1996 Lotus Elise — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1996 perform at MOT as they age

30 years

Current Age

91.1%

Latest Pass Rate

564

Total Tests (All Years)

49,235 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 1996 Lotus Elise as it ages.

13 yrs65.4%

→ ↓3.5%

14 yrs61.9%

→ ↑13.5%

15 yrs75.4%

→ ↓4.9%

16 yrs70.5%

→ ↓0.5%

17 yrs70.0%

→ ↑11.4%

18 yrs81.4%

→ ↓15.5%

19 yrs65.9%

→ ↑12.5%

20 yrs78.4%

→ ↓6.3%

21 yrs72.1%

→ ↓6.5%

25 yrs65.6%

→ ↑21.5%

26 yrs87.1%

→ ↑4.0%

28 yrs91.1%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
13 yrs	65.4%	78
14 yrs	61.9%	63
15 yrs	75.4%	57
16 yrs	70.5%	44
17 yrs	70.0%	50
18 yrs	81.4%	43
19 yrs	65.9%	41
20 yrs	78.4%	37
21 yrs	72.1%	43
25 yrs	65.6%	32
26 yrs	87.1%	31
28 yrs	91.1%	45

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1996 Lotus Elise pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2024 (28 yrs)	91.1%	45
2022 (26 yrs)	87.1%	31
2021 (25 yrs)	65.6%	32
2017 (21 yrs)	72.1%	43
2016 (20 yrs)	78.4%	37
2015 (19 yrs)	65.9%	41
2014 (18 yrs)	81.4%	43
2013 (17 yrs)	70%	50
2012 (16 yrs)	70.5%	44
2011 (15 yrs)	75.4%	57
2010 (14 yrs)	61.9%	63
2009 (13 yrs)	65.4%	78

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009

65.4%

Age (yrs) 13Tests 78Avg Mileage 51,218Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 15.4%

2010High Fail Rate

61.9%

Age (yrs) 14Tests 63Avg Mileage 51,732Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 19.0%

2011

75.4%

Age (yrs) 15Tests 57Avg Mileage 51,340Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 14.0%

2012

70.5%

Age (yrs) 16Tests 44Avg Mileage 48,461Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 18.2%

2013

70.0%

Age (yrs) 17Tests 50Avg Mileage 54,683Top Failure Suspension — 46.0%

2014

81.4%

Age (yrs) 18Tests 43Avg Mileage 52,940Top Failure Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions — 23.3%

2015

65.9%

Age (yrs) 19Tests 41Avg Mileage 51,373Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 41.5%

2016

78.4%

Age (yrs) 20Tests 37Avg Mileage 54,957Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 35.1%

2017

72.1%

Age (yrs) 21Tests 43Avg Mileage 52,664Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 48.8%

2021

65.6%

Age (yrs) 25Tests 32Avg Mileage 60,608Top Failure Suspension — 56.3%

2022

87.1%

Age (yrs) 26Tests 31Avg Mileage 63,036Top Failure Suspension — 12.9%

2024

91.1%

Age (yrs) 28Tests 45Avg Mileage 49,235Top Failure Suspension — 4.4%

MOT results for 1996 Lotus Elise by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	13	65.4%	78	51,218	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 15.4%
2010	14	61.9%	63	51,732	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 19.0%
2011	15	75.4%	57	51,340	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 14.0%
2012	16	70.5%	44	48,461	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 18.2%
2013	17	70.0%	50	54,683	Suspension — 46.0%
2014	18	81.4%	43	52,940	Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions — 23.3%
2015	19	65.9%	41	51,373	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 41.5%
2016	20	78.4%	37	54,957	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 35.1%
2017	21	72.1%	43	52,664	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 48.8%
2021	25	65.6%	32	60,608	Suspension — 56.3%
2022	26	87.1%	31	63,036	Suspension — 12.9%
2024	28	91.1%	45	49,235	Suspension — 4.4%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1996 Lotus Elise, with age trends.

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

28.5%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

22.1%

↓ Decreases with age

Suspension

20.8%

↓ Decreases with age

Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions

18.3%

↑ Increases with age

Visibility

15.6%

— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Suspension	14.1% (13 yrs)	4.4% (28 yrs)	-9.7%	🟢 ↓

Other Manufacture Years

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

About This Data

This page shows how Lotus Elise cars manufactured in 1996 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2024, covering 564 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.