Pass rate
83.2%
Around average — 10.6 pts ahead of the 72.6% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 553 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £28–£82
2003 Lexus LS430 MOT pass rate
- 2003
- typical 127,515 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Suspension
24.9% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Which year to buy
- Best 2006 86.7% pass
- Avoid 2004 83.2% pass
Across the 7 years on record, a spread of 3.5 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 81.0%
- Typical mileage
- 128k mi
The 2003 Lexus LS430 MOT pass rate is 83.2% of its MOT tests — 10.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 24.9% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Emissions & leaks: 2.2× the national share
Emissions & leaks make up 11.9% of everything recorded on the 2003 Lexus Ls430, against 5.5% nationally — 6.4 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 24.9%, but at 21.0% nationally that one is ordinary. A smoky diesel or a leaking joint fails on emissions more often than on wear, so ask for a recent emissions printout.
- 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 72.6% and this one manages 83.2% — 10.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
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 LS430? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2003 Lexus LS430 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.6%, so this figure is 10.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 81.0%. The median 2003 Lexus LS430 in this dataset had covered 127,515 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 85.6% of the time, April–September 80.0%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Headlamp lens slightly defective", noted on 5.24% of tests.
- 553 recorded tests behind this page.
- 83.2% overall pass rate, 81.0% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Lexus LS430, the average is 84.3% — best year 2006 (86.7%), worst 2004 (83.2%).
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
- 553
- Typical mileage (median)
- 127,515 mi
- Make and model
- Lexus LS430
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Headlight Bulb
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the LS430 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 71% so small gaps stay visible.
Where the Lexus LS430 is most common
Across all LS430 model years on record (2000–2006): 1,679 Lexus LS430 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 3,655 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 83 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) | 83 | 90.0% |
| 2 | London (NW) | 39 | 85.9% |
| 3 | Reading (RG) | 33 | 80.2% |
| 4 | Sheffield (S) | 33 | 84.8% |
| 5 | London (SE) | 33 | 91.2% |
| 6 | Liverpool (L) | 32 | 82.1% |
| 7 | Guildford (GU) | 31 | 82.7% |
| 8 | Chester (CH) | 30 | 74.7% |
| 9 | Manchester (M) | 30 | 82.5% |
| 10 | Peterborough (PE) | 30 | 86.0% |
| 11 | Leicester (LE) | 27 | 82.7% |
| 12 | Norwich (NR) | 26 | 82.5% |
| 13 | Bristol (BS) | 26 | 74.6% |
| 14 | Croydon (CR) | 26 | 92.5% |
| 15 | Nottingham (NG) | 25 | 83.0% |
| 16 | London (E) | 25 | 93.9% |
| 17 | Romford (RM) | 25 | 95.3% |
| 18 | Ilford (IG) | 25 | 97.6% |
| 19 | Basildon (SS) | 24 | 89.8% |
| 20 | Milton Keynes (MK) | 23 | 93.2% |
The twenty areas with the most Lexus LS430 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 LS430
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 162 | 85.2% |
| North West | 61 | 77.0% |
| East of England | 58 | 84.5% |
| London | 56 | 82.1% |
| South West | 53 | 71.7% |
| West Midlands | 47 | 87.2% |
| Yorkshire | 40 | 92.5% |
| Scotland | 25 | 84.0% |
| Wales | 22 | 77.3% |
| East Midlands | 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 2003 LS430
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 2003 LS430
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 lights 5.2% of tests
“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.
-
Check the windscreen 2.2% 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 exhaust and emissions 2.0% of tests
“catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits”
Listen for a blow at idle and have someone rev it gently. Then look at the tailpipe smoke: blue is oil, white when warm is coolant, black is over-fuelling. Any of those and the emissions test is the least of it.
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 2003 LS430 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £28–£82 — and 53% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £28–£82
- Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd…
- £60–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 53%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 553 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 LS430, side by side
7 model years on record, from 2000 to 2006. Across them the pass rate runs from 83.2% to 86.7% — a spread of 3.5 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 86.7% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2001 85.4% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2002 84.1% position lamp not working
- 2003 83.2%headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2004 83.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2005 84.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2006 86.7% battery(ies) insecure 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 2003 Lexus LS430 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 2003 cars with a similar record
- Honda S2000 83.5%
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class 81.7%
- Mercedes-Benz Sl 85.2%
- Porsche 911 85.5%
- Porsche Boxster 80.4%
- Subaru Impreza 80.0%
Closest pass rates among 2003 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 2003 Lexus LS430 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 1,089 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 273 | 24.90% | 20.98% | +3.92 |
| Brakes | 180 | 16.40% | 20.89% | −4.49 |
| Tyres | 161 | 14.70% | 19.76% | −5.06 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 159 | 14.50% | 12.21% | +2.29 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 131 | 11.90% | 5.52% | +6.38 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 81 | 7.40% | 5.57% | +1.83 |
| Visibility | 35 | 3.20% | 4.97% | −1.77 |
| Steering | 29 | 2.60% | 2.57% | +0.03 |
| Non-component advisories | 24 | 2.20% | 4.18% | −1.98 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 16 | 1.50% | 1.76% | −0.26 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 5.2% | £5–25 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 3.6% | £3–12 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.5% | £5–25 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 2.5% | £45–110 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 2.2% | £80–200 |
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.0% | £60–250 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.0% | £5–20 |
| Battery(ies) insecure but not likely to fall from carrier Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 1.8% | £60–140 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 1.8% | £45–120 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.4% | £30–80 |
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 | 15.2% | £45–95 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 13.0% | £200–700 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 12.5% | £40–150 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 7.6% | £45–95 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 7.4% | £18–45 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 6.2% | £45–120 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 1 | 100.0% | 27,295 mi |
| 30-60k | 28 | 85.7% | 52,427 mi |
| 60-90k | 92 | 91.3% | 75,472 mi |
| 90-120k | 121 | 86.0% | 105,243 mi |
| 120k+ | 311 | 79.4% | 164,003 mi |
Source: 553 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.
2003 LS430 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2003 Lexus LS430?
83.2% of the 553 2003 Lexus LS430 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.6% for cars first used in 2003. First-attempt pass rate: 81.0%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2003 Lexus LS430?
The three most recorded items are headlamp lens slightly defective (5.24%), malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction (3.62%), position lamp not working (2.53%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2003 Lexus LS430 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 79.4% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2003 Lexus LS430 in this dataset had covered 127,515 mi.
Does the season affect the 2003 Lexus LS430 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 85.6% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 80.0%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.