8.7%
Fluid leak
The vehicle is leaking a fluid — oil, coolant, fuel or hydraulic. A slight seep is common on older cars; a continuous drip is both a road hazard and a sign of something failing.
MOT wording: Oil leak, but not excessive
LotusUsed-car reliability
How reliable is a used Lotus?
At 7 years old, the average Lotus fails its MOT less often than the average UK car.
MOT fail rate · 7-year-old cars
Lotus6.7%
UK average16.6%
Fails less often than the average 7-year-old car (about 1 in 6 MOTs, 16.6%)
What actually goes wrong
What breaks on Lotus cars
The most common MOT faults across the Lotus range, in plain English. Models with more MOT tests count for more. The percentage is the share of MOT tests on Lotus cars that recorded that defect.
8.6%
Wheel bearing
A wheel bearing is worn or damaged. Wheel bearings let the wheels spin smoothly — when worn, they make a humming or grinding noise and can cause the wheel to wobble.
MOT wording: Wheel bearing has slight play
5.7%
Tyre condition
A tyre is worn, cut, damaged or otherwise not fit for the road. Tyres are the only thing connecting the car to the road, so this is always worth taking seriously.
MOT wording: Tyre slightly damaged, cracking or perishing
5.4%
Rigid brake pipe
A rigid metal brake pipe is corroded, damaged, kinked, or leaking. These permanently fixed pipes carry pressurised brake fluid — any weakness is a serious safety concern.
MOT wording: Brake pipe corroded or covered in grease
Across all Lotus models; models with more MOT tests count for more.
The whole range
Every Lotus that ranks, in plain English
For each model, one number: the share of its MOT tests at 7 years old that ended in a fail. Retests count as tests. Lower is better. The UK average (about 1 in 6 MOTs, 16.6%) is shown for reference. Only models with enough MOT data at 7 years old are ranked. The rest sit just below, unranked.
0 models
Fail rates are the share of MOT tests on 7-year-old cars ending in a fail, retests included (DVSA MOT results, 2025). UK average across all makes at the same age: 16.6%. How we count fail rates
Not directly comparable with the figures at 7 years old
Shown unranked. These models don’t have enough MOT data at 7 years old yet. They’re either too new (few cars old enough) or too old (few still on the road). Each is shown at the age with the most tests, so the percentages aren’t directly comparable to the list above.
Too old to rankLotus Evora
11.2%fail rate at 14 years old · 152 MOT tests
Too old to rankLotus Esprit
12.7%fail rate at 25+ years old · 762 MOT tests
Too old to rankLotus Elise
14.8%fail rate at 25+ years old · 2,026 MOT tests
Too old to rankLotus Exige
16.5%fail rate at 19 years old · 121 MOT tests
Too old to rankLotus Elan
19.1%fail rate at 25+ years old · 1,547 MOT tests
Looking at one in particular?
Averages tell you the odds across the range. Enter a number plate to see that car’s own MOT history, its risk rating, and what’s likely to need attention.