The Lexus RX passes its MOT first time on 80.0% of tests, 14.9 points higher than a typical car of the same age and mileage (65.1%). That puts it ahead of 98% of cars on UK roads once age and mileage are taken into account.
By year of first registration, the 2009 RX does best (beats 99% of cars) and the 2007 worst (beats 96%).
Of its engines, the 3.5 Hybrid does best (beats 99%) and the 3.0 Petrol worst (beats 92%).
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 RXTypical 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
3.5 Hybrid
2007–2022
161,373
87.3%
Beats 99%
A
3.3 Hybrid
2005–2009
54,638
72.3%
Beats 96%
A
3.0 Petrol
2001–2006
44,240
67.2%
Beats 92%
A
3.5 Petrol
2006–2012
14,872
74.4%
Beats 97%
A
3.3 Petrol
2005–2009
11,478
72.8%
Beats 97%
A
3.3 OT
2006–2009
7,623
76.0%
Beats 99%
A
3.5 OT
2009–2012
6,850
81.1%
Beats 99%
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: 4.4% 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
7.5% vs 15.6%
Brakes
5.5% vs 9.2%
Suspension
5.0% vs 12.4%
Tyres
4.4% vs 7.3%
Visibility
3.3% vs 5.7%
Emissions & leaks
1.4% vs 4.3%
Body & structure
1.3% vs 5.0%
Wheels
0.3% vs 0.5%
Steering
0.3% vs 2.6%
Seat belts & airbags
0.3% vs 1.6%
Buying one or MOT due? Check these
Sidelights Walk around with the lights on: bulb failures are the easiest MOT fails to avoid.
Tyre damage & cracking Look for cuts, bulges and cracking on both sidewalls of every tyre.
Windscreen wipers Test the washers and wipers: a cheap fix, but a very common MOT fail.
Headlight aim Park facing a wall at night: both dipped beams should sit level and dip to the left.
Brake pads Ask when the pads were last replaced and look for a brake-wear warning on the dash.
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.
Pass rate by mileage
First-time pass rate by mileage at the test.
Lexus RXTypical car
Most common MOT failures
Item
This car
Typical
vs typical
Sidelights
3.7%
4.1%
0.9×
Tyre damage & cracking
2.7%
3.9%
0.7×
Windscreen wipers
2.1%
2.5%
0.8×
Headlight aim
1.8%
4.3%
0.4×
Brake pads
1.6%
2.2%
0.7×
Tyre tread depth
1.5%
3.1%
0.5×
Handbrake performance
1.4%
2.2%
0.6×
Headlight bulbs & units
1.0%
2.9%
0.3×
Engine warning light
0.9%
1.5%
0.6×
Shock absorbers
0.9%
1.4%
0.7×
Specific defects found
Tester wording for the most frequent failure items, per 1,000 tests.
Defect
per 1,000
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
31.1
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
20.5
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements
17.7
A tyre seriously damaged
16.1
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
15.4
A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
15.2
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
14.9
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
14.7
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.
2022 Lexus RX1 engine95.3% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.5 Hybrid
4,026
95.3%
Beats 100%
A
2021 Lexus RX1 engine95.1% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.5 Hybrid
4,811
95.1%
Beats 100%
A
2020 Lexus RX1 engine94.9% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.5 Hybrid
6,490
94.9%
Beats 100%
A
2019 Lexus RX1 engine94.3% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.5 Hybrid
10,896
94.3%
Beats 100%
A
2018 Lexus RX1 engine94.2% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.5 Hybrid
10,703
94.2%
Beats 100%
A
2017 Lexus RX1 engine92.9% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.5 Hybrid
13,281
92.9%
Beats 100%
A
2016 Lexus RX1 engine92.6% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.5 Hybrid
17,469
92.6%
Beats 100%
A
2015 Lexus RX1 engine89.6% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.5 Hybrid
11,312
89.6%
Beats 100%
A
2014 Lexus RX1 engine87.5% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.5 Hybrid
14,455
87.5%
Beats 99%
A
2013 Lexus RX1 engine86.9% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.5 Hybrid
15,926
86.9%
Beats 100%
A
2012 Lexus RX3 engines83.5% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.5 Hybrid
12,813
83.3%
Beats 99%
A
3.5 OT
1,213
86.9%
Beats 100%
A
3.5 Petrol
1,033
81.5%
Beats 98%
A
2011 Lexus RX3 engines78.4% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.5 Hybrid
11,944
77.9%
Beats 97%
A
3.5 OT
1,817
80.7%
Beats 98%
A
3.5 Petrol
1,645
78.9%
Beats 98%
A
2010 Lexus RX3 engines77.9% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.5 Hybrid
16,668
77.7%
Beats 99%
A
3.5 OT
2,560
79.5%
Beats 99%
A
3.5 Petrol
2,426
77.4%
Beats 98%
A
2009 Lexus RX6 engines77.1% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.5 Hybrid
7,931
76.0%
Beats 98%
A
3.3 Hybrid
7,309
76.9%
Beats 99%
A
3.5 Petrol
1,597
77.3%
Beats 99%
A
3.3 Petrol
1,414
77.3%
Beats 99%
A
3.3 OT
1,321
81.8%
Beats 100%
A
3.5 OT
1,260
79.1%
Beats 99%
A
2008 Lexus RX5 engines74.6% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.3 Hybrid
14,533
74.2%
Beats 98%
A
3.3 Petrol
2,698
74.8%
Beats 98%
A
3.3 OT
2,102
77.0%
Beats 99%
A
3.5 Hybrid
1,341
74.3%
Beats 98%
A
3.5 Petrol
1,205
75.0%
Beats 98%
A
2007 Lexus RX5 engines71.5% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.3 Hybrid
15,909
71.3%
Beats 96%
A
3.5 Petrol
3,535
71.7%
Beats 95%
A
3.3 Petrol
3,281
71.5%
Beats 96%
A
3.3 OT
2,493
73.6%
Beats 98%
A
3.5 Hybrid
1,307
70.0%
Beats 94%
A
2006 Lexus RX5 engines70.9% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.3 Hybrid
11,163
70.7%
Beats 96%
A
3.5 Petrol
3,431
69.3%
Beats 93%
A
3.0 Petrol
3,183
71.3%
Beats 96%
A
3.3 Petrol
2,702
71.8%
Beats 97%
A
3.3 OT
1,707
73.7%
Beats 98%
A
2005 Lexus RX3 engines68.5% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.0 Petrol
12,421
68.8%
Beats 94%
A
3.3 Hybrid
5,724
67.7%
Beats 92%
A
3.3 Petrol
1,383
69.3%
Beats 95%
A
2004 Lexus RX1 engine67.8% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.0 Petrol
15,522
67.8%
Beats 94%
A
2003 Lexus RX1 engine67.0% passA
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.0 Petrol
7,494
67.0%
Beats 92%
A
2002 Lexus RX1 engine59.1% passB
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.0 Petrol
3,150
59.1%
Beats 73%
B
2001 Lexus RX1 engine60.8% passB
Engine
Tests
Pass rate
Rank
Grade
3.0 Petrol
2,470
60.8%
Beats 77%
B
FAQ
What is the Lexus RX MOT pass rate?
80.0% of MOT tests on the Lexus RX were passed first time, based on 301,074 tests between 2018 and 2026 of cars first registered 2001–2022. A typical car of the same age and mileage passes 65.1% of the time.
Is the Lexus RX 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 98% of cars on UK roads. MOT results cover safety and emissions items, not every kind of breakdown.
Which Lexus RX year is best?
Among years with enough data, the 2009 RX does best for its age and mileage: it beats 99% of cars on UK roads. The 2007 does worst: it beats 96%.
Which Lexus RX engine is best?
Across all years, the 3.5 Hybrid does best: it beats 99% of cars on UK roads. The 3.0 Petrol does worst: it beats 92%.
What are the most common MOT failures on the Lexus RX?
The most common failure items are sidelights, tyre damage & cracking, windscreen wipers.
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.