Pass rate
92.4%
Above average — 18.4 pts ahead of the 74.0% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 303 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £36–£112
2009 Lotus Elise MOT pass rate
- 2009
- 3 trims combined
- typical 39,283 mi
Most common fault
Brakes
26.7% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2015 96.8% pass
- Avoid 2000 87.4% pass
Across the 22 years on record, a spread of 9.4 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 92.0%
- Typical mileage
- 39k mi
The 2009 Lotus Elise MOT pass rate is 92.4% of its MOT tests — 18.4 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 26.7% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Lotus Elise does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Brakes: 1.3× the national share
Brakes make up 26.7% of everything recorded on the 2009 Lotus Elise, against 20.9% nationally — 5.8 points above. Have the discs and pads measured rather than glanced at, and ask whether the handbrake holds on a slope.
- Beats its own age and mileage. Once you allow for how old and how far these cars have been driven, the expected pass rate is 74.0% and this one manages 92.4% — 18.4 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 31% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Lotus Elise? Get an email when these numbers change .
Every Lotus Elise first registered in 2009 is combined here — 3 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.
How does the 2009 Lotus Elise compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 74.0%, so this figure is 18.4 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 92.0%. The median 2009 Lotus Elise in this dataset had covered 39,283 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 92.4% of the time, April–September 92.4%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits", noted on 1.32% of tests.
- 303 recorded tests behind this page.
- 92.4% overall pass rate, 92.0% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Lotus Elise, the average is 90.1% — best year 2015 (96.8%), worst 2000 (87.4%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 303
- Typical mileage (median)
- 39,283 mi
- Make and model
- Lotus Elise
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Emissions Repair
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the Elise MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 67% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the Elise
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 81 | 90.1% |
| East of England | 39 | 100.0% |
| Yorkshire | 39 | 89.7% |
| South West | 32 | 96.9% |
| West Midlands | 24 | 95.8% |
| Wales | 18 | 77.8% |
| North West | 17 | 100.0% |
| East Midlands | 17 | 100.0% |
| Scotland | 17 | 82.4% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2009 Elise
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2009 Elise
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the exhaust and emissions 1.3% of tests
“catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits”
Listen for a blow at idle and have someone rev it gently. Then look at the tailpipe smoke: blue is oil, white when warm is coolant, black is over-fuelling. Any of those and the emissions test is the least of it.
-
Check the lights 1.3% of tests
“headlamp aim too low”
Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.
-
Check the shock absorbers 1.0% of tests
“shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak”
Press down hard on each corner of the car and let go. It should settle in one bounce; if it keeps rocking, or you can see oil weeping down a shock absorber, that is the fault a tester will find.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2009 Elise through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £36–£112 — and 31% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £36–£112
- Cheapest common item: individual direction indicators not working
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd…
- £60–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 31%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 303 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the Elise, side by side
22 model years on record, from 2000 to 2021. Across them the pass rate runs from 87.4% to 96.8% — a spread of 9.4 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 87.4% catalyst emissions lambda reading…
- 2001 88.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2002 87.4% catalyst emissions lambda reading…
- 2003 89.2% track rod end ball joint dust…
- 2004 88.7% track rod end ball joint dust…
- 2005 91.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2006 90.0% position lamp with a multiple…
- 2007 89.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2008 90.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2009 92.4%catalyst emissions lambda reading…
- 2010 89.0% headlamp aim too low
- 2011 88.5% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2012 93.9% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2013 90.6% headlamp aim projected beam image…
- 2014 91.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2015 96.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2016 93.6% headlamp aim too low
- 2017 94.6% headlamp aim too low
- 2018 91.7% headlamp aim too low
- 2019 96.2% headlamp aim too low
- 2020 95.7% headlamp aim too low
- 2021 96.2% headlamp aim too low
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2009 Lotus Elise with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2009 cars with a similar record
- Porsche Boxster 91.4%
- Porsche 911 91.3%
- BMW M3 90.3%
- Porsche Cayman 90.3%
- Toyota Estima 86.7%
- BMW Z4 85.3%
Closest pass rates among 2009 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2009 Lotus Elise 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 194 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 52 | 26.70% | 20.89% | +5.81 |
| Suspension | 39 | 20.00% | 20.98% | −0.98 |
| Tyres | 35 | 17.90% | 19.76% | −1.86 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 32 | 16.40% | 12.21% | +4.19 |
| Visibility | 13 | 6.70% | 4.97% | +1.73 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 12 | 6.20% | 5.52% | +0.68 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 5 | 2.60% | 1.76% | +0.84 |
| Non-component advisories | 3 | 1.50% | 4.18% | −2.68 |
| Steering | 2 | 1.00% | 2.57% | −1.57 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 1 | 0.50% | 5.57% | −5.07 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 1.3% | £60–250 |
| Headlamp aim too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.3% | £30–80 |
| Individual direction indicators not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 0.99% | £3–12 |
| Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension | Major | 0.99% | £30–75 |
| Switch faulty Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 0.99% | £5–25 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 0.99% | £80–200 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 0.99% | £8–22 |
| Cable damaged Brakes | Major | 0.66% | £45–110 |
| Cable guide defective and affecting operation Brakes | Major | 0.66% | £45–110 |
| Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 0.66% | £60–250 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 6.3% | £45–110 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 5.6% | £45–95 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 4.0% | £45–95 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 3.6% | £18–45 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 3.3% | £25–65 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 2.3% | £18–45 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 72 | 95.8% | 19,978 mi |
| 30-60k | 191 | 91.1% | 42,437 mi |
| 60-90k | 36 | 94.4% | 67,178 mi |
| 90-120k | 4 | 75.0% | 95,166 mi |
Source: 303 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2009 Elise MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2009 Lotus Elise?
92.4% of the 303 2009 Lotus Elise tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 74.0% for cars first used in 2009. First-attempt pass rate: 92.0%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2009 Lotus Elise?
The three most recorded items are catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (1.32%), headlamp aim too low (1.32%), individual direction indicators not working (0.99%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2009 Lotus Elise MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 95.8% of the time, falling to 75.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2009 Lotus Elise in this dataset had covered 39,283 mi.
Does the season affect the 2009 Lotus Elise MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 92.4% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 92.4%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.