4,639 tests in 2025
Lotus Elise reliability and MOT pass rate
88.6% passed first time. The 11.4% fail rate is 11.2 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 23 years old with 44,367 miles.
Pass rate
88.6%
22.6% of all cars failed; 11.4% of these did.
Fixed on the day
2.6%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
44,367 mi
23 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 175 | — |
| 6-9 years | 304 | 7.2% |
| 10-13 years | 246 | 6.5% |
| 14+ years | 3,914 | 12.4% |
What the Elise fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment18 dangerous41%
- Noise, emissions and leaks1 dangerous38.1%
- Visibility19%
- Suspension9 dangerous18.2%
- Brakes23 dangerous16.9%
- Steering6.5%
- Tyres35 dangerous6.5%
- Body, chassis, structure5 dangerous4.7%
Is the Elise getting worse?
The fail rate fell 0.9 points to 11.5% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (-1.3 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 5,094 | 20 | 12.4% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 5,053 | 21 | 12.3% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 4,157 | 22 | 12.1% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 4,519 | 23 | 11.5% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Elise at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a Elise in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits88 tests
- 2Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits63 tests
- 3Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits40 tests
- 4Headlamp aim: too high40 tests
- 5Position lamp: not working40 tests
- 6Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits36 tests
- 7Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid35 tests
- 8Emissions not tested: unable to be completed32 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Elise collects 2.43 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened222 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm193 tests
- 3Non-component advisories: Play in steering rack inner joint(s)165 tests
- 4Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure136 tests
- 5Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick135 tests
- 6Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened128 tests
- 7Registration plates: inscription illegible69 tests
- 8Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak66 tests
Questions
What is the Lotus Elise MOT pass rate?
88.6% of the 4,639 Lotus Elise first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 11.4% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 2.6% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Lotus Elise usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits", recorded on 88 failed tests, followed by "Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits" and "Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits". By section, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 41% of failures, noise, emissions and leaks appears in 38.1% of failures, visibility appears in 19% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 2.9%; at 14+ years it was 12.4%. The median Lotus Elise tested in 2025 was 23 years old with 44,367 miles.
Is the Lotus Elise getting less reliable?
The fail rate fell 0.9 points to 11.5% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (-1.3 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every Elise trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
DVSA has published 10 safety recalls naming the Lotus Elise: Lotus Elise recalls.
Other Lotus models
Checking a particular Elise?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.