Lotus Elise reliability, MOT pass rate and rarity

Time Period & Model

Time period snapshot: Last 5 years

Manufacturer: Lotus

Model: Elise

Model reliability rank

MOT-based rank from 28,451 selected-period tests.

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Overall MOT pass rate

86.5%

Share of this model's 28,451 selected-period MOT tests that pass.

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Efficiency, emissions & tax

Average MPG

CO2 emission

Euro emissions

Tax cost

£340/yr

Vehicle list price over £40,000?NoYes

Average vehicle miles

49,984

Lower average mileage in the analysed fleet.

Life expectancy miles

52,622

Lower mature-fleet mileage expectation.

Average vehicle age

21.2

Older average age in the represented fleet.

Vehicles represented

4,523

4,523 valid MOT, 0 under 3 years.

Tests analysed

28,451

28,451 MOT tests in the selected period.

Rarity ranking

Based on Make & Model

Very Rare

4,523On the road

Insight summary

Lotus Elise is a very rare model in this snapshot, with 4,523 represented vehicles and 0.01% of the active UK pool tracked by AutoRank. For the last 5 years, it has a pass rate of 86.5% from 28,451 MOT tests, with a reliability score of 74. The current pool shows an average of 49,984 miles and an average age of 21.2 years, while mature-fleet mileage is estimated at 52,622 miles. Petrol leads the fuel split, followed by other, and the most frequent defect themes are exhaust emissions, windscreen damage and lighting. The practical read is that the Lotus Elise looks convincing in this view, especially where normal wear items have been kept on top of.

Fuel type breakdown (by model)

Fuel	Vehicles
PETROL	4,513
OTHER	9
LPG	1

Euro NCAP Safety

No NCAP tests found for this model.

Top 25 most common defects (by model)

Defect	Count
Exhaust Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (8.2.1.2 (c))	499
Exhaust carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits (8.2.1.2 (a))	380
Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (3.2 (a) (i))	279
Nearside Front Position lamp not working (4.2.1 (a) (ii))	224
Exhaust carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits (8.2.1.2 (b))	196
Windscreen washer not working (3.5 (a))	187
Offside Front Position lamp not working (4.2.1 (a) (ii))	171
Exhaust carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits (8.2.1.2 (b))	167
Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (3.5 (a))	159
Exhaust carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds default limits (8.2.1.2 (b))	149
Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (3.4 (b) (ii))	144
Horn not working (7.7 (a))	140
Nearside Headlamp aim too high (4.1.2 (a))	137
Offside Headlamp aim too high (4.1.2 (a))	123
Exhaust hydrocarbon content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits (8.2.1.2 (a))	118
Nearside Registration plate lamp inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (4.7.1 (b) (i))	107
Stop lamp(s) all not working (4.3.1 (a) (iii))	99
Windscreen wiper blade defective (3.4 (b) (i))	99
Nearside Front Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.1.3 (g) (i))	96
Parking brake efficiency below requirements (1.4.2 (a) (i))	94
Offside Headlamp aim too low (4.1.2 (a))	93
Nearside Front Headlamp aim too high (4.1.2 (a))	92
Offside Front Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.1.3 (g) (i))	92
Offside Front Headlamp aim too high (4.1.2 (a))	91
Engine MIL inoperative or indicates a malfunction (8.2.1.2 (h))	87

All 25 defects ranked by recorded countShowing 4,023 defects across this top 25 set

Exhaust Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (8.2.1.2 (c))

499

Exhaust carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits (8.2.1.2 (a))

380

Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (3.2 (a) (i))

279

Nearside Front Position lamp not working (4.2.1 (a) (ii))

224

Exhaust carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits (8.2.1.2 (b))

196

Windscreen washer not working (3.5 (a))

187

Offside Front Position lamp not working (4.2.1 (a) (ii))

171

Exhaust carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits (8.2.1.2 (b))

167

Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (3.5 (a))

159

Exhaust carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds default limits (8.2.1.2 (b))

149

Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (3.4 (b) (ii))

144

Horn not working (7.7 (a))

140

Nearside Headlamp aim too high (4.1.2 (a))

137

Offside Headlamp aim too high (4.1.2 (a))

123

Exhaust hydrocarbon content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits (8.2.1.2 (a))

118

Nearside Registration plate lamp inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (4.7.1 (b) (i))

107

Stop lamp(s) all not working (4.3.1 (a) (iii))

Windscreen wiper blade defective (3.4 (b) (i))

Nearside Front Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.1.3 (g) (i))

Parking brake efficiency below requirements (1.4.2 (a) (i))

Offside Headlamp aim too low (4.1.2 (a))

Nearside Front Headlamp aim too high (4.1.2 (a))

Offside Front Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.1.3 (g) (i))

Offside Front Headlamp aim too high (4.1.2 (a))

Engine MIL inoperative or indicates a malfunction (8.2.1.2 (h))

Lotus Elise reliability and MOT data