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

1,496 Lexus SCs are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 76.7% of initial MOT tests, 4.4 points above the 72.3% UK average.

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

Lexus SC at the MOT

76.7% of 1,794 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the SC 242nd of 575 models.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Lexus SC76.7%
  • All Lexus modelsThe SC is 7.3 pts behind84%
  • All cars72.3%

Where SCs fail

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

  • Brakes20.7%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment20.4%
  • Suspension15.2%
  • Tyres12.5%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks12.5%

The items testers recorded most often were malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction (5.6%), ball joint excessively worn (4.5%) and wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (4.3%).

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

Full Lexus SC MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

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

  1. 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.20.7% of SC failure items

  2. 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.20.4% of SC failure items

  3. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.15.2% of SC failure items

Lexus SCs in the UK

1,496 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 26% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−26%from 2,011 licensed
Declared off the road
46024% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Lexus SCs since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 20142,011
End of 20151,948
End of 20161,905
End of 20171,846
End of 20181,766
End of 20191,733
End of 20201,637
End of 20211,595
End of 20221,558
End of 20231,495
End of 20241,419
End of 20251,372
End of June 20261,496

SC engine sizes

4.3 litre engines made up 99% of Lexus SC MOT tests in 2025. Petrol accounts for 100% of licensed SCs.

Lexus SC recalls

3 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Lexus SC. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every SC is affected.

  1. Jan 2019 R/2018/309

    Front passenger air bag inflators containing degraded propellant may result in an inflator rupture

    SCs built May 2001 to Jul 2010 · 1,842 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Passenger air bag may cause injury if activated.
    Remedy
    Replace affected air bag assembly.

  2. Jun 2015 R/2015/096

    Passenger side airbag may fail to deploy correctly

    SCs built May 2003 to Dec 2007 · 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.

  3. Apr 2013 R/2013/048

    Passenger side airbag may fail to deploy correctly

    SCs built Jan 2001 to Nov 2003 · 85,405 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.
How to check a specific SC for recalls

Other Lexus models

The most-tested Lexus models in 2025, against the SC's 76.7% MOT pass rate.

All 10 Lexus models

Lexus SC FAQs

How many Lexus SCs are there in the UK?

1,496 Lexus SCs were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 460 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Lexus SC 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 76.7% first-time pass rate for the Lexus SC across 1,794 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Lexus SC had any recalls?

3 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Lexus SC. The most recent was published in January 2019. 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 SC?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: brakes, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and suspension. 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 SC'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 SC?

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.