8,481 tests in 2025
Lexus Is250 reliability and MOT pass rate
79.5% passed first time. The 20.5% fail rate is 2.1 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 17 years old with 103,608 miles.
Pass rate
79.5%
22.6% of all cars failed; 20.5% of these did.
Fixed on the day
6.1%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
103,608 mi
17 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 0 | — |
| 6-9 years | 1 | — |
| 10-13 years | 390 | 12.3% |
| 14+ years | 8,090 | 20.9% |
What the Is250 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.
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment42.8%
- Brakes326 dangerous37.4%
- Tyres516 dangerous28.8%
- Noise, emissions and leaks1 dangerous19.5%
- Suspension22 dangerous18.4%
- Visibility11.4%
- Body, chassis, structure13 dangerous10.2%
- Road Wheels6 dangerous3.8%
Is the Is250 getting worse?
The fail rate rose 3 points to 20.5% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (3.3 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 10,282 | 14 | 17.5% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 9,990 | 15 | 19.6% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 8,577 | 16 | 19.7% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 8,480 | 17 | 20.5% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Is250 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 Is250 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Position lamp: not working258 tests
- 2Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick203 tests
- 3Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect183 tests
- 4Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm177 tests
- 5Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak171 tests
- 6Headlamp: not working on dipped beam161 tests
- 7Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits153 tests
- 8Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction140 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Is250 collects 2.72 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 1.6mm1,414 tests
- 2Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick822 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened743 tests
- 4Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure638 tests
- 5Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases554 tests
- 6Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak514 tests
- 7Headlamp: has a product on the lens so that the light output is severely reduced510 tests
- 8Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded481 tests
Questions
What is the Lexus Is250 MOT pass rate?
79.5% of the 8,481 Lexus Is250 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 20.5% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 6.1% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Lexus Is250 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Position lamp: not working", recorded on 258 failed tests, followed by "Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick" and "Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect". By section, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 42.8% of failures, brakes appears in 37.4% of failures, tyres appears in 28.8% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was n/a%; at 14+ years it was 20.9%. The median Lexus Is250 tested in 2025 was 17 years old with 103,608 miles.
Is the Lexus Is250 getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 3 points to 20.5% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (3.3 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
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 Is250 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 Is250?
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.