2,636 tests in 2025
Lexus Rx300 reliability and MOT pass rate
72.9% passed first time. The 27.1% fail rate is 4.5 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 21 years old with 120,953 miles.
Pass rate
72.9%
22.6% of all cars failed; 27.1% of these did.
Fixed on the day
6.3%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
120,953 mi
21 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 1 | — |
| 6-9 years | 2 | — |
| 10-13 years | 0 | — |
| 14+ years | 2,633 | 27.2% |
What the Rx300 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.
- Brakes178 dangerous47.3%
- Suspension30 dangerous46.4%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment29.9%
- Noise, emissions and leaks1 dangerous20.8%
- Tyres97 dangerous15.4%
- Body, chassis, structure8 dangerous13%
- Visibility9%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems5.5%
Is the Rx300 getting worse?
The fail rate rose 1.2 points to 27.2% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (0.2 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4,916 | 18 | 26% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 4,121 | 19 | 26.2% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 3,090 | 20 | 27.4% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 2,596 | 21 | 27.2% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Rx300 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 Rx300 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength119 tests
- 2Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick85 tests
- 3Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction84 tests
- 4Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements74 tests
- 5Position lamp: not working74 tests
- 6Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn55 tests
- 7Ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt45 tests
- 8Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak40 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Rx300 collects 3.79 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.
- 1Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn699 tests
- 2Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine679 tests
- 3Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm446 tests
- 4Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened377 tests
- 5Sub-frame: corroded and seriously weakened294 tests
- 6Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick272 tests
- 7Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure253 tests
- 8Registration plates: inscription illegible181 tests
Questions
What is the Lexus Rx300 MOT pass rate?
72.9% of the 2,636 Lexus Rx300 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 27.1% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 6.3% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Lexus Rx300 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength", recorded on 119 failed tests, followed by "Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick" and "Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction". By section, brakes appears in 47.3% of failures, suspension appears in 46.4% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 29.9% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 0%; at 14+ years it was 27.2%. The median Lexus Rx300 tested in 2025 was 21 years old with 120,953 miles.
Is the Lexus Rx300 getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 1.2 points to 27.2% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (0.2 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 Rx300 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 Rx300?
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.