Pass rate
71.2%
Below average — 1.7 pts behind the 72.9% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 694 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £28–£84
2002 Lexus RX300 MOT pass rate
- 2002
- typical 123,730 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Suspension
27.3% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Which year to buy
- Best 2006 78.7% pass
- Avoid 2002 71.2% pass · this year
Across the 7 years on record, a spread of 7.5 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 64.2%
- Typical mileage
- 124k mi
The 2002 Lexus RX300 MOT pass rate is 71.2% of its MOT tests — 1.7 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 27.3% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Suspension: 1.3× the national share
Suspension accounts for 27.3% of everything recorded on the 2002 Lexus Rx300, against 21.0% nationally — 6.3 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.
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 RX300? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2002 Lexus RX300 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.9%, so this figure is 1.7 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 64.2%. The median 2002 Lexus RX300 in this dataset had covered 123,730 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 71.4% of the time, April–September 70.9%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 8.50% of tests.
- 694 recorded tests behind this page.
- 71.2% overall pass rate, 64.2% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Lexus RX300, the average is 77.7% — best year 2006 (78.7%), worst 2002 (71.2%).
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
- 694
- Typical mileage (median)
- 123,730 mi
- Make and model
- Lexus RX300
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Number Plate Lamp
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the RX300 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 61% so small gaps stay visible.
Where the Lexus RX300 is most common
Across all RX300 model years on record (2000–2006): 5,222 Lexus RX300 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 12,427 tests. Ipswich (IP) has the most, with 234 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 | Ipswich (IP) | 234 | 67.1% |
| 2 | London (SE) | 203 | 84.7% |
| 3 | Birmingham (B) | 140 | 81.7% |
| 4 | London (N) | 137 | 83.1% |
| 5 | London (E) | 134 | 89.5% |
| 6 | London (NW) | 121 | 84.3% |
| 7 | Croydon (CR) | 115 | 86.1% |
| 8 | Guildford (GU) | 106 | 74.9% |
| 9 | Ashford (TN) | 104 | 76.6% |
| 10 | Peterborough (PE) | 103 | 74.8% |
| 11 | Reading (RG) | 98 | 80.4% |
| 12 | Wembley (HA) | 95 | 81.0% |
| 13 | Romford (RM) | 88 | 89.5% |
| 14 | Brighton (BN) | 87 | 74.9% |
| 15 | Hounslow (TW) | 87 | 85.2% |
| 16 | Kingston upon Thames (KT) | 83 | 80.5% |
| 17 | Crawley (RH) | 82 | 78.6% |
| 18 | London (SW) | 79 | 80.2% |
| 19 | Manchester (M) | 79 | 75.9% |
| 20 | Leicester (LE) | 76 | 83.9% |
The twenty areas with the most Lexus RX300 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 RX300
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 231 | 71.0% |
| East of England | 108 | 67.6% |
| South West | 90 | 68.9% |
| North West | 55 | 76.4% |
| West Midlands | 52 | 73.1% |
| East Midlands | 50 | 68.0% |
| London | 34 | 91.2% |
| Yorkshire | 33 | 69.7% |
| Wales | 22 | 54.5% |
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 2002 RX300
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 2002 RX300
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 8.5% 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 suspension joints 5.6% 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 exhaust and emissions 3.8% of tests
“exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases”
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 2002 RX300 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £28–£84 — and 42% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £28–£84
- Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
- £5–£20
- Dearest common item: catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd…
- £60–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 50%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 42%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 694 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 RX300, side by side
7 model years on record, from 2000 to 2006. Across them the pass rate runs from 71.2% to 78.7% — a spread of 7.5 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 72.1% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2001 74.1% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2002 71.2%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2003 78.4% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2004 78.1% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2005 78.3% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2006 78.7% ball joint dust cover severely…
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 2002 Lexus RX300 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 2002 cars with a similar record
- Vauxhall Zafira 71.3%
- Toyota Hilux 71.3%
- Nissan Micra 71.1%
- Volvo V70 71.4%
- Rover 75 71.4%
- Suzuki Grand Vitara 71.4%
Closest pass rates among 2002 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 2002 Lexus RX300 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 2,131 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 | 588 | 27.30% | 20.98% | +6.32 |
| Brakes | 367 | 17.10% | 20.89% | −3.79 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 310 | 14.40% | 12.21% | +2.19 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 226 | 10.50% | 5.52% | +4.98 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 210 | 9.80% | 5.57% | +4.23 |
| Tyres | 206 | 9.60% | 19.76% | −10.16 |
| Visibility | 65 | 3.00% | 4.97% | −1.97 |
| Non-component advisories | 65 | 3.00% | 4.18% | −1.18 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 62 | 2.90% | 1.76% | +1.14 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 32 | 1.50% | 0.82% | +0.68 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 8.5% | £5–20 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 6.9% | £5–25 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 5.6% | £18–45 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 3.8% | £45–120 |
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 3.6% | £60–250 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.3% | £30–80 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 3.3% | £45–110 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 3.3% | £80–200 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.0% | £5–25 |
| Service brake performance excessively binding Brakes | Major | 2.7% | £60–150 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 16.0% | £45–95 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 13.7% | £200–700 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 12.8% | £40–150 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 12.5% | £45–110 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 11.8% | £45–120 |
| Sub-frame corroded and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 10.8% | £180–450 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 4 | 75.0% | 28,246 mi |
| 30-60k | 25 | 80.0% | 47,598 mi |
| 60-90k | 81 | 77.8% | 78,499 mi |
| 90-120k | 212 | 71.2% | 106,281 mi |
| 120k+ | 372 | 69.1% | 153,130 mi |
Source: 694 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.
2002 RX300 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2002 Lexus RX300?
71.2% of the 694 2002 Lexus RX300 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.9% for cars first used in 2002. First-attempt pass rate: 64.2%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2002 Lexus RX300?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (8.50%), headlamp lens slightly defective (6.92%), ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (5.62%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2002 Lexus RX300 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 75.0% of the time, falling to 69.1% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2002 Lexus RX300 in this dataset had covered 123,730 mi.
Does the season affect the 2002 Lexus RX300 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 71.4% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 70.9%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.