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1991 Lotus Elan — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1991 perform at MOT as they age

35 years
Current Age
70.8%
Latest Pass Rate
6,764
Total Tests (All Years)
85,200 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 1991 Lotus Elan as it ages.

18 yrs57.7%
19 yrs62.7%
20 yrs60.8%
21 yrs66.1%
22 yrs64.0%
23 yrs63.0%
24 yrs64.2%
25 yrs65.8%
26 yrs66.2%
27 yrs71.9%
28 yrs69.9%
29 yrs68.4%
30 yrs71.3%
31 yrs64.7%
32 yrs72.5%
33 yrs70.8%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 18 to 33 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
18 yrs57.7%527
19 yrs62.7%504
20 yrs60.8%518
21 yrs66.1%466
22 yrs64.0%469
23 yrs63.0%462
24 yrs64.2%444
25 yrs65.8%430
26 yrs66.2%417
27 yrs71.9%285
28 yrs69.9%289
29 yrs68.4%247
30 yrs71.3%373
31 yrs64.7%320
32 yrs72.5%349
33 yrs70.8%664

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1991 Lotus Elan pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 16 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2024 (33 yrs)70.8%664
2023 (32 yrs)72.5%349
2022 (31 yrs)64.7%320
2021 (30 yrs)71.3%373
2020 (29 yrs)68.4%247
2019 (28 yrs)69.9%289
2018 (27 yrs)71.9%285
2017 (26 yrs)66.2%417
2016 (25 yrs)65.8%430
2015 (24 yrs)64.2%444
2014 (23 yrs)63%462
2013 (22 yrs)64%469
2012 (21 yrs)66.1%466
2011 (20 yrs)60.8%518
2010 (19 yrs)62.7%504
2009 (18 yrs)57.7%527

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
57.7%
Age (yrs) 18Tests 527Avg Mileage 77,222Top Failure Brakes — 30.2%
2010High Fail Rate
62.7%
Age (yrs) 19Tests 504Avg Mileage 77,642Top Failure Brakes — 26.8%
2011High Fail Rate
60.8%
Age (yrs) 20Tests 518Avg Mileage 80,839Top Failure Brakes — 28.0%
2012
66.1%
Age (yrs) 21Tests 466Avg Mileage 80,845Top Failure Brakes — 23.8%
2013High Fail Rate
64.0%
Age (yrs) 22Tests 469Avg Mileage 80,264Top Failure Brakes — 78.0%
2014High Fail Rate
63.0%
Age (yrs) 23Tests 462Avg Mileage 83,601Top Failure Brakes — 84.8%
2015High Fail Rate
64.2%
Age (yrs) 24Tests 444Avg Mileage 83,418Top Failure Brakes — 73.4%
2016
65.8%
Age (yrs) 25Tests 430Avg Mileage 83,332Top Failure Brakes — 66.5%
2017
66.2%
Age (yrs) 26Tests 417Avg Mileage 83,307Top Failure Brakes — 68.8%
2018
71.9%
Age (yrs) 27Tests 285Avg Mileage 82,945Top Failure Brakes — 42.1%
2019
69.9%
Age (yrs) 28Tests 289Avg Mileage 83,300Top Failure Brakes — 56.1%
2020
68.4%
Age (yrs) 29Tests 247Avg Mileage 81,937Top Failure Brakes — 56.7%
2021
71.3%
Age (yrs) 30Tests 373Avg Mileage 83,559Top Failure Brakes — 60.1%
2022High Fail Rate
64.7%
Age (yrs) 31Tests 320Avg Mileage 85,047Top Failure Brakes — 57.2%
2023
72.5%
Age (yrs) 32Tests 349Avg Mileage 84,742Top Failure Brakes — 47.6%
2024
70.8%
Age (yrs) 33Tests 664Avg Mileage 85,200Top Failure Brakes — 42.5%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1991 Lotus Elan, with age trends.

Brakes
52.7%
↑ Increases with age
Suspension
24.8%
↑ Increases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
24.6%
↓ Decreases with age
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
22.9%
↑ Increases with age
Noise, emissions and leaks
10.6%
↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Brakes30.2% (18 yrs)42.5% (33 yrs)
+12.3%
🔴 ↑
Suspension16.9% (18 yrs)21.2% (33 yrs)
+4.3%
🔴 ↑

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 1991 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2024, covering 6,764 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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