Is the Lexus CT reliable?

On MOT evidence the Lexus CT is well above average. It passes 85.0% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 78% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Lexus CT?

The item recorded most often is "a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm", which appears in 14.0% of failed Lexus CT tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Lexus CT?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 18.4% of all Lexus CT tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Lexus CT usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 83,482 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Does a Lexus CT get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 90.2% of Lexus CT tests pass. By 12 to 14 years, that falls to 77.5%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Lexus CT models petrol or diesel?

Of the Lexus CT cars tested, 91% are hybrid, 4% are other, 3% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Lexus CT MOT pass rate & common failures

From 30,946 recorded MOT tests of the Lexus CT, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Lexus CT passes 85.0% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is well above average. Based on 30,946 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, which appears in 14.0% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 83,482 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

85.0%national average72.3%unadjusted82.6%range covered78%

The CT is 12.7 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well above average. The unadjusted figure is 82.6%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Lexus CT tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm14.0%
528 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements13.2%
499 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED12.4%
468 occurrencesHeadlamp not working explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged11.8%
445 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen11.2%
424 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
6.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc9.1%
342 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
7.A tyre cords visible or damaged8.8%
331 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
8.A tyre seriously damaged7.1%
270 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
9.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement6.3%
236 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
10.A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps5.9%
222 occurrencesLamp not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Lexus CT tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements18.4%
5,702 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged14.0%
4,346 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm10.1%
3,138 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured8.4%
2,585 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn6.4%
1,981 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
6.A tyre seriously damaged4.5%
1,384 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
7.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn4.0%
1,244 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
8.Number plate inscription missing or illegible3.0%
941 testsRegistration plate missing, insecure or illegible explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs90%

6–8 yrs88%

9–11 yrs83%

12–14 yrs78%

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The CT fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 83,482
Fuel mix of tested cars: Hybrid90.8%
Other3.8%
Petrol2.7%
Electric2.5%

Trim names grouped into this model (15)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

CT 200
CT 200 H
CT 200H
CT 200H ADVANCE CVT
CT 200H ADVANCE PLUS CVT
CT 200H EXECUTIVE EDITION CVT
CT 200H F SPORT CVT
CT 200H HEV
CT 200H LUXURY CVT
CT 200H SE
CT 200H SE CVT
CT 200H SE-I CVT
CT 200H SE-L CVT
CT 200H SE-L PREMIER CVT
CT 200H SPORT

Check a specific Lexus CT

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Lexus models

Lexus NX — 89.3% adjusted
Lexus RX — 88.2% adjusted
Lexus UX — 93.7% unadjusted
Lexus IS — 84.3% adjusted
Lexus IS250 — 73.7% unadjusted
Lexus RX450H — 75.1% unadjusted
All Lexus models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Ford Transit Courier — 72.6% adjusted, ranked 138
Suzuki Ignis — 73.5% adjusted, ranked 127
Porsche Cayenne — 85.3% adjusted, ranked 18
Porsche Boxster — 85.7% adjusted, ranked 16

Common questions

Is the Lexus CT reliable?: On MOT evidence the Lexus CT is well above average. It passes 85.0% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 78% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Lexus CT?: The item recorded most often is "a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm", which appears in 14.0% of failed Lexus CT tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Lexus CT?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 18.4% of all Lexus CT tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Lexus CT usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 83,482 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Does a Lexus CT get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 90.2% of Lexus CT tests pass. By 12 to 14 years, that falls to 77.5%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Lexus CT models petrol or diesel?: Of the Lexus CT cars tested, 91% are hybrid, 4% are other, 3% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.