Lexus IS MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the Lexus IS took 16,145 MOT tests in Britain and passed 87% of them first time, above the national average of 71% for all cars. The figures below come from the DVSA's record of every test, so they show what testers actually found on these cars rather than what owners report.

MOT tests in 2023: 16,145
First-time pass rate: 87%
All cars: 71%

What the IS fails on

Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.

Tyres6.4% (all cars 6.4%)
Lights and electrics4.0% (all cars 11.3%)
Brakes2.2% (all cars 6.8%)
Visibility2.1% (all cars 4.8%)
Suspension0.7% (all cars 9.0%)
Exhaust and emissions0.4% (all cars 3.1%)
Body and structure0.4% (all cars 3.5%)
Wheels0.2% (all cars 0.4%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 2.0%
Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 1.4%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 1.4%
Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 1.4%
Tyre pressure monitoring system: malfunctioning or obviously inoperative 1.0%
Headlamp: not working on dipped beam 0.9%
Headlamp aim: too high 0.7%
Headlamp aim: too low 0.7%

Most common advisories

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 16.7%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 5.4%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 4.7%
Brake pads: wearing thin 3.0%
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively 2.6%
Tyres, condition: has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords 2.4%
Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt 1.4%
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 1.2%

Pass rate by year of registration

Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.

First registered	Tests	Pass rate
2012	308	83%
2013	1,655	86%
2014	3,157	87%
2015	2,829	88%
2016	2,017	88%
2017	1,564	89%
2018	1,454	90%
2019	1,231	89%
2020	591	89%

Typical mileage by age

Average odometer reading at the MOT, by the car's age in years at the test.

Age at test	Average mileage
3 years	28,401 miles
4 years	41,213 miles
5 years	48,011 miles
6 years	55,080 miles
7 years	68,852 miles
8 years	79,291 miles
9 years	90,007 miles
10 years	88,348 miles
11 years	70,683 miles
12 years	80,736 miles
13 years	98,644 miles
14 years	105,974 miles
15 years	112,699 miles
16 years	120,394 miles
17 years	125,289 miles

Check a particular IS

Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.

Other Lexus models

Source: Department for Transport, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023, cars and light vans, normal tests only. Pass rates are first-time passes; a pass after repair at the test station counts as a fail. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.