86.1%
Lotus Elise
Lotus Elise MOT pass rate and common problems
The Lotus Elise passed 86.1% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 13.8 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the Elise compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
86.2%
Lotus average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The Elise is level with the Lotus average. The average Elise arrived at its test 20.6 years old with 48,404 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
Elise MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Lotus Elise cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 94.7% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 85.2%, a drop of 9.5 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 243 | 94.7% | 22.4 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 433 | 91% | 18.7 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 4,385 | 85.2% | 12.9 pts above |
That is a typical decline as cars age. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where Elise failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Lotus Elise cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and noise, emissions and leaks together account for 57.4% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common Elise MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Lotus Elise cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 39.2% of everything testers recorded against failed Lotus Elise cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a Elise
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Noise, emissions and leaks
Recorded most often: catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits, catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits, catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits, catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits and emissions not tested unable to be completed. 18.4% of failure items.
2
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working, headlamp aim too high and headlamp aim too low. 13.6% of failure items.
3
Visibility
Recorded most often: washers provides insufficient washer liquid and washers not working. 7.2% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific Elise has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Lotus Elise buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Lotus Elise MOT FAQs
What is the Lotus Elise MOT pass rate?
86.1% of Lotus Elise cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 5,070 tests. That is 13.8 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 105th of 575 models.
What does a Lotus Elise most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Lotus Elise cars failing their 2025 MOT was catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits, on 6.2% of failure items. Next were position lamp not working (5.2%) and headlamp aim too high (5.1%).
Which area causes the most Lotus Elise MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 32%, followed by noise, emissions and leaks at 25.4%.
Do older Lotus Elise cars fail their MOT more often?
Lotus Elise cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 94.7% of MOT tests in 2025, against 85.2% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every Lotus Elise has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Lotus Elise that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific Lotus Elise's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.