Lexus IS250C
Registered from 2009 to 2012.
About this model
The Lexus IS is a compact executive car sold by Lexus, a luxury division of Toyota, since 1998. The IS was originally sold under the Toyota Altezza nameplate in Japan from 1998 until 2005. The IS was introduced as an entry-level sport model positioned below the ES in the Lexus lineup. It was the smallest car in the Lexus lineup until the introduction of the CT in 2011.
From the Wikipedia article Lexus IS, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What fails its inspection
Great Britain's MOT record for the 2010 2.5 petrol. 23 of 211 tests failed, 11%.
Better than 96% of 2010 cars. The typical one fails 24%, across 955 models with enough tests behind them to say.
| Where | Share of failures | Failed tests |
|---|---|---|
| Tyres and wheels | 39% | 9 |
| Brakes | 30% | 7 |
| Lights and electrics | 26% | 6 |
| Visibility | 17% | 4 |
| Steering | 4% | 1 |
| Suspension | 4% | 1 |
The defects inspectors cite
- A tyre cords visible or damaged
- A tyre seriously damaged
- Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
- A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
- A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
- A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps
Where it stands out against its peers
- Tyres and wheels: failed more often than 93% of 2010 cars — 39% of its 23 failed tests, where an ordinary 2010 car has 23%.
Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.
NHTSA's investigations are American; no European regulator publishes an equivalent record, so this section has nothing to draw on for a European car. There is no European equivalent of the service-bulletin register either.
Before you buy one
Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.
- Tyres and wheels — 39% of its failures
- A tyre cords visible or damaged
- A tyre seriously damaged
- Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle.
- Brakes — 30% of its failures
- A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
- Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake
- Lights and electrics — 26% of its failures
- A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
- A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps
- Visibility — 17% of its failures
- Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
When it starts failing
At 80–100k miles this one fails 12% of its inspections, against the 25% an ordinary car of the same age fails.
| Odometer | Failure rate | Rate | Its age | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40–60k miles | 9% | 19% | 54 | |
| 60–80k miles | 13% | 22% | 63 | |
| 80–100k miles | 12% | 25% | 33 |
150 British inspections, grouped by the odometer reading recorded at the test.
Half of these have more than 60k miles on them. That is how far people drive this car, not how long it lasts.