Pass rate
78.8%
Around average — 6.4 pts ahead of the 72.4% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 66 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £22–£61
2005 Lexus IS220 MOT pass rate
- 2005
- typical 128,194 mi
Only 66 tests of this exact model and year are in the DVSA data, below the 100 we ask for before a page goes in the index. The figures are still shown, because they are the only ones there are.
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Brakes
34.1% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2009 80.4% pass
- Avoid 2005 78.8% pass · this year
Across the 7 years on record, a spread of 1.6 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 75.9%
- Typical mileage
- 128k mi
The 2005 Lexus IS220 MOT pass rate is 78.8% of its MOT tests — 6.4 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 34.1% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Brakes: 1.6× the national share
Brakes make up 34.1% of everything recorded on the 2005 Lexus Is220, against 20.9% nationally — 13.2 points above. Have the discs and pads measured rather than glanced at, and ask whether the handbrake holds on a slope.
- Beats its own age and mileage. Once you allow for how old and how far these cars have been driven, the expected pass rate is 72.4% and this one manages 78.8% — 6.4 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- Failures here tend to be cheap ones. 70% of the repairs this model fails on cost under £30 in parts. The pass rate matters less than what a bad afternoon at the test centre actually costs you.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Lexus IS220? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2005 Lexus IS220 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.4%, so this figure is 6.4 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 75.9%. The median 2005 Lexus IS220 in this dataset had covered 128,194 mi.
The single most recorded failure item is "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view", noted on 7.58% of tests.
- 66 recorded tests behind this page.
- 78.8% overall pass rate, 75.9% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Lexus IS220, the average is 79.7% — best year 2009 (80.4%), worst 2005 (78.8%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 66
- Typical mileage (median)
- 128,194 mi
- Make and model
- Lexus IS220
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Windscreen
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the IS220 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 67% so small gaps stay visible.
Where the Lexus IS220 is most common
Across all IS220 model years on record (2005–2011): 7,412 Lexus IS220 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 16,422 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 306 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 | Birmingham (B) | 306 | 88.4% |
| 2 | Manchester (M) | 219 | 83.6% |
| 3 | Leicester (LE) | 200 | 84.5% |
| 4 | Peterborough (PE) | 200 | 82.7% |
| 5 | Nottingham (NG) | 183 | 78.9% |
| 6 | Sheffield (S) | 181 | 86.1% |
| 7 | Doncaster (DN) | 158 | 79.6% |
| 8 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 152 | 76.2% |
| 9 | Northampton (NN) | 151 | 82.8% |
| 10 | Coventry (CV) | 146 | 80.2% |
| 11 | Cardiff (CF) | 130 | 73.5% |
| 12 | Liverpool (L) | 128 | 81.5% |
| 13 | Glasgow (G) | 125 | 78.3% |
| 14 | Bristol (BS) | 116 | 72.5% |
| 15 | Ipswich (IP) | 112 | 77.9% |
| 16 | Derby (DE) | 103 | 80.1% |
| 17 | Bradford (BD) | 101 | 78.5% |
| 18 | Milton Keynes (MK) | 101 | 82.3% |
| 19 | Oldham (OL) | 98 | 81.0% |
| 20 | Norwich (NR) | 96 | 74.8% |
The twenty areas with the most Lexus IS220 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 →
What fails a 2005 IS220
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2005 IS220
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the windscreen 7.6% of tests
“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.
-
Check the lights 4.5% of tests
“headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect”
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.
-
Check the wipers and washers 4.5% of tests
“wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively”
Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2005 IS220 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £22–£61 — and 70% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £22–£61
- Cheapest common item: anti-lock braking system warning lamp…
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 80%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 70%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 66 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the IS220, side by side
7 model years on record, from 2005 to 2011. Across them the pass rate runs from 78.8% to 80.4% — a spread of 1.6 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2005 78.8%windscreen damaged but not…
- 2006 79.2% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2007 79.2% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2008 80.3% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2009 80.4% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2010 79.5% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2011 79.5% windscreen damaged but not…
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2005 Lexus IS220 with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2005 cars with a similar record
- Nissan 350 Z 78.7%
- MG Tf 78.9%
- Mitsubishi Lancer 78.4%
- Toyota Prius 79.3%
- BMW 530 78.3%
- Land Rover Range Rover 78.0%
Closest pass rates among 2005 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2005 Lexus IS220 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 9 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 138 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 47 | 34.10% | 20.89% | +13.21 |
| Suspension | 24 | 17.40% | 20.98% | −3.58 |
| Tyres | 20 | 14.50% | 19.76% | −5.26 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 20 | 14.50% | 12.21% | +2.29 |
| Visibility | 14 | 10.10% | 4.97% | +5.13 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 5 | 3.60% | 5.57% | −1.97 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 3 | 2.20% | 5.52% | −3.32 |
| Non-component advisories | 3 | 2.20% | 4.18% | −1.98 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 2 | 1.40% | 1.76% | −0.36 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 7.6% | £80–200 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 4.5% | £30–80 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 4.5% | £5–25 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 4.5% | £5–25 |
| Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | Major | 4.5% | £8–22 |
| Anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an ABS fault Brakes | Major | 3.0% | £3–15 |
| Electronic stability control warning lamp indicates a fault Brakes | Major | 3.0% | £3–15 |
| Headlamp light intensity severely reduced Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.0% | £5–25 |
| Mirrors slightly damaged Visibility | Minor | 3.0% | £3–15 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 3.0% | £5–25 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 18.2% | £45–95 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 15.2% | £18–45 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 12.1% | £80–180 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 10.6% | £45–110 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 9.1% | £40–150 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 7.6% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-60k | 3 | 100.0% | 55,634 mi |
| 60-90k | 8 | 87.5% | 76,481 mi |
| 90-120k | 16 | 75.0% | 101,918 mi |
| 120k+ | 39 | 76.9% | 160,204 mi |
Source: 66 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2005 IS220 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2005 Lexus IS220?
78.8% of the 66 2005 Lexus IS220 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.4% for cars first used in 2005. First-attempt pass rate: 75.9%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2005 Lexus IS220?
The three most recorded items are windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (7.58%), headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect (4.55%), headlamp lens slightly defective (4.55%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2005 Lexus IS220 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 76.9% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2005 Lexus IS220 in this dataset had covered 128,194 mi.