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Saab 9-5 YS3E (facelift) (2001-2009) reliability

At a glance

Saab 9-5 YS3E (facelift) built around 2008: about average at the MOT

Saab 9-5 YS3E (facelift) models built around 2008 fail their MOT about as often as similar cars the same age. An independent inspection matters more than the wider numbers on cars this old.

Looking at a Saab 9-5 YS3E (facelift) right now?

Enter its number plate to see its full MOT history, risk rating and running costs.

Key figure

26% of MOT tests on Saab 9-5 YS3E (facelift) models built around 2008 ended in a fail (retests included), against 27% for similar cars the same age.

Most common issue

The most common MOT issue on Saab 9-5 YS3E (facelift) models built around 2008 involves the suspension.

Saab 9-5 YS3E (facelift)
No reliability rating: not enough tests to rate2001-2009SaloonDIESEL / PETROL

Based on 7,026 tests of 9-5 models registered 2001-2009.

About 1 in 12 9-5 YS3E (facelift) MOTs (8.3%) failed and still hadn't passed 3 days later. That's for cars built around 2008 (17 years old), all fuels combined.

Based on 1,101 tests (DVSA MOT results, 2025). A fail that passed a retest within 3 days, even the same day, isn't counted. Nor is a fail with no later MOT on record.

About 1 in 12 9-5 YS3E (facelift) MOTs (7.8%) found at least one dangerous defect. These are cars built around 2008 (17 years old).

Based on 1,101 tests (DVSA MOT results, 2025). Dangerous is the most serious grade an MOT gives: a direct risk to road safety.

YS3E (facelift) fail rate by age

Below typicalAbove typicalHigh (28% or more)Highest fail rateUK average for cars this age
Age / builtFail rateMOT tests
15 yearsbuilt around 2010
34023.8%
16 yearsbuilt around 2009
81024.1%
17 yearsbuilt around 2008
1,10126.3%
18 yearsbuilt around 2007
1,08728.8%
19 yearsbuilt around 2006
1,03728.2%
20 yearsbuilt around 2005
89829.3%
21 yearsbuilt around 2004
65327.3%
22 yearsbuilt around 2003
47229.4%
23 yearsbuilt around 2002
42030.2%
24 yearsbuilt around 2001
20826.9%

Fail rate is the share of MOT tests that ended in a fail. Retests count as tests. How we count fail rates Build years are worked out from age, so they are approximate. Tests counted are 2025 MOTs. Highest fail rate at 23 years old.

How the 9-5 YS3E (facelift) compares

At each age below, see how the 9-5 YS3E (facelift) holds up against other cars the same age. The averages combine all fuel types.

Based on 8,600 tests across 2 Saab models, built around 2008 (17 years old).

Below typicalAbove typicalHigh (28% or more)Highest fail rateSaab average
Age / builtFail rateMOT tests
15 yearsbuilt around 2010
34023.8%
16 yearsbuilt around 2009
81024.1%
17 yearsbuilt around 2008
1,10126.3%
18 yearsbuilt around 2007
1,08728.8%
19 yearsbuilt around 2006
1,03728.2%
20 yearsbuilt around 2005
89829.3%
21 yearsbuilt around 2004
65327.3%
22 yearsbuilt around 2003
47229.4%
23 yearsbuilt around 2002
42030.2%
24 yearsbuilt around 2001
20826.9%

Fail rate is the share of MOT tests that ended in a fail. Retests count as tests. How we count fail rates Build years are worked out from age, so they are approximate. Tests counted are 2025 MOTs.

What to check before viewing

The model's most common MOT issues, turned into things you can ask about or look for.

Brake discs

High priority

Ask for the date and mileage of the last disc replacement; visually check for a deep wear lip and rust pitting on each disc.

Suspension bushes and joints

Worth checking

Listen for knocks over speed bumps and ask about recent control-arm or anti-roll-bar work.

Suspension

Worth checking

Inspect the suspension carefully and ask the seller for repair history.

Tyres

Worth checking

Check tread depth across the full width on all four; uneven wear suggests alignment or suspension issues.

Leaks

Worth checking

Inspect the leaks carefully and ask the seller for repair history.

Vehicle-specific check

Worth checking

Check the car’s number plate on MOT Wise to see its own MOT history and any recalls for its build years.

Other saloons to compare

Other saloons, with each one's figures taken at the same age as the 9-5 YS3E (facelift).

  1. 1

    Lexus IS

    Same body type, tested at the same age

    Fail rate
    21%

    Lower fail rate: 21.0%, against 26.3% for the Saab 9-5 YS3E (facelift), both built around 2008.

    Some figures could not be compared for these two cars. So this comparison uses the fail rate and recalls only.

    2,033 MOT tests on cars built around 2008

  2. 2

    Lexus IS

    Same body type, tested at the same age

    Fail rate
    23.1%

    Lower fail rate: 23.1%, against 26.3% for the Saab 9-5 YS3E (facelift), both built around 2008.

    Some figures could not be compared for these two cars. So this comparison uses the fail rate and recalls only.

    1,065 MOT tests on cars built around 2008

  3. 3

    Chrysler 300

    Same body type, tested at the same age

    Fail rate
    27.3%

    No clear edge over the Saab 9-5 YS3E (facelift) on these figures.

    Some figures could not be compared for these two cars. So this comparison uses the fail rate and recalls only.

    1,092 MOT tests on cars built around 2008

  4. 4

    BMW 5 Series

    Same body type, tested at the same age

    Fail rate
    23.3%
    Fail, no pass in 3 days
    7.8%
    Dangerous
    6.7%
    Still registered at 10 years
    82.6%

    Lower fail rate: 23.3%, against 26.3% for the Saab 9-5 YS3E (facelift), both built around 2008.

    12 critical recall campaigns matching this model/build period.

    8,185 MOT tests on cars built around 2008

Fail rate
= the share of MOT tests that ended in a fail. Retests count as tests.
Fail, no pass in 3 days
= the share of MOT tests that failed and still hadn't passed 3 days later. A fail that passed a retest within 3 days, even the same day, isn't counted.
Dangerous
= the share of MOT tests where the tester marked a fault as dangerous. It is against the law to drive the car until it is fixed.
Still registered at 10 years
= the share of cars still registered (taxed or declared off the road) 10 years after they were first registered.

Recall context

4 recalls in all

1 of the 4 9-5 YS3E (facelift) recalls covers cars built in these years.

  • 1 Critical

Top concerns

  • Fuel may leak - fire may occur

For the exact car, check GOV.UK's recall checker with the number plate.

What has gone wrong on 9-5 YS3E (facelift) cars built around 2008

The share of petrol cars that have ever failed an MOT on each part of the car. Based on 69 cars.

Structural systems

Suspension
36%
Emissions
23%
Drivetrain
6%
Steering
6%
Bodywork
3%

Wear items

Tyres
46%
Brakes
43%
Lighting
38%

Rust, which the MOT calls corrosion: 23% of these cars show rust-related issues at this age.

Check the sills, subframe and brake pipes before you decide.

How 9-5 YS3E (facelift) cars have aged

How 9-5 YS3E (facelift) cars have aged

How fail rates have changed as these cars got older. Each line follows cars first registered in about the same year across several years of MOT data. Not a prediction for any one car.

0%10%20%30%12141618202224Age at MOTBuilt around 2009, 12 years old at the time of MOT: 27.8% (648 tests, 2021 data)Built around 2009, 13 years old at the time of MOT: 26.9% (569 tests, 2022 data)Built around 2009, 14 years old at the time of MOT: 27.6% (525 tests, 2023 data)Built around 2009, 15 years old at the time of MOT: 27.6% (449 tests, 2024 data)Built around 2009, 16 years old at the time of MOT: 23.9% (393 tests, 2025 data)2009Built around 2008, 13 years old at the time of MOT: 26.5% (1,075 tests, 2021 data)Built around 2008, 14 years old at the time of MOT: 25.8% (932 tests, 2022 data)Built around 2008, 15 years old at the time of MOT: 27.1% (816 tests, 2023 data)Built around 2008, 16 years old at the time of MOT: 27.9% (692 tests, 2024 data)Built around 2008, 17 years old at the time of MOT: 26.2% (583 tests, 2025 data)2008Built around 2007, 14 years old at the time of MOT: 27.2% (1,237 tests, 2021 data)Built around 2007, 15 years old at the time of MOT: 28.1% (1,079 tests, 2022 data)Built around 2007, 16 years old at the time of MOT: 28.2% (912 tests, 2023 data)Built around 2007, 17 years old at the time of MOT: 25.9% (704 tests, 2024 data)Built around 2007, 18 years old at the time of MOT: 27.8% (593 tests, 2025 data)2007Built around 2006, 15 years old at the time of MOT: 28.5% (1,268 tests, 2021 data)Built around 2006, 16 years old at the time of MOT: 27.1% (1,021 tests, 2022 data)Built around 2006, 17 years old at the time of MOT: 27.3% (849 tests, 2023 data)Built around 2006, 18 years old at the time of MOT: 27.1% (661 tests, 2024 data)Built around 2006, 19 years old at the time of MOT: 28.3% (580 tests, 2025 data)2006Built around 2005, 16 years old at the time of MOT: 30.0% (1,261 tests, 2021 data)Built around 2005, 17 years old at the time of MOT: 31.0% (1,044 tests, 2022 data)Built around 2005, 18 years old at the time of MOT: 28.4% (802 tests, 2023 data)Built around 2005, 19 years old at the time of MOT: 29.3% (680 tests, 2024 data)Built around 2005, 20 years old at the time of MOT: 29.3% (570 tests, 2025 data)2005Built around 2004, 17 years old at the time of MOT: 30.2% (1,056 tests, 2021 data)Built around 2004, 18 years old at the time of MOT: 29.2% (854 tests, 2022 data)Built around 2004, 19 years old at the time of MOT: 29.5% (708 tests, 2023 data)Built around 2004, 20 years old at the time of MOT: 30.4% (586 tests, 2024 data)Built around 2004, 21 years old at the time of MOT: 26.0% (442 tests, 2025 data)2004Built around 2003, 18 years old at the time of MOT: 30.2% (643 tests, 2021 data)Built around 2003, 19 years old at the time of MOT: 31.6% (507 tests, 2022 data)Built around 2003, 20 years old at the time of MOT: 30.5% (419 tests, 2023 data)Built around 2003, 21 years old at the time of MOT: 30.6% (307 tests, 2024 data)Built around 2003, 22 years old at the time of MOT: 29.3% (256 tests, 2025 data)2003Built around 2002, 19 years old at the time of MOT: 32.7% (609 tests, 2021 data)Built around 2002, 20 years old at the time of MOT: 29.7% (464 tests, 2022 data)Built around 2002, 21 years old at the time of MOT: 27.1% (350 tests, 2023 data)Built around 2002, 22 years old at the time of MOT: 32.6% (325 tests, 2024 data)Built around 2002, 23 years old at the time of MOT: 32.6% (276 tests, 2025 data)2002Built around 2001, 20 years old at the time of MOT: 29.6% (425 tests, 2021 data)Built around 2001, 21 years old at the time of MOT: 26.3% (338 tests, 2022 data)Built around 2001, 22 years old at the time of MOT: 23.4% (274 tests, 2023 data)Built around 2001, 23 years old at the time of MOT: 27.2% (232 tests, 2024 data)Built around 2001, 24 years old at the time of MOT: 26.9% (208 tests, 2025 data)2001
First registered around 2009First registered around 2008First registered around 2007First registered around 2006
How each part holds up as YS3E (facelift) cars age

How each part holds up as YS3E (facelift) cars age

The share of petrol cars built 2005-2008 that have ever failed an MOT on each part of the car. Rates usually rise with age, but can dip slightly as cars leave the road.

Part of the car17 years18 years19 years20 years
Suspension36%36%27%47%
Brakes43%41%48%53%
Emissions23%22%27%26%
Tyres46%50%61%58%
Lighting38%50%58%67%
Drivetrain6%8%7%16%
Bodywork3%1%2%8%
Steering6%7%4%4%
Corrosion23%21%23%22%

Based on petrol cars in the 2005-2008 build-year band, from 69 to 187 cars at each age.

YS3E (facelift) variants compared

9-5 YS3E (facelift) variants built around 2008

The fail rate for each 9-5 YS3E (facelift) variant, grouped by fuel. Each row counts fails per MOT test, the same way as the main fail rate chart.

Petrol

  • 9-524.6%605 tests

Diesel

  • 9-528.1%473 tests
All generations of this modelEnough data

Most common issues on Saab 9-5 models of this age

This list covers every Saab 9-5 built around 2008, whichever generation it is. We don't have a defect list for the YS3E (facelift) on its own.

Most common advisories and fails

In order of the share of MOT tests that recorded each one

  1. 1
    Advisory

    Oil leak, but not excessive

    28.6%
    Advisory: 314Fail: 8 (2% of the times it was found)
  2. 2
    Advisory

    Suspension arm pin or bush worn, but not moving too much

    25.2%
    Advisory: 405Fail: 80 (16% of the times it was found)
  3. 3
    Advisory

    Tyre worn close to the legal limit or worn on the edge

    22.3%
    Advisory: 349Fail: 34 (9% of the times it was found)
  4. 4
    Advisory

    Suspension part corroded, but not seriously weakened

    19.5%
    Advisory: 456Fail: 12 (3% of the times it was found)
  5. 5
    Advisory

    Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened

    12.3%
    Advisory: 188Fail: 3 (2% of the times it was found)

Based on 1,101 tests

Looking at a Saab 9-5 YS3E (facelift) right now?

Enter its number plate to see its full MOT history, risk rating and running costs.

Frequently asked questions

Built around 2008 (17 years old), the Saab 9-5 YS3E (facelift) (2001-2009) fails MOTs noticeably less often than typical for this age. This is based on 1,101 17-year-old MOT tests from DVSA data. Each retest counts as a test.

*The build year is worked out from the date a car was first used on UK roads. For most cars this matches when it was registered, but imports may differ by a few months.

Data sourced from DVSA MOT History API. From 7,026 MOT tests on Saab 9-5 models first registered between 2001-2009. These figures are a guide, not a guarantee.