All generations and engines together · 19,896 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 72k
Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 7,070 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
The lower slide pin on a rear caliper corrodes and sticks, so the pad drags, squeals or wears unevenly on one side. It has been reported from under warranty right through to 100k-plus miles across three generations, and Lexus ran a recall (campaign 9LB) on early 2006-07 IS250/IS350 cars for the same fault. Caught early it's £150-£300 a corner; leave it dragging and you'll need discs and pads too.
The HID ballast sits low in the headlight housing, right where condensation and rainwater collect, so ballasts fail, one side flickers or cuts out completely, usually from around 60k miles on. Owners also report damp getting into body control electronics elsewhere, making the boot pop open or windows move on their own. The measured MOT data backs this up too, lights & electrics is the standout failure category for this segment, and this looks like the folklore version of it: a housing that lets water in, not a generic wiring fault.
The 2.2-litre diesel's head gasket is a known weak spot, white smoke on startup and creeping coolant loss are the giveaway, and some cars have needed a full engine rebuild or replacement. It's linked to DPF regeneration overfuelling washing diesel past the piston rings, and Lexus extended the warranty on affected engines to 7 years to cover it. Left to fail out of warranty it's a four-figure repair.
The heat shields around the Y-pipe trap moisture and road salt against the metal, so it rots from the inside and can perforate in as little as 16,000 miles on an unlucky car, more typically by 60-80k. It carries the lambda sensors and cat, so a check-engine light or a sudden rasp under load is usually the first clue. A full replacement runs roughly £600-£1,200 depending on OEM versus stainless aftermarket.
The dash screen and Remote Touch controller can freeze, reboot in a loop, or go black altogether, reported on cars from the 2012 facelift right through to current models. A software update sorts some cars; others need the head unit swapped, which is roughly £2,000-£2,500 through a dealer or £400-£600 independently. No recall or fix campaign has been issued for it.
The IS300h's e-CVT is a planetary-gear hybrid transaxle rather than a belt CVT, so most owners argue it's one of the sturdier parts of the car, not a weak point. The real risk is dealers skipping the recommended CVT and rear diff fluid changes, and a handful of hybrid battery-related shutdowns have been reported around 40k miles, needing the system left alone for a while before it would restart. Whether this is a genuine fault or just poor servicing is argued over on the forums.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (Saloons & estates), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.