2003 Lexus Rx300: MOT pass rate and reliability
74.3% of 2003 Lexus Rx300s pass the MOT first time, measured across 506 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 123,014 miles.
How the 2003 compares
- Against all Lexus Rx300s (73%, 3,370 tests): +1.3 points
- Against all 2003 cars (64.7%): +9.6 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every Lexus Rx300 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 Rx300:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 74.3% | 506 | 123,014 |
| 2004 | 71.9% | 1,183 | 120,739 |
| 2005 | 75.6% | 1,081 | 120,087 |
| 2006 | 77.8% | 261 | 115,845 |
What this means if you are buying a 2003 Rx300
The 2003 sits close to the Lexus Rx300 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 Rx300 the average at test was 123,014 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 2006 at 77.8%, and the weakest in our data is 2004 at 71.9%. That 5.9 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2003 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2004 Lexus Rx300 - 71.9%
- 2005 Lexus Rx300 - 75.6%
- 2006 Lexus Rx300 - 77.8%