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BMW vs Lexus

BMW or Lexus — what we actually found

Side by side from 312 BMWs and 286 Lexus vehicles buyers asked us to inspect before purchase. The average car we check scores 61/100.

vs
Head to head
BMWLexus
Cars inspected312286
Average condition66/10060/100
In good shape (60+/100)65%56%
Holds up to (avg dips below decent)~100k mi~126k mi
Repainted or replaced panel73%83%
Structural repair found2%3%
Fault codes recently cleared26%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
BMW
Excellent 33% Good 32% Mediocre 20% Poor 15%
Lexus
Excellent 24% Good 32% Mediocre 21% Poor 23%
How long do they stay good?
Good cars by mileage
▬ BMW▬ Lexus▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 BMW, 0–20k mi: 97% in good shape (31 cars)BMW, 20–40k mi: 98% in good shape (56 cars)BMW, 40–60k mi: 84% in good shape (50 cars)BMW, 60–80k mi: 60% in good shape (48 cars)BMW, 80–100k mi: 46% in good shape (52 cars)BMW, 100–120k mi: 41% in good shape (32 cars)BMW, 120–140k mi: 19% in good shape (21 cars)BMW, 140–160k mi: 17% in good shape (12 cars) Lexus, 0–20k mi: 100% in good shape (10 cars)Lexus, 20–40k mi: 93% in good shape (27 cars)Lexus, 40–60k mi: 90% in good shape (31 cars)Lexus, 60–80k mi: 67% in good shape (24 cars)Lexus, 80–100k mi: 71% in good shape (41 cars)Lexus, 100–120k mi: 55% in good shape (33 cars)Lexus, 120–140k mi: 34% in good shape (35 cars)Lexus, 140–160k mi: 29% in good shape (31 cars)Lexus, 160–180k mi: 16% in good shape (25 cars)Lexus, 180–200k mi: 30% in good shape (10 cars)Lexus, 200–220k mi: 29% in good shape (7 cars) 40k 80k 120k 160k 200k mileage when we inspected it
Good cars by age
▬ BMW▬ Lexus▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 BMW, 1 years old: 100% in good shape (13 cars)BMW, 2 years old: 96% in good shape (26 cars)BMW, 3 years old: 93% in good shape (14 cars)BMW, 4 years old: 100% in good shape (27 cars)BMW, 5 years old: 92% in good shape (26 cars)BMW, 6 years old: 73% in good shape (30 cars)BMW, 7 years old: 59% in good shape (22 cars)BMW, 8 years old: 57% in good shape (28 cars)BMW, 9 years old: 50% in good shape (18 cars)BMW, 10 years old: 59% in good shape (17 cars)BMW, 11 years old: 33% in good shape (18 cars)BMW, 12 years old: 33% in good shape (18 cars)BMW, 13 years old: 0% in good shape (7 cars)BMW, 14 years old: 38% in good shape (8 cars)BMW, 15 years old: 10% in good shape (10 cars) Lexus, 2 years old: 100% in good shape (7 cars)Lexus, 3 years old: 87% in good shape (15 cars)Lexus, 4 years old: 83% in good shape (23 cars)Lexus, 5 years old: 82% in good shape (11 cars)Lexus, 6 years old: 80% in good shape (10 cars)Lexus, 7 years old: 83% in good shape (12 cars)Lexus, 8 years old: 89% in good shape (18 cars)Lexus, 9 years old: 74% in good shape (19 cars)Lexus, 10 years old: 69% in good shape (13 cars)Lexus, 11 years old: 65% in good shape (20 cars)Lexus, 12 years old: 46% in good shape (24 cars)Lexus, 13 years old: 40% in good shape (25 cars)Lexus, 14 years old: 31% in good shape (13 cars)Lexus, 15 years old: 29% in good shape (17 cars)Lexus, 16 years old: 23% in good shape (13 cars) 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; rolled-back odometers excluded from the mileage curve). Dashed grey = all cars we check.

Most common faults
BMW
Oil leaks · Engine
56%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
40%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
35%
Low coolant / cooling system issues · Engine
27%
Electronic components issues · Engine
18%
Lexus
Oil leaks · Engine
54%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
37%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
36%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
35%
Low coolant / cooling system issues · Engine
27%
Trajectory by generation
BMW ▲ Newer BMWs are holding up better 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 52% in good shape (age-adjusted; 34 cars, raw 53%) 52 2015–17: 64% in good shape (age-adjusted; 46 cars, raw 63%) 64 2018+: 80% in good shape (age-adjusted; 47 cars, raw 87%) 80 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018+
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: 83% in good shape (age-adjusted; 45 cars, raw 80%) 83 2018+: 87% in good shape (age-adjusted; 17 cars, raw 94%) 87 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018+

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 →

Whichever badge wins on paper, the car in front of you is its own story. Get it inspected before you pay.
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Based on 598 inspections · updated Aug 22, 2026