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2016 Lexus IS300 MOT pass rate

Only 77 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.

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Pass rate by postcode →

Pass rate

92.2%

Above average — 8.2 pts ahead of the 84.0% that cars this age and mileage manage.

Across 77 recorded tests.

Typical repair bill £34–£79

Which year to buy

  • Best 2016 92.2% pass · this year
  • Avoid 2001 79.0% pass

Across the 9 years on record, a spread of 13.2 points. See every year →

First-attempt pass
91.5%
Typical mileage
79k mi

The 2016 Lexus IS300 MOT pass rate is 92.2% of its MOT tests — 8.2 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 36.7% of what testers record.

MOT PASS RATES

The 2016 Lexus IS300 on the real record

92.2% of 2016 Lexus IS300 MOTs passed — 77 tests, 2023–2025

Pass rate

The answer from the DVSA's class-4 MOT records.

Expert verdict

Brakes: 1.8× the national share

Brakes make up 36.7% of everything recorded on the 2016 Lexus Is300, against 20.9% nationally — 15.8 points above. Have the discs and pads measured rather than glanced at, and ask whether the handbrake holds on a slope.

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 IS300? Get an email when these numbers change .

How does the 2016 Lexus IS300 compare?

Cars of this age and mileage average 84.0%, so this figure is 8.2 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 91.5%. The median 2016 Lexus IS300 in this dataset had covered 78,993 mi.

Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 92.3% of the time, April–September 92.1%.

The single most recorded failure item is "Has ply or cords damaged", noted on 1.30% of tests.

  • 77 recorded tests behind this page.
  • 92.2% overall pass rate, 91.5% on a first attempt.
  • Across every year of the Lexus IS300, the average is 81.2% — best year 2016 (92.2%), worst 2001 (79.0%).

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
77
Typical mileage (median)
78,993 mi
Make and model
Lexus IS300
Updated
2026-11-07

Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.

Top part to budget for

Tyres

Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.

Does mileage affect the IS300 MOT pass rate?

0-30k 100.0%
30-60k 100.0%
60-90k 90.0%
90-120k 77.8%
120k+ 95.0%

Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 69% so small gaps stay visible.

Where the Lexus IS300 is most common

Across all IS300 model years on record (2001–2016): 1,132 Lexus IS300 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 2,514 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 36 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 Share of all Tests Pass rate
1 Birmingham (B) 36 3.2% 69 91.3%
2 London (SE) 28 2.5% 66 84.8%
3 Reading (RG) 26 2.3% 58 86.2%
4 Guildford (GU) 25 2.2% 54 83.3%
5 London (E) 24 2.1% 52 84.6%
6 Croydon (CR) 23 2% 44 95.5%
7 Brighton (BN) 22 1.9% 55 81.8%
8 High Wycombe (HP) 22 1.9% 54 81.5%
9 Crawley (RH) 22 1.9% 46 93.5%
10 Hounslow (TW) 22 1.9% 43 79.1%
11 Manchester (M) 22 1.9% 36 83.3%
12 Chelmsford (CM) 20 1.8% 46 82.6%
13 Southampton (SO) 20 1.8% 42 81.0%
14 Ipswich (IP) 19 1.7% 68 64.7%
15 Sheffield (S) 19 1.7% 39 79.5%
16 Swindon (SN) 19 1.7% 39 84.6%
17 Peterborough (PE) 19 1.7% 38 86.8%
18 Cardiff (CF) 18 1.6% 49 79.6%
19 Ilford (IG) 18 1.6% 33 84.8%
20 Romford (RM) 17 1.5% 41 87.8%

The twenty areas with the most Lexus IS300 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 →

Regional pass rates for the IS300

Region Tests Pass rate
South East 24 95.8%
London 19 94.7%

Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.

What fails a 2016 IS300

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.

Brakes 36.7%
+15.8 pts vs national national 20.9% Price brakes parts
Tyres 30.6%
+10.8 pts vs national national 19.8% Compare tyre prices
Advisories 8.2%
+4.0 pts vs national national 4.2% Price advisories parts
Identification 8.2%
+6.4 pts vs national national 1.8% Price identification parts
Show the other 4 fault categories
  • Suspension 6.1%
  • Lamps & electrics 4.1%
  • Emissions & leaks 4.1%
  • Visibility 2.0%

Shares are of every item recorded on 2016 Lexus IS300 tests — a composition, so they add to 100% across all sections, not per test.

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 2016 IS300

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.

  1. Check the lights 1.3% of tests

    “headlamp aim too low”

    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.

  2. Check the tyre tread 1.3% of tests

    “tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm”

    Check all four tyres cold, including the inner shoulder where wear hides — 1.6mm across the central three-quarters is the legal limit, and most testers fail at 1.6mm without argument.

  3. Check the wipers and washers 1.3% 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 2016 IS300 through its MOT

Across the 7 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £34–£79 — and 29% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.

Average repair across the 7 common items
£34–£79
Cheapest common item: rear fog lamp not working
£3–£15
Dearest common item: service brake performance efficiency below…
£60–£150
Common items a careful owner can do at home
71%
Repairs that still cost under £30
29%

Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 77 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 IS300, side by side

9 model years on record, from 2001 to 2016. Across them the pass rate runs from 79.0% to 92.2% — a spread of 13.2 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.

  1. 2001 79.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
  2. 2002 80.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
  3. 2003 80.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
  4. 2004 81.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
  5. 2005 79.8% windscreen damaged but not…
  6. 2013 84.6% windscreen damaged but not…
  7. 2014 82.1% headlamp aim too high
  8. 2015 91.2% anti-lock braking system warning…
  9. 2016 92.2%
    has ply or cords damaged

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 2016 Lexus IS300 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.

Compare 2016 with another year →

Compare two different cars instead →

Other 2016 cars with a similar record

Closest pass rates among 2016 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 2016 Lexus IS300 7 failure items · 6 advisories · 8 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold

Every inspection category

Shares of the 49 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 18 36.70% 20.89% +15.81
Tyres 15 30.60% 19.76% +10.84
Non-component advisories 4 8.20% 4.18% +4.02
Identification of the vehicle 4 8.20% 1.76% +6.44
Suspension 3 6.10% 20.98% −14.88
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 2 4.10% 12.21% −8.11
Noise, emissions and leaks 2 4.10% 5.52% −1.42
Visibility 1 2.00% 4.97% −2.97

The exact failure items, in the tester's words

Share of the 77 tests on this vehicle that recorded each item
Recorded item Severity Tests Est. cost Part
Has ply or cords damaged Tyres Major 1.3% £45–95 Tyres →
Has ply or cords exposed Tyres Major 1.3% £45–95 Tyres →
Headlamp aim too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Major 1.3% £30–80 Headlight Alignment →
Rear fog lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Major 1.3% £3–15 Bulb →
Service brake performance efficiency below requirements Brakes Major 1.3% £60–150 Brake Servicing →
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres Major 1.3% £45–95 Tyres →
Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility Major 1.3% £8–22 Wiper Blade →

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.

Items recorded as advisory on this vehicle
Recorded item Severity Tests Est. cost
Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes Advisory 10.4% £18–45
Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes Advisory 7.8% £45–110
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres Advisory 7.8% £45–95
Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres Advisory 5.2% £45–95
Registration plates inscription illegible Identification of the vehicle Advisory 5.2% £20–80
Brake discs significantly and obviously worn Brakes Advisory 2.6% £45–110

Pass rate by mileage

Mileage Tests Pass rate Median odometer
0-30k 5 100.0% 22,946 mi
30-60k 13 100.0% 48,599 mi
60-90k 30 90.0% 74,878 mi
90-120k 9 77.8% 108,905 mi
120k+ 20 95.0% 165,111 mi

Source: 77 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.

2016 IS300 MOT questions

What is the MOT pass rate for a 2016 Lexus IS300?

92.2% of the 77 2016 Lexus IS300 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 84.0% for cars first used in 2016. First-attempt pass rate: 91.5%.

What are the most common MOT failures on a 2016 Lexus IS300?

The three most recorded items are has ply or cords damaged (1.30%), has ply or cords exposed (1.30%), headlamp aim too low (1.30%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.

Does mileage affect the 2016 Lexus IS300 MOT pass rate?

Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 95.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2016 Lexus IS300 in this dataset had covered 78,993 mi.

Does the season affect the 2016 Lexus IS300 MOT pass rate?

Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 92.3% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 92.1%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.