakes — 64.1%
2016High Fail Rate
53.0%
Age (yrs) 18Tests 1,854Avg Mileage 116,098Top Failure Brakes — 62.7%
2017High Fail Rate
55.9%
Age (yrs) 19Tests 1,433Avg Mileage 115,837Top Failure Brakes — 57.9%
2018High Fail Rate
51.0%
Age (yrs) 20Tests 817Avg Mileage 114,216Top Failure Brakes — 68.2%
2019High Fail Rate
55.2%
Age (yrs) 21Tests 632Avg Mileage 114,771Top Failure Brakes — 53.0%
2020High Fail Rate
58.4%
Age (yrs) 22Tests 483Avg Mileage 113,601Top Failure Brakes — 63.8%
2021High Fail Rate
59.9%
Age (yrs) 23Tests 484Avg Mileage 113,049Top Failure Brakes — 53.1%
2022High Fail Rate
62.6%
Age (yrs) 24Tests 361Avg Mileage 111,029Top Failure Brakes — 43.8%
2023High Fail Rate
60.2%
Age (yrs) 25Tests 349Avg Mileage 109,060Top Failure Brakes — 52.7%
2024
66.5%
Age (yrs) 26Tests 522Avg Mileage 106,187Top Failure Brakes — 43.3%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1998 Saab 9-3, with age trends.

Brakes
48.6%
↑ Increases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
37.5%
↑ Increases with age
Suspension
34.2%
↑ Increases with age
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
32.3%
↓ Decreases with age
Body, chassis, structure
24.2%
↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Brakes20.8% (11 yrs)43.3% (26 yrs)
+22.5%
🔴 ↑
Suspension12.6% (11 yrs)26.4% (26 yrs)
+13.8%
🔴 ↑
Tyres15.4% (11 yrs)15.1% (26 yrs)
-0.3%
⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Saab 9-3 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Saab 9-3 cars manufactured in 1998 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2024, covering 38,099 tests. Pass rates naturally decline with age as components wear.

Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.

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