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Ford vs Lexus Reliability

Lexus leads on our inspections: 60/100 average condition vs 58/100 for Ford, from 870 real pre-purchase inspections. The average car we check scores 61/100.

vs
Head to head
FordLexus
Cars inspected566304
Average condition58/10060/100
In good shape (60+/100)51%57%
Holds up to (avg dips below decent)~127k mi~126k mi
Repainted or replaced panel70%82%
Structural repair found4%3%
Fault codes recently cleared24%20%

Green = the better number of the pair. Condition reflects the mix of cars that came to us — age, price, model — so treat small gaps as a tie.

How they score
Ford
Excellent 23% Good 28% Mediocre 24% Poor 25%
Lexus
Excellent 25% Good 32% Mediocre 20% Poor 23%
How long do they stay good?
Good cars by mileage
▬ Ford▬ Lexus▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Ford, 0–20k mi: 88% in good shape (25 cars)Ford, 20–40k mi: 87% in good shape (45 cars)Ford, 40–60k mi: 83% in good shape (65 cars)Ford, 60–80k mi: 66% in good shape (59 cars)Ford, 80–100k mi: 59% in good shape (69 cars)Ford, 100–120k mi: 41% in good shape (80 cars)Ford, 120–140k mi: 46% in good shape (57 cars)Ford, 140–160k mi: 21% in good shape (48 cars)Ford, 160–180k mi: 38% in good shape (34 cars)Ford, 180–200k mi: 22% in good shape (27 cars)Ford, 200–220k mi: 13% in good shape (23 cars) Lexus, 0–20k mi: 100% in good shape (10 cars)Lexus, 20–40k mi: 94% in good shape (31 cars)Lexus, 40–60k mi: 91% in good shape (33 cars)Lexus, 60–80k mi: 67% in good shape (27 cars)Lexus, 80–100k mi: 73% in good shape (45 cars)Lexus, 100–120k mi: 56% in good shape (34 cars)Lexus, 120–140k mi: 36% in good shape (36 cars)Lexus, 140–160k mi: 29% in good shape (31 cars)Lexus, 160–180k mi: 15% in good shape (26 cars)Lexus, 180–200k mi: 19%, drawn from the nearby bands (10 cars in this band)Lexus, 200–220k mi: 25% in good shape (8 cars) 40k 80k 120k 160k 200k mileage when we inspected it
Good cars by age
▬ Ford▬ Lexus▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Ford, 1 years old: 95%, drawn from the nearby bands (18 cars this age)Ford, 2 years old: 96% in good shape (23 cars)Ford, 3 years old: 93% in good shape (30 cars)Ford, 4 years old: 78% in good shape (45 cars)Ford, 5 years old: 71% in good shape (38 cars)Ford, 6 years old: 62% in good shape (45 cars)Ford, 7 years old: 63% in good shape (46 cars)Ford, 8 years old: 37% in good shape (49 cars)Ford, 9 years old: 37% in good shape (46 cars)Ford, 10 years old: 58% in good shape (33 cars)Ford, 11 years old: 54% in good shape (24 cars)Ford, 12 years old: 40% in good shape (30 cars)Ford, 13 years old: 31% in good shape (16 cars)Ford, 14 years old: 33%, drawn from the nearby bands (19 cars this age)Ford, 15 years old: 32%, drawn from the nearby bands (17 cars this age)Ford, 16 years old: 24%, drawn from the nearby bands (12 cars this age) Lexus, 2 years old: 93%, drawn from the nearby bands (8 cars this age)Lexus, 3 years old: 93%, drawn from the nearby bands (18 cars this age)Lexus, 4 years old: 83% in good shape (24 cars)Lexus, 5 years old: 81%, drawn from the nearby bands (12 cars this age)Lexus, 6 years old: 80% in good shape (10 cars)Lexus, 7 years old: 81%, drawn from the nearby bands (13 cars this age)Lexus, 8 years old: 90% in good shape (20 cars)Lexus, 9 years old: 76% in good shape (21 cars)Lexus, 10 years old: 74%, drawn from the nearby bands (13 cars this age)Lexus, 11 years old: 67% in good shape (21 cars)Lexus, 12 years old: 48% in good shape (25 cars)Lexus, 13 years old: 41% in good shape (27 cars)Lexus, 14 years old: 35%, drawn from the nearby bands (13 cars this age)Lexus, 15 years old: 31%, drawn from the nearby bands (18 cars this age)Lexus, 16 years old: 24%, drawn from the nearby bands (13 cars this age) 2y 4y 6y 8y 10y 12y 14y 16y vehicle age when we inspected it

Share in good shape (scoring 60+/100) by mileage and by age when we inspected them (each dot ≥5 cars; a band under 20 cars follows the nearby bands, so a run above the all-cars line stays above it, and a band of 20 or more uses the rate we measured; where a band has too few cars, the line follows the trend between the bands on either side; rolled-back odometers excluded from the mileage curve). Dashed grey = all cars we check.

Most common faults
Ford
Oil leaks · Engine
57%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
38%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
30%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
30%
Oil leaks · Drivetrain
20%
Lexus
Oil leaks · Engine
53%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
36%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
35%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
33%
Low coolant / cooling system issues · Engine
25%
Trajectory by generation
Ford ▲ Newer Fords are holding up better 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 41% in good shape (age-adjusted; 37 cars, raw 38%) 41 2015–17: 53% in good shape (age-adjusted; 99 cars, raw 49%) 53 2018–20: 59% in good shape (age-adjusted; 94 cars, raw 64%) 59 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018–20 2021+
Lexus ▲ Newer Lexus vehicles are holding up better 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 66% in good shape (age-adjusted; 19 cars, raw 63%) 66 2015–17: 85% in good shape (age-adjusted; 47 cars, raw 81%) 85 2018–20: 85% in good shape (age-adjusted; 20 cars, raw 90%) 85 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018–20 2021+

Share in good shape when inspected at the same age (5–10 years, age-adjusted), by model-year generation; dashed = all-brand average. All brands →

FAQ
?
Which is more reliable, Ford or Lexus?
Lexus leads on our inspections: 60/100 average condition vs 58/100 for Ford, from 870 real pre-purchase inspections.
?
What are the most common problems with used Fords and Lexus vehicles?
On Fords we flag oil leaks (57%), tires condition & wear (38%), fuel trim out of range (30%). On Lexus vehicles: oil leaks (53%), fuel trim out of range (36%), tires condition & wear (35%).
?
How many Ford and Lexus vehicles have you inspected?
566 Fords and 304 Lexus vehicles — 870 real pre-purchase inspections. Updated Oct 27, 2026.
?
How long do Fords and Lexus vehicles stay in good shape?
In our data, the average Ford dips below “decent” around ~127k mi; Lexus around ~126k mi. Individual cars vary — get the one you’re buying inspected.
Buying a used Ford or Lexus? Get a pre-purchase inspection before you pay.
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Based on 870 inspections · updated Oct 27, 2026