Lotus Elan: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Lotus Elan passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 1.7 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 1,259 individual Lotus Elan tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

First-time pass rate78.4%
UK national average76.7%
Difference+1.7 points
Tests analysed1,259
Average mileage at test75,436 miles
Average year of manufacture1990
Reliability rank1,508 of 2,005 models

What this means if you are buying one

A 78.4% first-time pass rate means roughly 22 in every 100 Lotus Elans presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is better than average, so a well-kept example is a reasonably safe used buy. The average Lotus Elan tested had covered 75,436 miles and was built around 1990.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Lotus Elan bought as a repairable salvage, the mechanical side is less likely to spring surprises, so your repair estimate should hold up reasonably well.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Lotus Elan rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see what damaged Lotus Elans actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Lotus Elan

  1. Braking effort inadequate at a wheel, 1.7% of tests (44.56x the national rate for this defect)
  2. Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2.8% of tests (16.68x the national rate for this defect)
  3. Headlamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 1.2% of tests (12.1x the national rate for this defect)
  4. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 3.4% of tests (11.74x the national rate for this defect)
  5. A wheel bearing with excessive play, 1.2% of tests (8.77x the national rate for this defect)
  6. 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., 2.8% of tests (7.1x the national rate for this defect)
  7. Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value, 1.7% of tests (6.06x the national rate for this defect)
  8. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 4.7% of tests (4.79x the national rate for this defect)
  9. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 3.5% of tests (3.9x the national rate for this defect)
  10. Parking brake inoperative on one side, 1.6% of tests (3.53x the national rate for this defect)

From 2,973 DVSA-tracked Lotus Elan tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 2.58% of these flagged Lotus Elan defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Lotus Elan pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each Lotus Elan year:

Other Lotus models

Models with a similar pass rate

If this car is a salvage or write-off

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Lotus Elan MOT pass rate badge: 78.4%

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate