2003 Lexus Sc430: MOT pass rate and reliability

80.4% of 2003 Lexus Sc430s pass the MOT first time, measured across 276 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 98,553 miles.

How the 2003 compares

  • Against all Lexus Sc430s (82.8%, 1,773 tests): -2.4 points
  • Against all 2003 cars (64.7%): +15.7 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Lexus Sc430 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 Sc430:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
2001 80% 205 101,960
2002 83% 365 100,735
2003 80.4% 276 98,553
2004 78.4% 232 91,708
2005 87.3% 220 88,075

What this means if you are buying a 2003 Sc430

The 2003 is a weaker year for this model, passing 2.4 points less often than the Lexus Sc430 average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2003 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. 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 above average and into the range where cambelts and water pumps are due if they have not already been done, so ask for the service history rather than take the mileage on trust. On a 2003 Lexus Sc430 the average at test was 98,553 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 2005 at 87.3%, and the weakest in our data is 2004 at 78.4%. That 8.9 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2003 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Lexus Sc430 MOT data · Every model