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1971 Lotus Elan — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age

55 years
Current Age
79.4%
Latest Pass Rate
2,294
Total Tests (All Years)
49,086 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 1971 Lotus Elan as it ages.

38 yrs80.2%
39 yrs81.6%
40 yrs82.3%
41 yrs80.0%
42 yrs86.2%
43 yrs79.5%
44 yrs81.9%
45 yrs83.8%
46 yrs82.5%
47 yrs87.5%
48 yrs85.7%
49 yrs87.8%
50 yrs79.4%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 38 to 50 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
38 yrs80.2%242
39 yrs81.6%234
40 yrs82.3%231
41 yrs80.0%215
42 yrs86.2%217
43 yrs79.5%224
44 yrs81.9%243
45 yrs83.8%240
46 yrs82.5%229
47 yrs87.5%88
48 yrs85.7%56
49 yrs87.8%41
50 yrs79.4%34

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1971 Lotus Elan pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows declining over 13 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2021 (50 yrs)79.4%34
2020 (49 yrs)87.8%41
2019 (48 yrs)85.7%56
2018 (47 yrs)87.5%88
2017 (46 yrs)82.5%229
2016 (45 yrs)83.8%240
2015 (44 yrs)81.9%243
2014 (43 yrs)79.5%224
2013 (42 yrs)86.2%217
2012 (41 yrs)80%215
2011 (40 yrs)82.3%231
2010 (39 yrs)81.6%234
2009 (38 yrs)80.2%242

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009
80.2%
Age (yrs) 38Tests 242Avg Mileage 52,078Top Failure Brakes — 13.2%
2010
81.6%
Age (yrs) 39Tests 234Avg Mileage 49,284Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 11.1%
2011
82.3%
Age (yrs) 40Tests 231Avg Mileage 46,962Top Failure Brakes — 10.8%
2012
80.0%
Age (yrs) 41Tests 215Avg Mileage 47,630Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 11.6%
2013
86.2%
Age (yrs) 42Tests 217Avg Mileage 49,869Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 22.1%
2014
79.5%
Age (yrs) 43Tests 224Avg Mileage 50,257Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 25.9%
2015
81.9%
Age (yrs) 44Tests 243Avg Mileage 51,419Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 23.5%
2016
83.8%
Age (yrs) 45Tests 240Avg Mileage 51,031Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 17.5%
2017
82.5%
Age (yrs) 46Tests 229Avg Mileage 49,920Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 24.9%
2018
87.5%
Age (yrs) 47Tests 88Avg Mileage 47,878Top Failure Brakes — 9.1%
2019
85.7%
Age (yrs) 48Tests 56Avg Mileage 55,912Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 10.7%
2020
87.8%
Age (yrs) 49Tests 41Avg Mileage 57,226Top Failure Brakes — 12.2%
2021
79.4%
Age (yrs) 50Tests 34Avg Mileage 49,086Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 11.8%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1971 Lotus Elan, with age trends.

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
16.5%
— Consistent
Brakes
12.6%
↓ Decreases with age
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
9.5%
↑ Increases with age
Suspension
9.3%
↑ Increases with age
Driver's View of the Road
6.0%
— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Brakes13.2% (38 yrs)2.9% (50 yrs)
-10.3%
🟢 ↓
Steering2.1% (38 yrs)8.8% (50 yrs)
+6.7%
🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

1963 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996
← Back to Lotus Elan overview

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 1971 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2021, covering 2,294 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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