1990 Lotus Elan: MOT pass rate and reliability

76.3% of 1990 Lotus Elans pass the MOT first time, measured across 241 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 88,287 miles.

How the 1990 compares

• Against all Lotus Elans (79%, 1,249 tests): -2.7 points
• Against all 1990 cars (76%): +0.3 points
• National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Lotus Elan model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 1990 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Lotus Elan:

What this means if you are buying a 1990 Elan

The 1990 is a weaker year for this model, passing 2.7 points less often than the Lotus Elan average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 1990 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.

What a 36-year-old car fails on

A 1990 car is 36 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:

• Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
• Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
• Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
• Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
• Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
• Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested

That is above average, the point where suspension bushes, drop links and exhaust corrosion start showing up as advisories before they become failures. On a 1990 Lotus Elan the average at test was 88,287 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.

1990 is the strongest year on record for this model at 76.3%, ahead of every other year we hold data for.

Nearby model years

• 1991 Lotus Elan - 74.1%

All Lotus Elan MOT data · Every model