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. On a Lotus Elise 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 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 what damaged Lotus Elises actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Lotus Elise

1. Stop lamps all missing or inoperative, 0.5% of tests (7.91x the national rate for this defect)
2. Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits, 1.7% of tests (7.89x the national rate for this defect)
3. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 2.3% of tests (7.81x the national rate for this defect)
4. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 1.9% of tests (4.75x the national rate for this defect)
5. Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements, 0.5% of tests (2.92x the national rate for this defect)
6. Audible warning inoperative, 0.4% of tests (1.8x the national rate for this defect)
7. Emissions test unable to be completed, 0.4% of tests (1.21x the national rate for this defect)
8. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 1.9% of tests
9. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 1% of tests
10. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 1% of tests

From 9,689 DVSA-tracked Lotus Elise tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 2.91% of these flagged Lotus Elise defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Lotus Elise 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 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

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate