Lotus Elise MOT pass rate & common failures
The Lotus Elise appears in 27,317 MOT tests spanning model years 1996–2022, and 88.5% of them passed. All cars of a similar age fail 24.9% of the time, so this is 13.5pp better than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, emissions & environmental and visibility.
Best and worst Elise years
Ranked across Elise years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
The strongest year on this record is 2005 (91.1% pass rate); the weakest is 1998 (85.4%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (6.4%) and emissions & environmental (4.3%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are catalyst emissions, headlamp aim and washers — catalyst emissions alone was recorded 1,651 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 6.8% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 19.7% once past 150k — 2.9× the risk.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: brakes was flagged on 11.5% of tests without failing them.
The trend is improving — the fail rate fell from 12.8% in 2021 to 10.6% in 2025, as the worst-kept examples leave the fleet.
How it compares
By model year
Every Elise model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 158 | 85.4% | 14.6% | Emissions & environmental |
| 1997 | 1,272 | 85.5% | 14.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1998 | 3,430 | 85.4% | 14.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1999 | 3,561 | 86.6% | 13.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 2,680 | 86.9% | 13.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 1,466 | 88.4% | 11.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 2,224 | 87.9% | 12.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 1,626 | 87.5% | 12.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 1,336 | 88.4% | 11.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 1,338 | 91.1% | 8.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 1,225 | 90.2% | 9.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 1,178 | 90.7% | 9.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 936 | 90.2% | 9.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 510 | 92.0% | 8.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 580 | 89.7% | 10.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 311 | 88.4% | 11.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 157 | 90.5% | 9.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 258 | 92.3% | 7.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 457 | 91.9% | 8.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 526 | 94.7% | 5.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 493 | 93.7% | 6.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 447 | 95.1% | 4.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 377 | 92.3% | 7.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 405 | 96.3% | 3.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 228 | 94.3% | 5.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2021 | 125 | 96.0% | 4.0% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 6.4% | 1,743 |
| 2 | Emissions & environmental | 4.3% | 1,172 |
| 3 | Visibility | 3.1% | 840 |
| 4 | Brakes | 2.1% | 572 |
| 5 | Suspension | 1.9% | 528 |
| 6 | Tyres | 0.9% | 250 |
| 7 | Steering | 0.8% | 226 |
| 8 | Other defects | 0.8% | 216 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Catalyst emissions | 1,651 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 953 |
| 3 | Washers | 576 |
| 4 | Position lamp | 539 |
| 5 | Wipers | 311 |
| 6 | Headlamp | 309 |
| 7 | Stop lamp | 256 |
| 8 | Registration plates | 249 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brakes | 11.5% | 3,147 |
| 2 | Suspension | 9.8% | 2,672 |
| 3 | Tyres | 8.2% | 2,252 |
| 4 | Other defects | 5.8% | 1,595 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 3.6% | 973 |
| 6 | Visibility | 2.7% | 728 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 8,201 | 6.8% |
| 30-60k | 10,707 | 11.8% |
| 60-90k | 5,922 | 14.3% |
| 90-120k | 1,725 | 18.1% |
| 120-150k | 469 | 18.3% |
| 150k+ | 269 | 19.7% |
Failure rate by age
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 5,507 | 12.8% |
| 2022 | 5,610 | 11.3% |
| 2023 | 5,563 | 11.4% |
| 2024 | 5,328 | 11.1% |
| 2025 | 5,309 | 10.6% |
What to check before buying a Lotus Elise
- Lighting & signalling (6.4% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Emissions & environmental (4.3% of tests): More common on older diesels (DPF/EGR) — can be expensive; check for warning lights and smoke. Typical repair: £100–£600.
- Visibility (3.1% of tests): Wipers, washers, mirrors and screen damage — usually inexpensive, but check for chips in the driver's line of sight. Typical repair: £15–£150.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Lotus Elise?
88.5% of the 27,317 Lotus Elise MOT tests in this dataset passed, an 11.5% fail rate, across model years 1996–2022.
What does the Lotus Elise most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 6.4% of tests, then emissions & environmental (4.3%).
Which Elise years are best and worst for MOT results?
2005 has the best pass rate at 91.1% and 1998 the weakest at 85.4%, from 1,338 and 3,430 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Elise MOT results?
Fail rates run at 6.8% for cars in the 0-30k band and 19.7% for 150k+, a 12.9-point difference.
Methodology & source. Based on 27,317 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.