Ranked #289 car in the UK · Saloon · 2 units sold last year
Saab 9-3
The Saab 9-3 (2003-2012) is the characterful, turbocharged executive from the much-missed Swedish brand - quirky, comfortable and distinctive, with the signature centre-console ignition and cockpit-like dashboard. Turbo petrols and diesels, including the practical SportWagon estate and rare convertible. As a used buy it's a cult choice: affordable, individual and rewarding, but with a now-orphaned brand, so a good independent specialist is essential.
How these figures are sourced — the valuation is anchored to a researched used-market price for this model (AutoTrader median, 2023 at 30k miles). Reliability, mileage and variant data are real DVSA MOT records. Dimensions, tyre sizes and costs, servicing figures and the insurance group are segment-level estimates rather than sourced per car, and are being replaced model by model.
- Body
- Saloon
- Years
- 2003–2012
- Fuel
- Petrol / Diesel
- Economy
- 50 mpg
- Insurance
- Group 23
combined
The short version
Forecourt score
Value 37 · Insurance 49 · catalogue percentiles
The Saab 9-3 holds its value about averagely and costs about average to run. On three-year value retention it ranks better than 37% of models.
The Forecourt score blends how this car ranks against the catalogue on value retention, reliability and insurance cost (weighted 40/40/20) — the from-new ownership picture. Higher is better; running cost is not yet folded in.
Pick your version
Estimates are tuned to the version you choose.
Fuel
Diesel · 1910cc
Power
150 ps
Drivetrain
FWD
Cam drive
Chain
Quoted MPG
50 mpg
The volume used Saab 9-3. 1.9 TiD GM-sourced diesel, 150 PS, ~50 mpg motorway. Chain-driven. The default rep-car choice in its day.
Tell us about the one you're looking at
Tidy and well looked-after for its age — the typical car.
Remembered as you browse other cars.
Optional — fills in the exact year and ULEZ status for your specific car. The registration isn’t stored.
Estimated market value
How we got this number — click for the breakdown, or to challenge it.£2,100
Range £1,500 – £2,750
medium confidence
The depreciation curve
How a 2012-registration Saab 9-3 loses value over time.
What it costs to own
Based on the 2012 car with 145,628 miles you entered above — worth about £2,100 today — here is the cost of owning it for the next 5 years, at roughly 10,402 miles a year.
5-year total
£17,006
Per year
£3,401
All-in per mile
£0.33
Fuel per mile
18.0p
Best age to buy — around 3 years
A 3-year-old example loses roughly £1,450 a year — 55% less than the £3,200 a one-year-old sheds. The steepest drop is behind it.
Uses current UK pump and home-charging prices (DESNZ weekly), typical-driver insurance and manufacturer service intervals. "Fuel per mile" is just the energy input — so an EV at ~9p and a diesel at ~22p make running-cost comparison direct. A guide; your own costs will vary.
How it compares
Where this car ranks against the 340 vehicles in our index — higher is better.
Percentile rank across our full index. A measure is shown only where the data spreads meaningfully across the index.
Estimated insurance
Group 23 of 50 (mid — around the UK average) · Comprehensive · 3 years NCB
Indicative annual comprehensive premiums for this car, by driver age band and risk profile. Pick the combination closest to your circumstances.
Estimated annual premium · typical, age 33-39
£738/ year
Roughly £62 per month
Typical
Average UK driver — 3 years NCB, average postcode, no recent claims.| Age band | Lower risk | Typical | Higher risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age 17-25 | £1,682 | £2,102 | £2,732 |
| Age 26-32 | £878 | £1,033 | £1,260 |
| Age 33-39Selected | £649 | £738 | £870 |
| Age 40-49 | £551 | £612 | £710 |
| Age 50+ | £491 | £546 | £644 |
How we estimate this
Indicative annual comprehensive premium estimates. The 'Typical' figure represents an average UK driver in each age band; Lower and Higher risk show the realistic spread driven by factors UK insurers legitimately price on (postcode, occupation, claims history, NCB, voluntary excess, modifications). Based on 10,000 miles/yr, £250 voluntary excess, and the no-claims bonus selected above. Always get individual quotes before buying.
Expected annual costs
Adjust the annual mileage to match how you'll actually use the car. Insurance is what you selected above (age 33-39, typical risk, 3 yrs NCB).
Routine service
£185
Annual main-dealer service
Major service
£210
Every 2 years, annualised
Road tax
£200
Standard rate, post year-one
Fuel
£1,640
50 mpg, £1.73/L
Insurance
£738
Age 33-39, group 23
Clean-air zones
⚠ Depends on variantBased on London ULEZ standards — Birmingham, Bath, Bristol, Sheffield, Glasgow and other UK clean-air zones generally follow the same rules.
Excludes depreciation and unscheduled repairs (see next section).
Unexpected costs
What out-of-warranty repairs typically run, by mileage band. Your selected mileage is highlighted.
0-30k miles
£80
per year · low risk
30-60k miles
£240
per year · low risk
60-100k miles
£520
per year · medium risk
100k+ miles
£900
per year · high risk
Tyres
205/60 R16 · 225/50 R17 · 245/40 R18
What a full set of four will cost you (including fit and balance), and which brand each tier of buyer should pick. A typical set lasts about 24,000 miles.
Budget
£300
set of 4, fitted · £60 per tyre
Mid-range
£440
set of 4, fitted · £95 per tyre
Premium
£620
set of 4, fitted · £140 per tyre
What to fit
Optional extras worth paying for
Factory options ranked by how much of their original cost they recover at resale. Anything above 70% return tends to make money back; below 40% is paying for your own enjoyment.
| Option | New cost | Added used value | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
Tow bar (factory-fit) Niche, but the buyers who want one will pay for it. | £650 | £450 | 69% |
Parking sensors & reversing camera Near-expected now — its absence costs more than its presence returns. | £500 | £300 | 60% |
Heated seats / cold-weather pack | £450 | £200 | 44% |
Metallic or premium paint Almost universal — an unusual colour is the bigger resale risk. | £600 | £200 | 33% |
Panoramic / opening roof | £1,100 | £350 | 32% |
Larger alloy wheels | £700 | £200 | 29% |
What fails at MOT
Recorded in DVSA MOT test data for this model, not owner reports. Ordered against 145,628 miles.
Watch now
Failure typically happens around your current mileage.
Upcoming
Typically happens at a higher mileage than yours.
Already due
Past its usual failure mileage. Either already fixed, or about to.
SuspensionAlready due
Recorded in 12.8% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 2,389,289 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
Tyres & wheelsAlready due
Recorded in 7.3% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 2,389,289 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
BrakesAlready due
Recorded in 8.8% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 2,389,289 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
Lighting & signallingAlready due
Recorded in 7.7% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 2,389,289 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
Driver's viewAlready due
Recorded in 4.0% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 2,389,289 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
EmissionsAlready due
Recorded in 4.1% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 2,389,289 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
"Parts low/medium/high" indicates how easy the replacement part is to source — discontinued or specialist parts mean longer workshop time and bigger bills.
MOT outlook
How this model fares at its MOT as it ages — from 2,397,590 real DVSA test records.
MOT pass rate by age
A 3-year-old 9-3 passes its MOT 85.8% of the time; by 25 years that has slipped to 72.4%. The y-axis is zoomed to this model’s range so the trend is readable.
Longevity
From 10,326 vehicles registered in 2003.
Survival by registration year
Each point is one registration cohort. Older cars on the left, newer on the right. A flatter line means the model holds up over time; a steep drop means cohorts disappear from UK roads faster.
What’s on the road
The fuel-type split of every 9-3 with MOT history in the DVSA record. From 168,652 vehicles tested at least once - not the number on the road today, which is lower.
- Petrol 54.0%
- Diesel 45.6%
Typical mileage by age
The average odometer reading for a 9-3 at MOT, by age — measured from the same DVSA records, not assumed. A useful yardstick for whether a given car has done more or fewer miles than its age suggests.
- 3 yr42,882
- 4 yr53,213
- 5 yr63,130
- 6 yr72,553
- 7 yr81,214
- 8 yr89,163
- 9 yr96,338
- 10 yr102,514
- 11 yr107,460
- 12 yr111,144
- 13 yr113,563
- 14 yr115,080
Mean recorded mileage at MOT by vehicle age, from DVSA test records. Ages below three are not shown: the first MOT is due at three years, so the few cars tested earlier are a self-selected minority rather than a representative sample. Ages with at least 10 tests shown.
Reliability
Not enough first-MOT data yet. This measure needs cars registered from 2020 that have reached their first MOT at three years old; too few have so far for a figure worth publishing.
Not enough first-MOT data yet — no score. A car needs 100 first MOTs from 2018 registrations onward before this can be measured.
MOT outlook · age 5 years
16th percentile — Among the worst — investigate carefully
Based on 164,371 MOT tests · ranked against 248 catalogue models with comparable data
Where this car sits in the catalogue
Pass-rate distribution across 248 catalogue models
Things owners say
- 01The turbo petrols are the characterful choice; the diesels (GM-era units) are frugal for high miles.
- 02Saab is long gone - parts come via specialists and owners' clubs, so factor that into ownership.
- 03A genuine cult car with real character; buy on condition and a known specialist's inspection.
Safety recalls
Manufacturers occasionally issue safety recalls to fix a fault free of charge. You can check whether the Saab 9-3, or your exact vehicle, has any outstanding recalls on the official DVSA service.
Check on GOV.UKOpens the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency recall checker. Choose the make, model and year of manufacture — no registration needed.
Theft risk
A general indicator from UK 2025 theft data and this car’s characteristics — not a prediction for any one vehicle.
Whole-car theft
Lower
Theft risk is on the lower side — it pre-dates keyless entry, so the relay attacks that target newer cars don't apply.
Parts theft
Around average
Parts-theft risk is around average — catalytic-converter theft is the main thing to be aware of on any petrol or diesel car.
Worth doing
- Park in well-lit, busy areas, and consider a tracker for faster recovery.
Clean-air zones
Whether driving a Saab 9-3 into a UK clean-air zone will cost you anything. Rules use the same Euro standard across most zones — petrol from 2006 and diesel from 2015 onwards are exempt; pure electric is always exempt.
Charging zones for cars
| City | Area | Daily charge | Likely outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | All of Greater London (within the M25) | £12.50 | Likely charged Diesel before Sept 2015 — likely below Euro 6. |
| Birmingham | Inside the A4540 Middleway | £8.00 | Likely charged Diesel before Sept 2015 — likely below Euro 6. |
| Bristol | City centre and part of the Portway | £9.00 | Likely charged Diesel before Sept 2015 — likely below Euro 6. |
| Glasgow | City centre | — | Likely charged Diesel before Sept 2015 — likely below Euro 6. |
| Edinburgh | City centre | — | Likely charged Diesel before Sept 2015 — likely below Euro 6. |
| Aberdeen | City centre | — | Likely charged Diesel before Sept 2015 — likely below Euro 6. |
| Dundee | City centre | — | Likely charged Diesel before Sept 2015 — likely below Euro 6. |
Zones that don't charge private cars
- Bath — City centre (Private cars and motorbikes are not charged).
- Bradford — Outer ring road and the Aire Valley (Private cars are not charged).
- Sheffield — Inside the A61 inner ring road (Private cars are not charged).
- Newcastle & Gateshead — City centres and the Tyne, Swing, High Level and Redheugh bridges (Private cars are not charged).
- Portsmouth — Part of the city centre (Applies to taxis, PHVs, buses, coaches and HGVs only).
Model-level guidance only. To check a specific registration, use the official gov.uk clean-air zone checker. Zone charges and boundaries are set by local councils and change over time.
Servicing & the dealer network
How well-supported Saab is across the UK — a practical read on how easy servicing, parts and warranty work will be to find.
Franchised UK dealers
None
No franchised network
Withdrawn from UK in 2011
No longer sold new in the UK, so there is no franchised network — servicing relies on independent specialists.
For context, the UK has roughly 4,500 franchised car-dealer outlets in total, plus about 15,500 independent garages.
Approximate figures, curated from public UK industry sources (NFDA, Car Dealer Magazine). Franchised networks shrink year on year — these indicate network size, not an exact count.
Dimensions & weight
These are segment estimates, not manufacturer figures. 296 of 325 catalogued cars share one of 14 identical dimension sets, so they describe a class rather than this particular car. Sourced figures replace them model by model.
Length
4,700 mm
Width
1,840 mm
Height
1,450 mm
Kerb weight
1,550 kg
Boot
460–480 L
Fuel tank
48 L
How many are still out there
How the UK Saab 9-3 fleet splits: taxed and on the road, parked off the road on a SORN, and gone from the register where that figure is available.
Total ever registered
127,596
Currently taxed & on road
28,151
22% of all registered
SORN (off road)
16,894
13% of all registered
Scrapped or exported
82,551
UK fleet trend — 2014 to 2025
-14.8% vs 2024Source: DfT VEH0124 vehicle licensing statistics (year-end 2025) · Updated 1 Oct 2026
Similar cars
Other saloon models worth looking at
Common questions
Saab 9-3, answered from the data
- How much does a used Saab 9-3 cost?
- A 2012 Saab 9-3 with around 145,628 miles is worth roughly £2,200 today (typical range £1,750–£2,650). Dealer forecourt prices sit higher and part-exchange offers lower; newer or lower-mileage examples cost more.
- How quickly does the Saab 9-3 depreciate?
- A new Saab 9-3 typically loses about 44% of its value over the first three years, then depreciates more slowly. Buying at three to five years old avoids the steepest part of the curve.
- What insurance group is the Saab 9-3?
- The Saab 9-3 sits in insurance group 23 of 50 — the middle of the scale. Exact premiums depend on the trim (some versions sit a few groups higher or lower), your age, postcode and no-claims history.
- What goes wrong on a used Saab 9-3?
- The parts most often recorded at MOT on the Saab 9-3 are: suspension (typically around over 100k miles, £150-£450 to put right); tyres & wheels (typically around over 100k miles, £80-£500 to put right); brakes (typically around over 100k miles, £150-£500 to put right). A full service history and a recent MOT with no advisories are the best protection.
- What does the Saab 9-3 cost to run?
- Expect around 50 mpg combined on the 1.9 TiD 150 Diesel, £200 a year in road tax, about £185 for a standard annual service. The full cost-of-ownership table above breaks this down per year and per mile for the exact year and mileage you choose.
- Is the Saab 9-3 ULEZ compliant?
- Whether a Saab 9-3 is ULEZ compliant depends on its engine and registration date: petrol from 2006 and diesel from September 2015 generally qualify, and electric versions are always exempt.
- How many Saab 9-3s are on UK roads?
- About 28,151 Saab 9-3s are currently taxed and on the road in the UK, from DfT vehicle-licensing data.
Answers are generated from this car's Forecourt data — DVSA MOT records, DfT licensing statistics and our valuation model — and update with the weekly data refresh.