The Lexus IS passes its MOT first time on 75.8% of tests, 12.9 points higher than a typical car of the same age and mileage (62.9%). That puts it ahead of 95% of cars on UK roads once age and mileage are taken into account.
By year of first registration, the 2014 IS does best (beats 99% of cars) and the 2006 worst (beats 95%).
Of its engines, the 2.5 Hybrid does best (beats 99%) and the 2.0 Petrol worst (beats 80%).
Better than average on lights & electrics, brakes, suspension.
MOT pass rate by age
First-time pass rate at each MOT by the car’s age in years.
Lexus ISTypical car, same age & mileage
Best and worst years
By year of first registration, ranked against all cars on UK roads after adjusting for age and mileage. Green = better than half of cars.
All years, most common first. Grades compare each car with cars of the same age and mileage (A = best 20% of cars on UK roads, E = worst 20%), so an older or higher-mileage car can grade above one with a higher pass rate.
Engine
Years
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.5 Hybrid
2013–2020
106,074
87.3%
Beats 99%
A
2.5 Petrol
2005–2014
104,900
77.0%
Beats 98%
A
2.0 Petrol
1999–2005
72,168
63.0%
Beats 80%
B
2.2 Diesel
2006–2011
68,102
70.4%
Beats 94%
A
3.0 Petrol
2002–2004
5,710
67.5%
Beats 91%
A
Where it fails
Each area compared with a typical car of the same age and mileage, in points of pass rate. Tap or hover an area to see what to check.
Better than typicalTypicalWorse than typical
Tyres: 7.3% of tests fail on tyres, against 7.3% for a typical car of the same age and mileage. Check the tread on every tyre, including the inner edge, and look for cuts or bulges.
Every MOT area
Share of tests failing on each area, against a typical car of the same age and mileage (black line).
Lights & electrics
10.2% vs 16.9%
Tyres
7.3% vs 7.3%
Brakes
6.4% vs 10.1%
Suspension
4.3% vs 13.3%
Visibility
4.2% vs 6.2%
Emissions & leaks
2.4% vs 4.9%
Body & structure
1.7% vs 5.6%
Seat belts & airbags
0.7% vs 1.8%
Wheels
0.5% vs 0.5%
Steering
0.5% vs 2.9%
Buying one or MOT due? Check these
Tyre damage & cracking Look for cuts, bulges and cracking on both sidewalls of every tyre.
Headlight aim Park facing a wall at night: both dipped beams should sit level and dip to the left.
Sidelights Walk around with the lights on: bulb failures are the easiest MOT fails to avoid.
Tyre tread depth Check every tyre, including the inner edge, has at least 3 mm of tread. Uneven wear can point to alignment or suspension problems.
Headlight bulbs & units Check dipped and main beam on both sides.
Windscreen wipers Test the washers and wipers: a cheap fix, but a very common MOT fail.
Pass rate by mileage
First-time pass rate by mileage at the test.
Lexus ISTypical car
Most common MOT failures
Item
This car
Typical
vs typical
Tyre damage & cracking
4.2%
3.7%
1.1×
Headlight aim
3.5%
4.6%
0.8×
Sidelights
3.3%
4.3%
0.8×
Tyre tread depth
2.6%
3.1%
0.8×
Headlight bulbs & units
2.6%
3.2%
0.8×
Windscreen wipers
2.4%
2.7%
0.9×
Brake pads
1.9%
2.2%
0.9×
Brake performance
1.4%
1.6%
0.8×
Windscreen washers
1.3%
2.8%
0.5×
Shock absorbers
1.1%
1.4%
0.8×
Specific defects found
Tester wording for the most frequent failure items, per 1,000 tests.
Defect
per 1,000
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements
35.3
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
26.4
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
26.4
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
23.9
A tyre seriously damaged
23.4
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
17.7
A tyre cords visible or damaged
17.1
A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
15.8
Check another car
Pick a make and model to see its MOT pass rate, best and worst years and weak spots.
Every year and engine
Tap a year to see its engines. Grades compare each car with cars of the same age and mileage (A = best 20% of cars on UK roads, E = worst 20%), so an older or higher-mileage car can grade above one with a higher pass rate.
2020 Lexus IS1 engine90.3% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.5 Hybrid
2,202
90.3%
Beats 93%
A
2019 Lexus IS1 engine89.3% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.5 Hybrid
5,770
89.3%
Beats 95%
A
2018 Lexus IS1 engine90.6% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.5 Hybrid
8,617
90.6%
Beats 99%
A
2017 Lexus IS1 engine89.0% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.5 Hybrid
10,613
89.0%
Beats 98%
A
2016 Lexus IS1 engine87.6% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.5 Hybrid
15,384
87.6%
Beats 98%
A
2015 Lexus IS1 engine87.2% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.5 Hybrid
24,376
87.2%
Beats 99%
A
2014 Lexus IS2 engines85.8% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.5 Hybrid
26,167
85.6%
Beats 99%
A
2.5 Petrol
1,929
88.6%
Beats 99%
A
2013 Lexus IS2 engines85.2% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.5 Hybrid
12,945
85.1%
Beats 99%
A
2.5 Petrol
1,703
86.4%
Beats 99%
A
2012 Lexus IS1 engine84.3% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.5 Petrol
6,763
84.3%
Beats 99%
A
2011 Lexus IS2 engines79.3% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.5 Petrol
8,375
81.6%
Beats 98%
A
2.2 Diesel
4,520
75.0%
Beats 93%
A
2010 Lexus IS2 engines77.9% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.5 Petrol
12,440
81.3%
Beats 99%
A
2.2 Diesel
7,475
72.2%
Beats 92%
A
2009 Lexus IS2 engines76.1% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.5 Petrol
12,160
78.7%
Beats 98%
A
2.2 Diesel
10,820
73.1%
Beats 96%
A
2008 Lexus IS2 engines73.2% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.5 Petrol
15,211
76.0%
Beats 98%
A
2.2 Diesel
12,635
69.9%
Beats 93%
A
2007 Lexus IS2 engines72.0% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.5 Petrol
19,785
74.5%
Beats 97%
A
2.2 Diesel
19,016
69.3%
Beats 94%
A
2006 Lexus IS2 engines70.3% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.5 Petrol
19,096
72.1%
Beats 96%
A
2.2 Diesel
13,636
67.8%
Beats 93%
A
2005 Lexus IS2 engines68.1% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.0 Petrol
8,339
64.8%
Beats 83%
A
2.5 Petrol
7,438
71.7%
Beats 96%
A
2004 Lexus IS2 engines64.7% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.0 Petrol
15,741
64.4%
Beats 83%
A
3.0 Petrol
1,583
67.8%
Beats 91%
A
2003 Lexus IS2 engines63.8% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.0 Petrol
14,522
63.2%
Beats 81%
A
3.0 Petrol
1,857
68.3%
Beats 92%
A
2002 Lexus IS2 engines63.0% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.0 Petrol
12,082
62.3%
Beats 79%
B
3.0 Petrol
2,270
66.7%
Beats 91%
A
2001 Lexus IS1 engine62.3% passB
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.0 Petrol
10,588
62.3%
Beats 79%
B
2000 Lexus IS1 engine60.1% passB
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.0 Petrol
6,787
60.1%
Beats 70%
B
1999 Lexus IS1 engine62.2% passB
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
2.0 Petrol
4,109
62.2%
Beats 73%
B
FAQ
What is the Lexus IS MOT pass rate?
75.8% of MOT tests on the Lexus IS were passed first time, based on 356,954 tests between 2018 and 2026 of cars first registered 1999–2020. A typical car of the same age and mileage passes 62.9% of the time.
Is the Lexus IS reliable?
On MOT results it rates A (excellent): it passes first time more often than a typical car of the same age and mileage and does better than 95% of cars on UK roads. MOT results cover safety and emissions items, not every kind of breakdown.
Which Lexus IS year is best?
Among years with enough data, the 2014 IS does best for its age and mileage: it beats 99% of cars on UK roads. The 2006 does worst: it beats 95%.
Which Lexus IS engine is best?
Across all years, the 2.5 Hybrid does best: it beats 99% of cars on UK roads. The 2.0 Petrol does worst: it beats 80%.
What are the most common MOT failures on the Lexus IS?
The most common failure items are tyre damage & cracking, headlight aim, sidelights.
How we calculate this. We use official MOT results for cars tested in Great Britain from 2018 to 2026. Each car is compared with typical cars of the same age and mileage, so old and new cars are judged fairly; “pts” are percentage points above or below them. Differences also reflect how cars are used and maintained, not only how they are built.