81.1%
Lexus RX
Lexus RX MOT pass rate and common problems
The Lexus RX passed 81.1% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 8.8 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was position lamp not working.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the RX compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
84%
Lexus average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The RX runs 2.9 points behind the Lexus average. It is 6th of the 10 Lexus models in the data. The average RX arrived at its test 12.2 years old with 93,268 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
RX MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Lexus RX cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 94.8% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 72.7%, a drop of 22.2 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 5,195 | 94.8% | 22.5 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 8,483 | 90.6% | 18.3 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 21,212 | 72.7% | In line |
That is a steep decline with age, so the headline rate flatters older examples. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where RX failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Lexus RX cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and suspension together account for 49.3% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common RX MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Lexus RX cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 43.8% of everything testers recorded against failed Lexus RX cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a RX
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Suspension
Recorded most often: pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn, linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength and ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. 14.3% of failure items.
2
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working. 10.7% of failure items.
3
Tyres
Recorded most often: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords and condition has ply or cords exposed. 10.6% of failure items.
4
Visibility
Recorded most often: wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively. 4.3% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific RX has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Lexus RX buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Lexus RX MOT FAQs
What is the Lexus RX MOT pass rate?
81.1% of Lexus RX cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 36,751 tests. That is 8.8 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 181st of 575 models.
What does a Lexus RX most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Lexus RX cars failing their 2025 MOT was position lamp not working, on 10.7% of failure items. Next were wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (4.3%) and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (4.3%).
Which area causes the most Lexus RX MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 25.8%, followed by suspension at 23.6%.
Do older Lexus RX cars fail their MOT more often?
Lexus RX cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 94.8% of MOT tests in 2025, against 72.7% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every Lexus RX has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Lexus RX that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific Lexus RX's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.