Pass rate, every year
3,655 tests across 7 model years, 2000–2006.
+3.3 pts vs the national average
Pass rate, every year
3,655 tests across 7 model years, 2000–2006.
+3.3 pts vs the national average
Best year to buy
2000 86.7%
The strongest of the 7 years on record. See the 2000 page →
Worst year to buy
2003 83.2%
3.5 points below the 2000 peak. See the 2003 page →
The Lexus LS430 MOT pass rate is 84.3%, +3.3 percentage points above the UK average. That is 3,655 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2000 and 2006. This page lists the most common Lexus LS430 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 LS430 passed on its first attempt in 82.2%, and its overall record sits +3.3 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Lexus LS430 in the 2023–2025 data: 3,655 tests across 7 model years (2000–2006). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.
| Measure | This model |
|---|---|
| Tests analysed | 3,655 |
| Overall pass rate | 84.3% |
| Passed on first attempt | 82.2% |
| Average mileage at test | 132,273 mi |
| Model years covered | 2000–2006 (7 years) |
| Versus UK national average | +3.3 pts above |
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 LS430, 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 | 47% |
| Visibility | 15% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 15% |
| Brakes | 9% |
| Suspension | 6% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 5% |
| Tyres | 2% |
| Steering | 0% |
Shares are over the Lexus LS430's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.
Around 47% of the recorded Lexus LS430 failures fall in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (3.1%), "Position lamp not working" (2.9%), "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (2.1%) among the Lexus LS430's lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment faults.
Around 15% of the recorded Lexus LS430 failures fall in the Visibility section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (2.7%), "Wipers blade defective" (0.4%), "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (0.2%) among the Lexus LS430's visibility faults.
Around 15% of the recorded Lexus LS430 failures fall in the Noise, emissions and leaks section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction" (2.5%), "Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits" (0.7%) among the Lexus LS430's noise, emissions and leaks faults.
The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Lexus LS430, each with how many of the model's 3,655 tests it was noted on.
The strongest Lexus LS430 model year on record is 2000 (86.7% across 113 tests), and the weakest is 2003 (83.2%). The gap between them is 3.5 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 LS430 | 240 | 86.7% |
| 2005 LS430 | 838 | 84.6% |
| 2004 LS430 | 847 | 83.2% |
| 2003 LS430 | 553 | 83.2% |
| 2002 LS430 | 504 | 84.1% |
| 2001 LS430 | 560 | 85.4% |
| 2000 LS430 | 113 | 86.7% |
Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.
These checks follow this Lexus LS430's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Lexus LS430.
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 LS430. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.
Across every LS430 model year 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 →
84.3% of the 3,655 recorded Lexus LS430 MOT tests ended in a pass, +3.3 percentage points above the national average. 82.2% of those passed on the first attempt.
2006 is the strongest Lexus LS430 year on record at 86.7%, while 2004 is the weakest at 83.2%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.
The most recorded Lexus LS430 failures are "Headlamp lens slightly defective" and "Position lamp not working" — together around 6% of tests, mostly in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section.