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

2,313 Lexus RCs are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 88.8% of initial MOT tests, 16.5 points above the 72.3% UK average.

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

Lexus RC at the MOT

88.8% of 2,343 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the RC 56th of 575 models. Lexus RCs aged 3 to 5 years passed 90.1% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 6 to 10 years that fell to 88.4%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Lexus RC88.8%
  • All Lexus modelsThe RC is 4.8 pts ahead84%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Lexus RC tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years558 tests90.1%
  • 6 to 10 years1,778 tests88.4%

Where RCs fail

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

  • Tyres49.3%
  • Visibility17.2%
  • Brakes13%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment12.1%
  • Suspension2.9%

The items testers recorded most often were condition has ply or cords exposed (16.4%), condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (14.7%) and wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (14.3%).

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

Full Lexus RC MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

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

  1. 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.49.3% of RC failure items

  2. Visibility

    Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly.17.2% of RC failure items

  3. 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.13% of RC failure items

Lexus RCs in the UK

2,313 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 163% since the end of 2016.

Change since 2016
+163%from 881 licensed
First registered in 2025
2against 717 in 2016
Declared off the road
522.2% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Lexus RCs since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 20147
End of 2015204
End of 2016881
End of 20171,315
End of 20181,681
End of 20192,060
End of 20202,289
End of 20212,299
End of 20222,316
End of 20232,292
End of 20242,310
End of 20252,312
End of June 20262,313

RC engines and fuel

2.5 litre engines made up 86% of Lexus RC MOT tests in 2025, followed by 5.0 litre at 10%. Hybrid electric accounts for 85% of licensed RCs and petrol for 15%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 2,343 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.5 litre85.6%
  • 5.0 litre10.4%
  • 2.0 litre4%

Fuel type, licensed RCs

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol34515%
Hybrid electric1,96885%

Lexus RC recalls

4 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Lexus RC. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every RC is affected.

  1. May 2026 R/2026/151

    Low pressure fuel pump replacement

    RCs built Jun 2014 to Apr 2022 · 1,025 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    For certain vehicles which are equipped with a low-pressure fuel pump that supplies fuel through use of an impeller made of resin the material in this impeller may swell sufficiently to interfere with surrounding components potentially causing the fuel pump to become inoperative
    Remedy
    Replacement of the fuel pump

  2. 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

    RCs built Oct 2014 to Aug 2018 · 20,770 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace fuel tank vent tube assembly.

  3. Oct 2020 R/2020/060

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

    RCs 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.

  4. Apr 2018 R/2018/050

    Fuel may leak

    RCs built Jun 2014 to Dec 2017 · 393 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Under certain operating conditions resonance caused by fuel pressure could damage the pulsation damper in either of the high pressure fuel pumps. This damage can lead to abnormal noise/vibration and over time can cause the pump cover to develop a fatigue crack and fuel may leak.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles replace the high pressure fuel pumps with a nev version.
How to check a specific RC for recalls

Other Lexus models

The most-tested Lexus models in 2025, against the RC's 88.8% MOT pass rate.

All 10 Lexus models

Lexus RC FAQs

How many Lexus RCs are there in the UK?

2,313 Lexus RCs were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 52 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Lexus RC 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 an 88.8% first-time pass rate for the Lexus RC across 2,343 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Lexus RC had any recalls?

4 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Lexus RC. The most recent was published in May 2026. 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 RC?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: tyres, visibility and brakes. 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 RC'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 RC?

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

Across the 1,548 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 October 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.