Lexus IS220 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Lexus IS220 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Lexus IS220 passed on its first attempt in 75.6%, and its overall record sits −1.3 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Lexus IS220 in the 2023–2025 data: 16,422 tests across 7 model years (2005–2011). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Lexus IS220 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Lexus IS220, 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.

Shares are over the Lexus IS220's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Lexus IS220 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Lexus IS220, each with how many of the model's 16,422 tests it was noted on.

• "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (Minor) — noted on about 978 Lexus IS220 tests, 6.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Position lamp not working" (Major) — noted on about 809 Lexus IS220 tests, 4.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 707 Lexus IS220 tests, 4.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Battery(ies) insecure but not likely to fall from carrier" (Minor) — noted on about 539 Lexus IS220 tests, 3.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect" (Major) — noted on about 519 Lexus IS220 tests, 3.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (Major) — noted on about 293 Lexus IS220 tests, 1.8% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Lexus IS220 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Lexus IS220 model year on record is 2009 (80.4% across 3,390 tests), and the weakest is 2005 (78.8%). The gap between them is 1.6 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Lexus IS220 Owners

These checks follow this Lexus IS220's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Lexus IS220.

• the lights — “headlamp lens slightly defective”

  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.

• the battery — “battery(ies) insecure”

  Check the battery is secure and its terminals are clean and tight — a loose battery is a fail on its own, and a weak one shows up as slow cranking on a cold morning.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Lexus IS220. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Lexus IS220 is most common

Across every IS220 model year 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.

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 →

Frequently Asked Questions: Lexus IS220 MOT & Reliability