Pass rate
84.2%
Around average — 10.2 pts ahead of the 74.0% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 551 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £24–£72
2009 Lexus Rx MOT pass rate
- 2009
- 7 trims combined
- typical 127,558 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Suspension
32.8% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Part only £35–£75 for Suspension pin or bush excessively worn. What fitting it takes →
7.9 pts down across model years — 8.7% in 2012, 0.8% in 2020.
Which year to buy
- Best 2021 96.9% pass
- Avoid 2007 80.2% pass
Across the 16 years on record, a spread of 16.7 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 81.6%
- Typical mileage
- 128k mi
The 2009 Lexus Rx MOT pass rate is 84.2% of its MOT tests — 10.2 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 32.8% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Suspension: 1.6× the national share
Suspension accounts for 32.8% of everything recorded on the 2009 Lexus Rx, against 21.0% nationally — 11.8 points above. Ask for the front and rear suspension to be checked on a ramp before you buy — worn bushes and broken springs are cheap to look at and expensive to discover at test time.
- 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 74.0% and this one manages 84.2% — 10.2 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 Rx? Get an email when these numbers change .
Every Lexus Rx first registered in 2009 is combined here — 7 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.
How does the 2009 Lexus Rx compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 74.0%, so this figure is 10.2 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 81.6%. The median 2009 Lexus Rx in this dataset had covered 127,558 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 86.3% of the time, April–September 82.4%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated", noted on 5.26% of tests.
- 551 recorded tests behind this page.
- 84.2% overall pass rate, 81.6% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Lexus Rx, the average is 93.7% — best year 2021 (96.9%), worst 2007 (80.2%).
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
- 551
- Typical mileage (median)
- 127,558 mi
- Make and model
- Lexus Rx
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Ball Joint
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Rx MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 73% so small gaps stay visible.
Where the Lexus Rx is most common
Across all Rx model years on record (2007–2022): 27,714 Lexus Rx cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 54,406 tests. London (NW) has the most, with 1,148 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 | London (NW) | 1,148 | 94.7% |
| 2 | Croydon (CR) | 926 | 96.0% |
| 3 | Ilford (IG) | 926 | 94.2% |
| 4 | Guildford (GU) | 900 | 91.2% |
| 5 | Hounslow (TW) | 885 | 92.9% |
| 6 | Reading (RG) | 712 | 94.0% |
| 7 | Birmingham (B) | 632 | 95.8% |
| 8 | St Albans (AL) | 611 | 94.5% |
| 9 | Milton Keynes (MK) | 580 | 96.8% |
| 10 | Dartford (DA) | 574 | 97.3% |
| 11 | Southampton (SO) | 570 | 94.3% |
| 12 | Ashford (TN) | 556 | 93.1% |
| 13 | Leicester (LE) | 519 | 94.9% |
| 14 | London (SE) | 518 | 94.7% |
| 15 | Glasgow (G) | 491 | 93.7% |
| 16 | Edinburgh (EH) | 464 | 95.9% |
| 17 | Gloucester (GL) | 417 | 96.0% |
| 18 | Crawley (RH) | 405 | 92.2% |
| 19 | London (N) | 402 | 93.4% |
| 20 | Wembley (HA) | 395 | 93.5% |
The twenty areas with the most Lexus Rx 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 Rx
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 187 | 83.4% |
| London | 120 | 90.8% |
| South West | 61 | 75.4% |
| East of England | 49 | 89.8% |
| West Midlands | 45 | 82.2% |
| East Midlands | 29 | 75.9% |
| North West | 24 | 83.3% |
| Yorkshire | 15 | 86.7% |
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 2009 Rx
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 2009 Rx
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 suspension joints 5.3% of tests
“ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated”
With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.
-
Check the lights 3.8% of tests
“registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”
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 2.5% 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.
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 2009 Rx through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £24–£72 — and 50% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £24–£72
- Cheapest common item: mirrors slightly damaged
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot severely…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 70%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 50%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 551 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 Rx, side by side
16 model years on record, from 2007 to 2022. Across them the pass rate runs from 80.2% to 96.9% — a spread of 16.7 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2007 80.2% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2008 84.8% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2009 84.2%ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2010 84.6% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2011 85.2% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2012 88.3% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2013 90.2% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2014 90.4% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2015 91.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2016 94.4% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2017 94.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2018 95.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 96.3% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2020 96.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2021 96.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2022 96.6% 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 2009 Lexus Rx 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 2009 cars with a similar record
Closest pass rates among 2009 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 2009 Lexus Rx 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 | 359 | 32.80% | 20.98% | +11.82 |
| Tyres | 207 | 18.90% | 19.76% | −0.86 |
| Brakes | 162 | 14.80% | 20.89% | −6.09 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 125 | 11.40% | 12.21% | −0.81 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 59 | 5.40% | 5.57% | −0.17 |
| Visibility | 58 | 5.30% | 4.97% | +0.33 |
| Non-component advisories | 50 | 4.60% | 4.18% | +0.42 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 30 | 2.70% | 1.76% | +0.94 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 24 | 2.20% | 5.52% | −3.32 |
| Steering | 15 | 1.40% | 2.57% | −1.17 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 5.3% | £18–45 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 3.8% | £5–20 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 3.6% | £5–25 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 2.5% | £80–250 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 2.5% | £80–200 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.4% | £5–25 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 2.4% | £5–25 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 2.2% | £18–45 |
| Mirrors slightly damaged Visibility | Minor | 2.0% | £3–15 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 1.8% | £40–150 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 26.1% | £40–150 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 20.5% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 8.5% | £45–110 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 8.5% | £45–95 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 6.0% | £18–45 |
| Sub-frame corroded and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 5.8% | £180–450 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 1 | 100.0% | 26,552 mi |
| 30-60k | 5 | 100.0% | 44,804 mi |
| 60-90k | 85 | 81.2% | 79,026 mi |
| 90-120k | 133 | 85.0% | 105,134 mi |
| 120k+ | 323 | 84.8% | 156,428 mi |
Source: 551 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.
2009 Rx MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2009 Lexus Rx?
84.2% of the 551 2009 Lexus Rx tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 74.0% for cars first used in 2009. First-attempt pass rate: 81.6%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2009 Lexus Rx?
The three most recorded items are ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (5.26%), registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (3.81%), headlamp lens slightly defective (3.63%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2009 Lexus Rx MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 84.8% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2009 Lexus Rx in this dataset had covered 127,558 mi.
Does the season affect the 2009 Lexus Rx MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 86.3% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 82.4%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.