Lotus Elise: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Lotus Elise passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 10.6 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 4,966 individual Lotus Elise tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 87.3% first-time pass rate means roughly 13 in every 100 Lotus Elises 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 Elise tested had covered 48,442 miles and was built around 2004.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Lotus Elise sits 10.6 points above the national average, ranked 1,076 of 2,005 models. On one bought as 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 Elise 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 recorded closing bids for damaged Lotus Elises at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Lotus Elise

1. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 2.7% of tests (7.74x the national rate for this defect)
2. Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits, 2.1% of tests (7.56x the national rate for this defect)
3. Stop lamps all missing or inoperative, 0.5% of tests (6.35x the national rate for this defect)
4. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 2.3% of tests (4.5x the national rate for this defect)
5. Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements, 0.6% of tests (3.16x the national rate for this defect)
6. Audible warning inoperative, 0.5% of tests (1.86x the national rate for this defect)
7. Emissions test unable to be completed, 0.5% of tests (1.22x the national rate for this defect)
8. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 2.7% of tests (1.17x the national rate for this defect)
9. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 1.4% of tests
10. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 1.3% of tests

From 4,964 DVSA-tracked Lotus Elise tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.02% of these flagged Lotus Elise defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Lotus Elise

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Lotus Elise before it actually fails on it.

1. Cable damaged or knotted, 0.7% of tests (7.92x the national rate for this advisory)
2. A wheel bearing excessively rough, 0.6% of tests (1.68x the national rate for this advisory)
3. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 2% of tests (1.55x the national rate for this advisory)
4. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 6.2% of tests (1.32x the national rate for this advisory)
5. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 8.1% of tests
6. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 7.7% of tests
7. A tyre seriously damaged, 5.4% of tests
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 3.6% of tests
9. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 3.3% of tests
10. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 2.6% of tests

From 4,964 DVSA-tracked Lotus Elise tests, 2024.

Lotus Elise pass rate by model year

From its 1998 to its 2002 model year, the Lotus Elise's first-time pass rate has risen 3.4 points, from 84.4% to 87.8%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Lotus Elise year:

• 1997 Lotus Elise - 79.1% first-time pass, 215 tests
• 1998 Lotus Elise - 84.4% first-time pass, 601 tests
• 1999 Lotus Elise - 87.1% first-time pass, 626 tests
• 2000 Lotus Elise - 85.2% first-time pass, 473 tests
• 2001 Lotus Elise - 88% first-time pass, 258 tests
• 2002 Lotus Elise - 87.8% first-time pass, 403 tests
• 2003 Lotus Elise - 87.6% first-time pass, 283 tests
• 2004 Lotus Elise - 87.2% first-time pass, 227 tests
• 2005 Lotus Elise - 92.1% first-time pass, 240 tests
• 2006 Lotus Elise - 88.2% first-time pass, 229 tests
• 2007 Lotus Elise - 89.2% first-time pass, 213 tests

Other Lotus models

• Lotus Exige - 90.9%
• Lotus Elan - 78.4%
• Lotus Esprit - 88%

Models with a similar pass rate

• BMW X2 - 87.3%
• Volkswagen Transporter T28 Highline Tdi - 87.3%
• Volvo S90 - 87.3%
• Land Rover Range Rover Evoque R-Dy Se D A - 87.3%
• Volkswagen Transporter T30 H-Line Tdi S-A - 87.3%
• Vauxhall Grandland X Se Turbo - 87.3%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate