2003 Lexus Is200: MOT pass rate and reliability

72.9% of 2003 Lexus Is200s pass the MOT first time, measured across 1,072 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 112,007 miles.

How the 2003 compares

  • Against all Lexus Is200s (72.8%, 5,892 tests): +0.1 points
  • Against all 2003 cars (64.7%): +8.2 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Lexus Is200 model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2003 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Lexus Is200:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
1999 73.5% 238 123,909
2000 72.6% 380 121,519
2001 71.4% 696 118,610
2002 71.9% 883 116,938
2003 72.9% 1,072 112,007
2004 73% 1,281 108,174
2005 73.7% 712 109,670
2011 75.1% 402 115,631

What this means if you are buying a 2003 Is200

The 2003 sits close to the Lexus Is200 average, so there is no strong model-year signal either way. Judge the individual car on its own history. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.

What a 23-year-old car fails on

A 2003 car is 23 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:

  • Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
  • Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
  • Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
  • Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
  • Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
  • Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested

That is high mileage, so timing belts, clutches, suspension bushes and corrosion are the items worth budgeting for rather than the MOT itself. On a 2003 Lexus Is200 the average at test was 112,007 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.

The strongest year for this model is 2011 at 75.1%, and the weakest in our data is 2001 at 71.4%. That 3.7 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2003 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Lexus Is200 MOT data · Every model