Lexus Is MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 21 model years and 68,913 tests, the Lexus Is passes its MOT 91.6% of the time. Executive cars of a similar age fail 13.3% of the time, so this is 4.8pp better than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are tyres, lighting & signalling and visibility.
Best and worst Is years
Ranked across Is years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
The strongest year on this record is 2020 (93.9% pass rate); the weakest is 2013 (88.0%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — tyres (6.0%) and lighting & signalling (3.0%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are wipers, tread depth and headlamp aim — wipers alone was recorded 1,355 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 4.8% in the 0-30k band and 8.9% in the 150k+ band, a 4.0-point spread.
Fuel type barely separates them — hybrid fails 8.4% of the time against 8.9% for petrol.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 22.9% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 7.7% of tests failed in 2021 against 9.2% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Is model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 48 | 83.3% | 16.7% | Body, structure & corrosion |
| 2007 | 71 | 80.3% | 19.7% | Brakes |
| 2009 | 64 | 78.1% | 21.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 48 | 81.3% | 18.8% | Tyres |
| 2013 | 2,321 | 88.0% | 12.0% | Tyres |
| 2014 | 16,908 | 90.3% | 9.7% | Tyres |
| 2015 | 15,332 | 91.4% | 8.6% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 10,824 | 91.6% | 8.4% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 8,283 | 92.7% | 7.3% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 7,793 | 93.7% | 6.3% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 5,170 | 92.6% | 7.4% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 1,844 | 93.9% | 6.1% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 127 | 89.8% | 10.2% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 6.0% | 4,113 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 3.0% | 2,069 |
| 3 | Visibility | 2.1% | 1,484 |
| 4 | Brakes | 1.4% | 981 |
| 5 | Suspension | 0.4% | 304 |
| 6 | Road wheels | 0.2% | 134 |
| 7 | Other defects | 0.2% | 119 |
| 8 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.1% | 97 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 1,355 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 1,297 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 1,274 |
| 4 | Headlamp | 886 |
| 5 | Tyre pressure monitoring system | 669 |
| 6 | Washers | 410 |
| 7 | Brake pads | 339 |
| 8 | Service brake performance | 319 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 22.9% | 15,774 |
| 2 | Brakes | 9.6% | 6,603 |
| 3 | Other defects | 4.3% | 2,931 |
| 4 | Visibility | 3.1% | 2,109 |
| 5 | Suspension | 2.2% | 1,540 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 0.7% | 484 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 10,368 | 4.8% |
| 30-60k | 24,416 | 7.6% |
| 60-90k | 17,141 | 9.8% |
| 90-120k | 8,505 | 11.1% |
| 120-150k | 4,188 | 11.2% |
| 150k+ | 4,293 | 8.9% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Hybrid | 65,936 | 8.4% |
| Petrol | 2,735 | 8.9% |
| Other | 137 | 11.7% |
| Diesel | 105 | 21.9% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 12,449 | 7.7% |
| 2022 | 13,858 | 8.1% |
| 2023 | 14,311 | 8.1% |
| 2024 | 14,238 | 9.1% |
| 2025 | 14,057 | 9.2% |
What to check before buying a Lexus Is
- Tyres (6.0% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
- Lighting & signalling (3.0% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Visibility (2.1% of tests): Wipers, washers, mirrors and screen damage — usually inexpensive, but check for chips in the driver's line of sight. Typical repair: £15–£150.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Lexus Is?
91.6% of the 68,913 Lexus Is MOT tests in this dataset passed, an 8.4% fail rate, across model years 2002–2022.
What does the Lexus Is most often fail its MOT on?
Tyres, recorded in 6.0% of tests, then lighting & signalling (3.0%).
Which Is years are best and worst for MOT results?
2020 has the best pass rate at 93.9% and 2013 the weakest at 88.0%, from 1,844 and 2,321 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Is MOT results?
Fail rates run at 4.8% for cars in the 0-30k band and 8.9% for 150k+, a 4.0-point difference.
Is the hybrid or petrol Is more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 8.4% of the time against 8.9% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 68,913 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.