carpeep

Lexus IS, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

31,286 Lexus IS cars are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 77.7% of initial MOT tests, 5.4 points above the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific IS? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Lexus IS at the MOT

77.7% of 34,616 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the IS 230th of 575 models. Lexus IS cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 90.2% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 72.9%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Lexus IS77.7%
  • All Lexus modelsThe IS is 6.3 pts behind84%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Lexus IS tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years1,383 tests90.2%
  • 6 to 10 years9,879 tests87.2%
  • 11 years and over23,354 tests72.9%

Where IS cars fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Lexus IS tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment29.7%
  • Brakes17.2%
  • Tyres17%
  • Suspension11.7%
  • Visibility8.5%

The items testers recorded most often were position lamp not working (7%), tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (4.7%) and wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (4.6%).

The MOT page lists every common IS MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Lexus IS MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The IS's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

    Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.29.7% of IS failure items

  2. Brakes

    Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing.17.2% of IS failure items

  3. Tyres

    Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear.17% of IS failure items

Lexus IS cars in the UK

31,286 were licensed at the end of June 2026, the 3rd most of any Lexus. The number licensed has fallen 49% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−49%from 60,758 licensed
First registered in 2025
18against 3,622 in 2015
Declared off the road
8,96722% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Lexus IS cars since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201460,758
End of 201561,112
End of 201659,895
End of 201757,010
End of 201853,659
End of 201950,154
End of 202046,632
End of 202143,212
End of 202240,279
End of 202337,398
End of 202434,651
End of 202532,229
End of June 202631,286

IS engines and fuel

2.5 litre engines made up 71% of Lexus IS MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.0 litre at 14%. Petrol accounts for 47% of licensed IS cars and hybrid electric for 42%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 34,604 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.5 litre70.7%
  • 2.0 litre13.9%
  • 2.2 litre12.9%
  • 3.0 litre1.7%

Fuel type, licensed IS cars

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol14,62447%
Diesel3,63312%
Hybrid electric13,02142%
Gas8<0.1%

Lexus IS recalls

9 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Lexus IS. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every IS is affected.

  1. Jan 2023 R/2022/345

    Fuel tank vent tube assembly could develop a crack which could lead to a fuel leak and a risk of a vehicle fire

    IS cars built Apr 2013 to Aug 2018 · 20,770 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace fuel tank vent tube assembly.

  2. Oct 2020 R/2020/060

    Fuel pump impeller can crack and cause fuel pump to become inoprative

    IS cars built Jul 2017 to Sep 2019 · 6,787 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the low pressure fuel pump located in the fuel tank could become inoperative.
    Remedy
    Replace the fuel pump.

  3. Nov 2017 R/2017/251

    Driver and/or front passenger airbag may fail to deploy as intended

    6 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    An incorrect specification driver or front passenger air bag assembly may have been installed during production. As a result the airbag(s) may not deploy as intended.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles replace the air bag with the correct module.

  4. May 2016 R/2016/080

    Risk of fire

    IS cars built Jun 2005 to Sep 2007 · 10,958 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The fuel pressure sensor may not have correctly tightened during assembly. Over time this may affect the seal and allow fuel odour to escape. This could ignite in the presence of an ignition source.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles replace seal and tighten pressure sensor to specification.

  5. Jun 2015 R/2015/096

    Passenger side airbag may fail to deploy correctly

    IS cars built Feb 2010 to Jun 2015 · 542,751 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The subject vehicles are equipped with front passenger airbag inflators which could have been assembled with improperly manufactured propellant wafers. Improperly manufactured propellant wafers could cause the inflator to rupture and the front passenger airbag to deploy abnormally in a crash. This could result in increased risk of injury to the occupant and the possibility of a fire.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected to replace the airbag.

  6. Nov 2014 R/2014/135

    Risk of fire

    IS cars built Jul 2007 to Jul 2010 · 9,712 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The fuel pressure sensor gasket may degrade and allow fuel to leak into the engine compartment. In the presence of an ignition source the risk of fire is increased.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected to repair the fuel pipe and replace the fuel pressure sensor gasket.

  7. Apr 2013 R/2013/015

    Front wiper may become inoperative

    IS cars built Apr 2007 to Sep 2010 · 15 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    In the front wipers on subject left hand drive cars there is high friction at the tightening surface between the wiper arm nut and the wiper arm that could result in the nut being insufficiently tight. If the movement of the wiper arm is restricted by an external load such as a build up of heavy snow on the windshield the wiper motor torque may exceed the wiper arm slipping torque and one or both wipers could become inoperative. If this happens then visibility could be reduced which could increase the risk of a crash.
    Remedy
    Replace the front wiper arm nuts

  8. Feb 2011 R/2011/006

    Fuel may leak

    IS cars built Aug 2007 to Feb 2009 · 3,146 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Due to insufficient tightening of the fuel pressure sensor connected to the engine fuel delivery pipe there is a possibility that over time the pressure sensor could loosen. If loosening occurs fuel could leak past the gasket used in the connection between the sensor and pipe and through the threaded portion of the sensor.
    Remedy
    Check and retighten the fuel pressure sensor to the specified torque setting replacing the gasket if necessary.
How to check a specific IS for recalls

Other Lexus models

The most-tested Lexus models in 2025, against the IS's 77.7% MOT pass rate.

All 10 Lexus models

Lexus IS FAQs

How many Lexus IS cars are there in the UK?

31,286 Lexus IS cars were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 8,967 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Lexus IS reliable?

MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 77.7% first-time pass rate for the Lexus IS across 34,616 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Lexus IS had any recalls?

9 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Lexus IS. The most recent was published in January 2023. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.

What should I check before buying a used Lexus IS?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, brakes and tyres. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check a Lexus IS's history?

Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.

Already found an IS?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,389 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Lexus history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Lexus VIN check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to July 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.