Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Lexus RX 2013: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 86 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2013 Lexus RX were passes.

Summary

A 2013 Lexus RX passed first time about 3 in every 100 more often than the average of the 2012 and 2014 model years.

At a glance

How 1,761 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
86 in every 100
Did not pass first time
14 in every 100254 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
12 yearsabout 93,674 miles
First tests counted
1,761

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2013 Lexus RX vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: individual sidelight or tail light (rear), 5.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 253 of 254 failed first attempts (99.6%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Individual sidelight or tail light (rear)

Failed on 25 first tests5.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A position lamp showing red light to the front or white light to the rear is Major. Rear lamps must show a steady red light, and front ones can show white, predominantly white with a blue tinge, or yellow if combined in a yellow headlamp. With a multiple light source, up to half not working is Minor and more than half is Major.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Suspension

One fault: anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front), 2.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 23 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A suspension joint dust cover that is severely deteriorated is Minor. It becomes Major once it is missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, so what matters is whether it still keeps dirt out. DVSA words this for any suspension joint dust cover, and files it here under anti-roll bars.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 21 first tests4.7 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 57 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake pads (rear)

Noted on 31 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
86in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
3in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
11in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 85.6% of 1,761 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 88.6%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 3 fixed and the 11 not fixed make the 14 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

4060801002005201020132020Older carsNewer cars
406080100201020132020Older carsNewer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 85 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200369 in every 100400
200468 in every 100907
200564 in every 1001,567
200666 in every 1001,978
200768 in every 1002,534
200870 in every 1002,256
200973 in every 1002,215
201075 in every 1002,378
201173 in every 1001,692
201280 in every 1001,665
2013 This car86 in every 1001,761
201485 in every 1001,587
201586 in every 1001,211
201692 in every 1002,025
201791 in every 1001,746
201893 in every 1001,646
201995 in every 1002,056
202095 in every 1001,563
202195 in every 1001,596
202295 in every 1002,205

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

A 2013 Lexus RX passed first time about 3 in every 100 more often than the average of the 2012 and 2014 model years. In 2025, 85.6% of 1,761 first MOTs on the 2013 Lexus RX passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 88.6%. Among 254 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Individual sidelight or tail light (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (9.9% of those tests; 25 observed failures; about 5.3× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Individual sidelight or tail light (rear) (9.9% of those tests; 25 observed failures; about 5.3× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Individual sidelight or tail light (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (9.9% of those tests; 25 observed failures; about 5.3× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2013 Lexus RX include Individual sidelight or tail light (rear), Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2013 Lexus RX (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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