14,471 tests in 2025
Lexus Is reliability and MOT pass rate
88.9% passed first time. The 11.1% fail rate is 11.5 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 10 years old with 77,944 miles.
Pass rate
88.9%
22.6% of all cars failed; 11.1% of these did.
Fixed on the day
3.2%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
77,944 mi
10 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 559 | 5.5% |
| 6-9 years | 5,689 | 8.9% |
| 10-13 years | 7,206 | 12.1% |
| 14+ years | 1,017 | 20.2% |
What the Is fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Tyres759 dangerous53.6%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment1 dangerous26.6%
- Brakes157 dangerous21.8%
- Visibility13.1%
- Suspension6 dangerous9%
- Noise, emissions and leaks2 dangerous3.4%
- Body, chassis, structure10 dangerous2.7%
- Road Wheels5 dangerous2.2%
Is the Is getting worse?
The fail rate rose 1.4 points to 10.1% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 2 years. Ageing alone would predict about 5.2 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 12,797 | 7 | 8.7% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 13,235 | 7 | 8.8% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 11,412 | 8 | 10.1% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 12,019 | 9 | 10.1% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Is at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a Is in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Condition: has ply or cords exposed238 tests
- 2Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords230 tests
- 3Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm168 tests
- 4Headlamp: not working on dipped beam149 tests
- 5Tyre pressure monitoring system: malfunctioning or obviously inoperative138 tests
- 6Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively127 tests
- 7Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick104 tests
- 8Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure72 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Is collects 2.17 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm2,205 tests
- 2Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened883 tests
- 3Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure850 tests
- 4Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick532 tests
- 5Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn444 tests
- 6Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords409 tests
- 7Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm373 tests
- 8Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded266 tests
Questions
What is the Lexus Is MOT pass rate?
88.9% of the 14,471 Lexus Is first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 11.1% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 3.2% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Lexus Is usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Condition: has ply or cords exposed", recorded on 238 failed tests, followed by "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" and "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm". By section, tyres appears in 53.6% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 26.6% of failures, brakes appears in 21.8% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 5.5%; at 14+ years it was 20.2%. The median Lexus Is tested in 2025 was 10 years old with 77,944 miles.
Is the Lexus Is getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 1.4 points to 10.1% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 2 years. Ageing alone would predict about 5.2 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every Is trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
Other Lexus models
Checking a particular Is?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.