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1966 Lotus Elan — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1966 perform at MOT as they age

60 years
Current Age
90.7%
Latest Pass Rate
371
Total Tests (All Years)
45,745 mi
Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1966 Lotus Elan as it ages.

43 yrs91.9%
44 yrs80.6%
45 yrs80.0%
46 yrs90.9%
47 yrs91.1%
48 yrs85.7%
49 yrs78.0%
50 yrs82.2%
51 yrs90.7%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 43 to 51 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
43 yrs91.9%37
44 yrs80.6%36
45 yrs80.0%40
46 yrs90.9%33
47 yrs91.1%45
48 yrs85.7%42
49 yrs78.0%50
50 yrs82.2%45
51 yrs90.7%43

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1966 Lotus Elan pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 9 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2017 (51 yrs)90.7%43
2016 (50 yrs)82.2%45
2015 (49 yrs)78%50
2014 (48 yrs)85.7%42
2013 (47 yrs)91.1%45
2012 (46 yrs)90.9%33
2011 (45 yrs)80%40
2010 (44 yrs)80.6%36
2009 (43 yrs)91.9%37

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009
91.9%
Age (yrs) 43Tests 37Avg Mileage 39,927Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 8.1%
2010
80.6%
Age (yrs) 44Tests 36Avg Mileage 39,740Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 11.1%
2011
80.0%
Age (yrs) 45Tests 40Avg Mileage 44,366Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 10.0%
2012
90.9%
Age (yrs) 46Tests 33Avg Mileage 43,308Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 6.1%
2013
91.1%
Age (yrs) 47Tests 45Avg Mileage 42,174Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 15.6%
2014
85.7%
Age (yrs) 48Tests 42Avg Mileage 44,473Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 19.0%
2015
78.0%
Age (yrs) 49Tests 50Avg Mileage 43,689Top Failure Brakes — 26.0%
2016
82.2%
Age (yrs) 50Tests 45Avg Mileage 45,786Top Failure Suspension — 15.6%
2017
90.7%
Age (yrs) 51Tests 43Avg Mileage 45,745Top Failure Brakes — 11.6%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1966 Lotus Elan, with age trends.

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
13.2%
↑ Increases with age
Suspension
11.0%
↑ Increases with age
Brakes
10.4%
↑ Increases with age
Steering
6.2%
— Consistent
Tyres
5.1%
↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Brakes5.4% (43 yrs)11.6% (51 yrs)
+6.2%
🔴 ↑
Driver's View of the Road2.7% (43 yrs)7.0% (51 yrs)
+4.3%
🔴 ↑
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment8.1% (43 yrs)11.6% (51 yrs)
+3.5%
🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Lotus Elan page →

About This Data

This page shows how Lotus Elan cars manufactured in 1966 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2017, covering 371 tests. Pass rates naturally decline with age as components wear.

Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.

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