Lexus RX350 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Lexus RX350 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Lexus RX350 passed on its first attempt in 75.5%, and its overall record sits −1.5 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Lexus RX350 in the 2023–2025 data: 2,568 tests across 4 model years (2006–2009). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Lexus RX350 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Lexus RX350, the Suspension section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Lexus RX350's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Lexus RX350 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Lexus RX350, each with how many of the model's 2,568 tests it was noted on.

• "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 139 Lexus RX350 tests, 5.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Position lamp not working" (Rectified) — noted on about 79 Lexus RX350 tests, 3.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction" (Major) — noted on about 76 Lexus RX350 tests, 3.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (Minor) — noted on about 53 Lexus RX350 tests, 2.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength" (Major) — noted on about 50 Lexus RX350 tests, 1.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 46 Lexus RX350 tests, 1.8% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Lexus RX350 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Lexus RX350 model year on record is 2009 (84.2% across 190 tests), and the weakest is 2007 (79.0%). The gap between them is 5.2 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Lexus RX350 reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.6 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Lexus RX350 Owners

These checks follow this Lexus RX350's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Lexus RX350.

• the suspension joints — “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.

• the lights — “position lamp not working”

  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.

• corrosion — “component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength”

  Look under the sills, around the jacking points and where the suspension mounts meet the body. Flaking, holed or crumbly metal fails; a brown stain on sound metal does not.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Lexus RX350. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Lexus RX350 is most common

Across every RX350 model year on record (2006–2009): 1,159 Lexus RX350 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 2,568 tests. London (SE) has the most, with 48 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.

The twenty areas with the most Lexus RX350 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 →

Frequently Asked Questions: Lexus RX350 MOT & Reliability