How reliable is the Lotus Elise compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Lotus Elise, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 86.1% across 5,060 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.

What do testers most often warn about on a Lotus Elise?

The most common advisory is "Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured", noted on 8.3% of all Lotus Elise tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Lotus Elise usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 48,402 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Which Lotus Elise years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Lotus Elise cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 95.9%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 85.0%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.

Does a Lotus Elise get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 95.9% of Lotus Elise tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 85.0%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Model reliability file

Lotus Elise MOT pass rate & common failures

From 5,060 recorded MOT tests of the Lotus Elise, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 5,060 MOT tests, 86.1% of Lotus Elise tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Lotus Elise fleet does not yet cover a wide enough spread of ages and distances to compare it fairly against other models. Its most commonly recorded failure is lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, which appears in 16.7% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 48,402 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

86.1%unadjusted, not comparable5,060 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the Elise. The examples tested do not cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages to compare it fairly, and an unadjusted pass rate mostly sorts models by how recently they were bought rather than how well they were built. The failure and advisory patterns below come from the same 5,060 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Lotus Elise tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer16.7%
95 occurrencesEmissions above the permitted limit explained
2.Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits11.6%
66 occurrencesEmissions above the permitted limit explained
3.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements10.7%
61 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
4.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning10.2%
58 occurrencesLamp not working explained
5.Emissions levels exceed default limits7.4%
42 occurrencesEmissions above the permitted limit explained
6.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements7.2%
41 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
7.Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen7.2%
41 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
8.Emissions levels exceed default limits6.7%
38 occurrencesEmissions above the permitted limit explained
9.Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen6.7%
38 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
10.Emissions test unable to be completed5.8%
33 occurrences

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Lotus Elise tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured8.3%
420 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements6.9%
350 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged5.3%
266 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened5.0%
253 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
5.Play in steering rack inner joint(s)3.8%
193 tests
6.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm3.6%
180 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
7.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded2.3%
116 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
8.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage1.8%
92 testsShock absorber defective explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Lotus Elise

The 19 other defects testers recorded on this model, beyond the most common listed above. Each links to what it means and what it takes to put right.

How wear changes the picture

Elise pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Lotus Elise passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 3 to 5 was first used in 2020–2022.

3–5 yrsreg. 2020–202296%

6–8 yrsreg. 2017–201992%

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201690%

12–14 yrsreg. 2011–201387%

15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier85%

Read this as an age curve rather than a verdict on particular model years. Nearly every car passes less often as it gets older, so a newer Elise outscoring an older one says more about wear than about how that year’s cars were built. Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Elise fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 48,402
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol100.0%

Trim names grouped into this model (16)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

ELISE 111
ELISE 111R (TOURING)
ELISE 111S
ELISE 16V
ELISE R
ELISE R TOUR
ELISE R TOUR & SPORTS
ELISE R TOUR+
ELISE R TOURING
ELISE R TOURING & SPORT
ELISE S
ELISE S TOUR
ELISE S TOURING
ELISE S TOURING AND SPORT
ELISE SPORT 240
ELISE T

Check a specific Lotus Elise

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Lotus models

Lotus Exige — 91.0% unadjusted
Lotus Elan — 77.3% unadjusted
Lotus Esprit — 86.5% unadjusted
Lotus Evora — 91.2% unadjusted
All Lotus models

Common questions

How reliable is the Lotus Elise compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Lotus Elise, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 86.1% across 5,060 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Lotus Elise?: The item recorded most often is "Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer", which appears in 16.7% of failed Lotus Elise tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Lotus Elise?: The most common advisory is "Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured", noted on 8.3% of all Lotus Elise tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Lotus Elise usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 48,402 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Which Lotus Elise years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Lotus Elise cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 95.9%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 85.0%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.
Does a Lotus Elise get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 95.9% of Lotus Elise tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 85.0%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. No adjusted rate is shown because this model's tested examples do not cover enough of the national age and mileage range for standardisation to mean anything.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.