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MOT fail rates

Lexus RX MOT fail rate by age

How often the Lexus RX fails its MOT at each age, compared with all cars of the same age, and what it fails on. From 146,324 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated

At 15 years, the most tested age

MOT fail rate at age 15 (n=10,873)26.7%
All cars at 15 years (n=5,591,675)41.6%
Median mileage at test120,825
All cars, median mileage100,157

33 of 280 model groups with enough tests fail less often at 15 years.

What stands out

  • At 3 years the Lexus RX fails 4.5% of MOTs (8,443 tests), 7.5 points below the 12.1% for all cars that age. At 21 years it fails 33.7% (1,984 tests), 8.3 points below the 42.1% average.
  • The gap is widest at 12 years: 16.8 points below all cars.
  • Its most common structural or mechanical fail item at 15 years: Suspension arm bush worn, at 2.4 per 100 MOTs.

MOT fail rate by age

3 years 21 years 47.6%

Solid line: this model. Dashed line: all cars at the same age.

Lexus RX: share of MOT tests that failed, by age, against all cars. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
AgeMOT fail rateTests (n)All carsDifferenceMedian mileage
3 years4.5%8,44312.1%−7.5 pts22,254 miles
4 years5.3%7,68713.4%−8.0 pts29,269 miles
5 years5.7%7,75515.3%−9.6 pts36,975 miles
6 years6.5%8,18717.8%−11.4 pts44,851 miles
7 years8.0%7,14520.6%−12.6 pts52,721 miles
8 years9.8%6,97223.8%−14.0 pts61,374 miles
9 years11.6%6,91127.1%−15.6 pts69,848 miles
10 years14.6%6,54030.3%−15.7 pts78,415 miles
11 years16.8%7,07233.3%−16.4 pts87,389 miles
12 years19.2%7,94636.0%−16.8 pts96,621 miles
13 years22.6%8,53838.3%−15.7 pts105,593 miles
14 years24.3%9,47140.3%−16.0 pts113,673 miles
15 years26.7%10,87341.6%−14.9 pts120,825 miles
16 years27.6%10,80742.6%−15.0 pts126,302 miles
17 years30.2%10,55343.1%−12.9 pts129,323 miles
18 years31.4%9,15943.3%−11.9 pts128,471 miles
19 years31.7%6,40843.2%−11.4 pts126,789 miles
20 years34.7%3,87342.8%−8.0 pts123,687 miles
21 years33.7%1,98442.1%−8.3 pts121,627 miles

Most common fail items at 15 years

Split into structural or mechanical items and wear items. Wear items (tyres, brake pads, wipers, bulbs) say more about upkeep than about the design.

Structural and mechanical

Fail itemPer 100 MOTs
Suspension arm bush worn Major2.4
Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Major2.4
Shock absorber leaking Major1.7

Out of 10,873 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Wear and upkeep

Fail itemPer 100 MOTs
Side/position light not working Major7.9
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Dangerous2.9
Wipers not clearing screen Major2.4
Brake pads under 1.5 mm Dangerous1.8
Tyre with cords exposed Dangerous1.7
Tyre condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Major1.5
Headlight aimed too high Major1.2

Out of 10,873 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Other models at 15 years

ModelMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
Lexus IS26.7%12,15841.6%
Ford Fiesta44.6%302,72341.6%
Ford Focus42.7%218,89541.6%

MOT fail rate by first-use year

Each year has its own page: the fail rate for cars first used that year at each MOT from 2022 to 2025 with at least 1,000 tests, the most common faults at that age, and the car tax and ULEZ rules for that year.

First-use year data updated .

Latest MOT age with at least 1,000 tests for each first-use year.
First usedAge at testMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
200420 years in 202434.6%1,20942.8%
200520 years in 202534.8%1,68642.8%
200619 years in 202533.1%2,13243.2%
200718 years in 202531.5%2,68543.3%
200817 years in 202529.3%2,37343.1%
200916 years in 202526.2%2,32842.6%
201015 years in 202524.9%2,53341.6%
201114 years in 202527.2%1,76740.3%
201213 years in 202519.4%1,72838.3%
201312 years in 202514.3%1,80336.0%
201411 years in 202514.6%1,64733.3%
201510 years in 202514.3%1,27030.3%
20169 years in 20258.3%2,09927.1%
20178 years in 20258.8%1,80823.8%
20187 years in 20256.8%1,69920.6%
20196 years in 20255.4%2,13417.8%
20205 years in 20255.4%1,62315.3%
20214 years in 20255.0%1,67013.4%

More on the Lexus RX

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

Looking at one Lexus RX?

These are figures for the model, not for one car. The VetTheCar Buying Report looks at a single car: its MOT tests, defects, advisories and mileage readings.

See an example report Browse the car tools

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 22 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources