2004 Lotus Elise: MOT pass rate and reliability
87.2% of 2004 Lotus Elises pass the MOT first time, measured across 227 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 53,793 miles.
How the 2004 compares
- Against all Lotus Elises (87.9%, 4,931 tests): -0.7 points
- Against all 2004 cars (64%): +23.2 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every Lotus Elise model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2004 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Lotus Elise:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 79.1% | 215 | 56,154 |
| 1998 | 84.4% | 601 | 62,408 |
| 1999 | 87.1% | 626 | 59,533 |
| 2000 | 85.2% | 473 | 54,282 |
| 2001 | 88% | 258 | 53,485 |
| 2002 | 87.8% | 403 | 51,657 |
| 2003 | 87.6% | 283 | 56,918 |
| 2004 | 87.2% | 227 | 53,793 |
| 2005 | 92.1% | 240 | 51,171 |
| 2006 | 88.2% | 229 | 46,852 |
| 2007 | 89.2% | 213 | 46,388 |
What this means if you are buying a 2004 Elise
The 2004 sits close to the Lotus Elise average, so there is no strong model-year signal either way. Judge the individual car on its own history. 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 22-year-old car fails on
A 2004 car is 22 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 around average, so condition and service history will tell you more than the odometer does. On a 2004 Lotus Elise the average at test was 53,793 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.
The strongest year for this model is 2005 at 92.1%, and the weakest in our data is 1997 at 79.1%. That 13.0 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2004 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2001 Lotus Elise - 88%
- 2002 Lotus Elise - 87.8%
- 2003 Lotus Elise - 87.6%
- 2005 Lotus Elise - 92.1%
- 2006 Lotus Elise - 88.2%
- 2007 Lotus Elise - 89.2%