Pass rate, every year
20,777 tests across 13 model years, 2000–2012.
−3.1 pts vs the national average
Pass rate, every year
20,777 tests across 13 model years, 2000–2012.
−3.1 pts vs the national average
Best year to buy
2010 81.1%
The strongest of the 13 years on record. See the 2010 page →
Worst year to buy
2007 76.5%
4.6 points below the 2010 peak. See the 2007 page →
The Lexus IS200 MOT pass rate is 77.9%, −3.1 percentage points below the UK average. That is 20,777 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2000 and 2012. This page lists the most common Lexus IS200 MOT failures by category, names the best and worst model years, and finishes with a pre-MOT checklist you can run at home.
The Lexus IS200 passed on its first attempt in 73.2%, and its overall record sits −3.1 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Lexus IS200 in the 2023–2025 data: 20,777 tests across 13 model years (2000–2012). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.
| Measure | This model |
|---|---|
| Tests analysed | 20,777 |
| Overall pass rate | 77.9% |
| Passed on first attempt | 73.2% |
| Average mileage at test | 118,638 mi |
| Model years covered | 2000–2012 (13 years) |
| Versus UK national average | −3.1 pts below |
Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.
Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Lexus IS200, the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.
| Inspection section | Share of failures |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 51% |
| Suspension | 29% |
| Visibility | 14% |
| Brakes | 3% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 2% |
| Tyres | 1% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 0% |
| Steering | 0% |
Shares are over the Lexus IS200's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.
Around 51% of the recorded Lexus IS200 failures fall in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (6.3%), "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (5.0%), "Position lamp not working" (3.6%) among the Lexus IS200's lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment faults.
Around 29% of the recorded Lexus IS200 failures fall in the Suspension section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength" (3.1%), "Coil spring fractured or broken" (2.3%), "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (2.2%) among the Lexus IS200's suspension faults.
Around 14% of the recorded Lexus IS200 failures fall in the Visibility section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (4.5%), "Wipers blade defective" (0.2%) among the Lexus IS200's visibility faults.
The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Lexus IS200, each with how many of the model's 20,777 tests it was noted on.
7 failure items are recorded at least 1.5 times the UK rate on this model.
| Failure item | This model | UK | × UK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sub-frame mounting corroded | 3.6% | 0.3% | 12.0× | £180–£450 |
| Component mounting: prescribed area excessively corroded | 8.2% | 1.1% | 7.5× | £180–£450 |
| Integral structure corroded | 4.4% | 0.6% | 7.3× | £180–£450 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective | 5.0% | 0.9% | 5.6× | £5–£25 |
| Headlamp has a product on the lens so that the light output is severely reduced | 5.5% | 1.0% | 5.5× | £5–£25 |
| Suspension component corroded | 1.5% | 0.3% | 5.0× | £180–£450 |
| Service brake fluctuating | 2.8% | 1.0% | 2.8× | £60–£150 |
Rates are a share of this model's own tests (20,777 for the top row), so a big seller cannot outrank a rare one. The UK figure is the same item's share of every test in our data. Items IS200 records at or below the UK rate are not listed — this is where it is unusual, not a full inventory. All failure items · parts and costs
The strongest Lexus IS200 model year on record is 2010 (81.1% across 206 tests), and the weakest is 2007 (76.5%). The gap between them is 4.6 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 IS200 | 325 | 79.1% |
| 2011 IS200 | 1,409 | 80.4% |
| 2010 IS200 | 206 | 81.1% |
| 2009 IS200 | 57 | 78.9% |
| 2008 IS200 | 69 | 78.3% |
| 2007 IS200 | 102 | 76.5% |
| 2006 IS200 | 79 | 77.2% |
| 2005 IS200 | 2,648 | 77.4% |
| 2004 IS200 | 4,748 | 77.7% |
| 2003 IS200 | 3,984 | 78.0% |
| 2002 IS200 | 3,219 | 77.2% |
| 2001 IS200 | 2,517 | 77.6% |
| 2000 IS200 | 1,414 | 77.7% |
Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.
These checks follow this Lexus IS200's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Lexus IS200.
the lights — “registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”
Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.
the windscreen — “windscreen damaged”
Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.
corrosion — “component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength”
Look under the sills, around the jacking points and where the suspension mounts meet the body. Flaking, holed or crumbly metal fails; a brown stain on sound metal does not.
Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Lexus IS200. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.
Across every IS200 model year on record (2000–2012): 9,038 Lexus IS200 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 20,777 tests. Ipswich (IP) has the most, with 422 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.
| # | Postcode area | Cars | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ipswich (IP) | 422 | 60.5% |
| 2 | Birmingham (B) | 292 | 81.3% |
| 3 | London (E) | 210 | 89.6% |
| 4 | Manchester (M) | 176 | 80.5% |
| 5 | Hounslow (TW) | 175 | 86.4% |
| 6 | London (NW) | 174 | 82.5% |
| 7 | Middlesbrough (TS) | 171 | 90.7% |
| 8 | Guildford (GU) | 166 | 81.5% |
| 9 | Cambridge (CB) | 160 | 72.4% |
| 10 | Reading (RG) | 160 | 81.0% |
| 11 | Leicester (LE) | 147 | 81.3% |
| 12 | Sheffield (S) | 146 | 81.8% |
| 13 | Peterborough (PE) | 146 | 78.0% |
| 14 | Croydon (CR) | 144 | 86.9% |
| 15 | London (SE) | 143 | 85.1% |
| 16 | Bristol (BS) | 141 | 74.4% |
| 17 | Blackburn (BB) | 141 | 89.4% |
| 18 | London (N) | 140 | 84.8% |
| 19 | Nottingham (NG) | 137 | 74.6% |
| 20 | Wembley (HA) | 127 | 82.4% |
The twenty areas with the most Lexus IS200 cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →
77.9% of the 20,777 recorded Lexus IS200 MOT tests ended in a pass, −3.1 percentage points below the national average. 73.2% of those passed on the first attempt.
2010 is the strongest Lexus IS200 year on record at 81.1%, while 2007 is the weakest at 76.5%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.
The most recorded Lexus IS200 failures are "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" and "Headlamp lens slightly defective" — together around 11% of tests, mostly in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section.