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Lotus Elise, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

4,509 Lotus Elises are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 86.1% of initial MOT tests, 13.8 points above the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific Elise? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Lotus Elise at the MOT

86.1% of 5,070 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Elise 105th of 575 models. Lotus Elises aged 3 to 5 years passed 94.7% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 85.2%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Lotus Elise86.1%
  • All Lotus modelsLevel with the Elise86.2%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Lotus Elise tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years243 tests94.7%
  • 6 to 10 years433 tests91%
  • 11 years and over4,385 tests85.2%

Where Elises fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Lotus Elise tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment32%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks25.4%
  • Brakes11.9%
  • Visibility11.1%
  • Suspension8.9%

The items testers recorded most often were catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (6.2%), position lamp not working (5.2%) and headlamp aim too high (5.1%).

The MOT page lists every common Elise MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Lotus Elise MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Elise's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

    Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.32% of Elise failure items

  2. Noise, emissions and leaks

    Listen for a blowing exhaust, watch for smoke on start-up and look under the car for oil or fluid leaks.25.4% of Elise failure items

  3. Brakes

    Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing.11.9% of Elise failure items

Lotus Elises in the UK

4,509 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 11% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−11%from 5,066 licensed
Typical year of first use
2003half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2003 or earlier
Declared off the road
2,93539% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Lotus Elises since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 20145,066
End of 20155,126
End of 20164,933
End of 20174,652
End of 20184,470
End of 20194,377
End of 20204,010
End of 20214,058
End of 20223,968
End of 20233,675
End of 20243,511
End of 20253,451
End of June 20264,509

How old they are

Licensed Lotus Elises by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 1,599 were first used before 2003.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
20221340
202166113
20205174
201976124
20186295
201770107
201672119
201566131
201475
201339
201231
201154
201086
200968
2008130
2007158
2006147
2005161
2004167
2003193

Elise engine sizes

1.8 litre engines made up 97% of Lotus Elise MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.6 litre at 2.6%. Petrol accounts for 100% of licensed Elises.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 5,070 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.8 litre96.6%
  • 1.6 litre2.6%

Lotus Elise recalls

10 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Lotus Elise. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Elise is affected.

  1. Feb 2020 R/2019/412

    Bolts securing the fuel rail to the cyclinder head may fail

    Elises built May 2012 to Jun 2019 · 762 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Bolts securing the fuel rail to the cylinder head may fail.
    Remedy
    The spacers and fuel rail securing bolts will be replaced with new revised parts

  2. Sep 2016 R/2016/223

    Reduction of braking efficiency

    Elises built Mar 2016 to Sep 2016 · 56 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    An error in production of the brake master cylinder may cause a reduction in braking efficiency.
    Remedy
    Replace the brake master cylinder on affected vehicles.

  3. Nov 2014 R/2014/066

    Risk of fire

    Elises built Sep 2004 to Jan 2011 · 1,258 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The oil cooler pipes may detach from their fittings and deposit oil in the engine compartment on the road/tyres which can lead to increased risk of fire and loss of vehicle control. Only the pipes with the smooth bore ferrules are affected.
    Remedy
    Elise Exige and 211: Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and repair or replace the oil cooler hoses. Evora: it is proposed that the oil cooler hose assemblies will be replaced with hoses that incorporate the current production released end fittings in accordance with Lotus workshop procedures.

  4. Jun 2009 R/2009/057

    Wheel hub may become insecure

    Elises built Jan 2009 to May 2009 · 288 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The bolts securing the rear wheel hubs to the suspension may not have been correctly tightened.
    Remedy
    Recall affected vehicles and check bolts for correct torque and if necessary remove and re-install bolts.

  5. Feb 2006 R/2005/186

    Gear lever may break

    Elises built Jan 2004 to Feb 2005 · 764 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It has been found that there is a small risk that the gear lever may break if subjected to high handling force.
    Remedy
    Recall the likely to be affected vehicles and where necessary replace the gear lever and associated parts.

  6. Aug 2002 R/2002/066

    Front brake caliper bolts concern

    Elises built Jul 2001 to Aug 2001 · 94 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    There is a slight chance that one or more of the tapped holes for the four bolts securing the two halves of the brake caliper body together has not been threaded through the full depth of the hole. The structural integrity of any such caliper may be compromised with the risk of fatigue failure of the caliper occurring after an extended period.
    Remedy
    Check the caliper tapped holes. If any incomplete threading is found the brake caliper is to be replaced.

  7. Jun 2001 R/2001/063

    Steering rack may be susceptible to premature wear and possible tooth damage

    Elises built Sep 1998 to Jan 1999 · 338 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    A batch of steering rack assemblies has been identified as having been built with rack bars which have been subjected to an incorrect heat treatment rendering them susceptible to premature wear and possible tooth damage.
    Remedy
    Recall affected vehicles for a check of the steering rack assembly batch number. If this is confirmed as within the suspect batch the steering rack assembly is to be renewed.

  8. Feb 2001 R/2001/014

    Fuel may leak when filling and cornering

    Elises built Oct 1999 to Jan 2001 · 1,509 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The hose connecting a spigot on the filler neck to the fuel tank top surface has been found to be of an incorrect material specification. The suspect hoses have a reduced resistance to tearing and rupturing forces exacerbated by careless or incorrect fitting.
    Remedy
    Recall affected vehicles and replace fuel filler breather hose with modified type.
How to check a specific Elise for recalls

Lotus Elise FAQs

How many Lotus Elises are there in the UK?

4,509 Lotus Elises were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 2,935 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Lotus Elise reliable?

MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is an 86.1% first-time pass rate for the Lotus Elise across 5,070 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Lotus Elise had any recalls?

10 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Lotus Elise. The most recent was published in February 2020. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.

What should I check before buying a used Lotus Elise?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, noise, emissions and leaks and brakes. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check a Lotus Elise's history?

Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.

Already found an Elise?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Lotus history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Lotus VIN check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to October 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.