Lexus IS common problems and MOT failures
What goes wrong on a used Lexus IS, year by year: known faults from UK buying guides, the parts flagged at MOT more than on other cars (from 20,001 MOTs done during 2025), and what to check before you buy one.
Pick the year
Most years have their own guide. The year is when the car was first registered (it’s on the logbook, or check the reg below).
202620212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999
What usually goes wrong with a Lexus IS?
We haven’t found widely reported faults for the Lexus IS in the UK buying guides we use yet. That doesn’t mean it has none, so check the car carefully and look at the MOT weak spots below.
Common Lexus IS MOT failures to check
Parts flagged at MOT well above the usual rate for cars the same age, in more than one year. From the DVSA’s results for every MOT done in Great Britain during 2025.
Rust around sub-frame mountings
up to 3.3× usualStands out on cars registered in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
Rough price £300–£1,000 our estimateAt the viewing: Look underneath at the frame the suspension bolts to. Flaky rust or holes are expensive to fix.
Lexus IS MOT pass rate by year
Of the years since 2005 with plenty of MOT tests, the 2013 Lexus IS did best (83% passed first time, 17 points above all 2013 cars) and the 2019 did worst (89%, 5 points above all 2019 cars). Older cars fail more, so compare each year with all cars registered the same year.
| Year | Pass first time | All cars that year | MOT tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 92% | 86% +6 | 554 |
| 2019 | 89% | 84% +5 | 1,154 |
| 2018 | 91% | 81% +10 | 1,467 |
| 2017 | 90% | 78% +12 | 1,555 |
| 2016 | 85% | 75% +10 | 1,952 |
| 2015 | 86% | 72% +14 | 2,772 |
| 2014 | 85% | 69% +16 | 3,001 |
| 2013 | 83% | 66% +17 | 1,607 |
| 2012 | 80% | 63% +17 | 298 (small sample) |
| 2011 | 81% | 61% +20 | 135 (small sample) |
| 2010 | 74% | 59% +15 | 145 (small sample) |
| 2009 | 78% | 58% +20 | 153 (small sample) |
| 2008 | 74% | 57% +17 | 222 (small sample) |
| 2007 | 70% | 57% +13 | 203 (small sample) |
| 2006 | 65% | 57% +8 | 163 (small sample) |
| 2005 | 68% | 58% +10 | 607 |
| 2004 | 65% | 58% +7 | 1,159 |
| 2003 | 65% | 59% +6 | 973 |
| 2002 | 64% | 60% +4 | 758 |
| 2001 | 71% | 61% +10 | 587 |
| 2000 | 65% | 63% +2 | 330 (small sample) |
| 1999 | 71% | 65% +6 | 206 (small sample) |
Questions to ask the seller before buying a Lexus IS
Ask before you travel to see it. A seller who knows the car will have answers, and receipts.
- Any recent work on the rust around sub-frame mountings? (Flagged at MOT 3.3× as often on the Lexus IS as on other cars the same age.)
- Can I see the service history and receipts for any big jobs?
Looking at a Lexus IS?
Check the actual car: its own MOT history, whether it already shows these weak spots and what to ask the seller. Free, no sign-up.
Where this comes from: MOT figures are the DVSA’s anonymised results for every MOT test done in Great Britain during 2025, grouped by the year each car was first registered. How many are on the road is from the Department for Transport’s vehicle licensing statistics. Known faults are from UK buying guides, in our own words, with links. How we score