6,420 tests in 2025
Lexus Rx450h reliability and MOT pass rate
81% passed first time. The 19% fail rate is 3.6 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 15 years old with 116,419 miles.
Pass rate
81%
22.6% of all cars failed; 19% of these did.
Fixed on the day
6%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
116,419 mi
15 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 11 | — |
| 6-9 years | 63 | — |
| 10-13 years | 1,053 | 14.6% |
| 14+ years | 5,293 | 20.1% |
What the Rx450h 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.
- Suspension35 dangerous52.5%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment2 dangerous33.2%
- Tyres356 dangerous27.7%
- Brakes174 dangerous22.8%
- Visibility2 dangerous10.2%
- Body, chassis, structure5 dangerous6.1%
- Noise, emissions and leaks2.3%
- Road Wheels2 dangerous1.9%
Is the Rx450h getting worse?
The fail rate rose 3.1 points to 19% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years. Ageing alone would predict about 5.3 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 7,091 | 12 | 15.9% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 7,066 | 13 | 17.1% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 6,292 | 14 | 17.1% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 6,420 | 15 | 19% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Rx450h 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 Rx450h in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Position lamp: not working257 tests
- 2Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt160 tests
- 3Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak131 tests
- 4Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick117 tests
- 5Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn114 tests
- 6Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm112 tests
- 7Condition: has ply or cords exposed108 tests
- 8Ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt86 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Rx450h collects 3.05 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 worn1,412 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm1,113 tests
- 3Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick572 tests
- 4Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened558 tests
- 5Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak528 tests
- 6Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure423 tests
- 7Sub-frame: corroded and seriously weakened355 tests
- 8Non-component advisories: Fuel Pipe/s corroded251 tests
Questions
What is the Lexus Rx450h MOT pass rate?
81% of the 6,420 Lexus Rx450h first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 19% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 6% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Lexus Rx450h usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Position lamp: not working", recorded on 257 failed tests, followed by "Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" and "Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak". By section, suspension appears in 52.5% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 33.2% of failures, tyres appears in 27.7% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 0%; at 14+ years it was 20.1%. The median Lexus Rx450h tested in 2025 was 15 years old with 116,419 miles.
Is the Lexus Rx450h getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 3.1 points to 19% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years. Ageing alone would predict about 5.3 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 Rx450h 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 Rx450h?
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.