Pass rate
93.9%
Above average — 16.7 pts ahead of the 77.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 114 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £20–£58
2012 Lotus Elise MOT pass rate
- 2012
- 2 trims combined
- typical 34,442 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Brakes
26.2% 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
- 93.5%
- Typical mileage
- 34k mi
The 2012 Lotus Elise MOT pass rate is 93.9% of its MOT tests — 16.7 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 26.2% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Lamps & electrics: 1.7× the national share
Lamps & electrics make up 21.3% of everything recorded on the 2012 Lotus Elise, against 12.2% nationally — 9.1 points above. Brakes are still the single largest share at 26.2%, but at 20.9% nationally that one is ordinary. Walk round the car with the lights on before the test: bulbs, indicators and number-plate lamps are the cheapest failures to prevent and among the most common.
- 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 77.2% and this one manages 93.9% — 16.7 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- Failures here tend to be cheap ones. 61% of the repairs this model fails on cost under £30 in parts. The pass rate matters less than what a bad afternoon at the test centre actually costs you.
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 2012 is combined here — 2 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.
How does the 2012 Lotus Elise compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 77.2%, so this figure is 16.7 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 93.5%. The median 2012 Lotus Elise in this dataset had covered 34,442 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 90.0% of the time, April–September 95.9%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Headlamp lens slightly defective", noted on 1.75% of tests.
- 114 recorded tests behind this page.
- 93.9% overall pass rate, 93.5% 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
- 114
- Typical mileage (median)
- 34,442 mi
- Make and model
- Lotus Elise
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Headlight Bulb
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Elise MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 69% so small gaps stay visible.
Where the Lotus Elise is most common
Across all Elise model years on record (2000–2021): 5,384 Lotus Elise cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 11,143 tests. Guildford (GU) has the most, with 348 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.
| # | Postcode area | Cars | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guildford (GU) | 348 | 85.3% |
| 2 | Ashford (TN) | 193 | 90.9% |
| 3 | Northampton (NN) | 154 | 88.0% |
| 4 | Norwich (NR) | 150 | 91.3% |
| 5 | Derby (DE) | 149 | 95.2% |
| 6 | Chelmsford (CM) | 133 | 93.9% |
| 7 | Crewe (CW) | 129 | 94.5% |
| 8 | Ipswich (IP) | 126 | 89.0% |
| 9 | Bristol (BS) | 121 | 93.3% |
| 10 | Milton Keynes (MK) | 114 | 86.6% |
| 11 | Oxford (OX) | 113 | 96.2% |
| 12 | Edinburgh (EH) | 105 | 91.7% |
| 13 | Poole (BH) | 102 | 92.5% |
| 14 | Reading (RG) | 102 | 88.5% |
| 15 | Birmingham (B) | 101 | 94.6% |
| 16 | Nottingham (NG) | 89 | 89.0% |
| 17 | Southampton (SO) | 87 | 88.7% |
| 18 | Kingston upon Thames (KT) | 87 | 96.7% |
| 19 | Gloucester (GL) | 82 | 83.6% |
| 20 | Leicester (LE) | 81 | 85.3% |
The twenty areas with the most Lotus Elise cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →
Regional pass rates for the Elise
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 29 | 89.7% |
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 2012 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 2012 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 lights 1.8% of tests
“headlamp lens slightly defective”
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 wipers and washers 1.8% of tests
“washers provides insufficient washer liquid”
Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.
-
Check the brakes 0.9% of tests
“brake discs significantly and obviously worn”
Look through the spokes of each wheel at the pad — less than 3mm of friction material, or a lip on the disc edge, is the usual failure. Check the handbrake holds on a slope with a few clicks, not at the top of its travel.
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 2012 Elise through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £20–£58 — and 61% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £20–£58
- Cheapest common item: stop lamp with a multiple light source up to…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: door condition cannot be opened from outside…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 61%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 114 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 2012 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 2012 cars with a similar record
- Porsche 911 93.4%
- Bentley Continental 93.4%
- Porsche Boxster 91.6%
- Audi A8 90.2%
- Honda Fit 89.3%
- Toyota Estima 88.3%
Closest pass rates among 2012 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 2012 Lotus Elise 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 9 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 61 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 | 16 | 26.20% | 20.89% | +5.31 |
| Tyres | 13 | 21.30% | 19.76% | +1.54 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 13 | 21.30% | 12.21% | +9.09 |
| Suspension | 11 | 18.00% | 20.98% | −2.98 |
| Visibility | 4 | 6.60% | 4.97% | +1.63 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 1 | 1.60% | 5.57% | −3.97 |
| Non-component advisories | 1 | 1.60% | 4.18% | −2.58 |
| Steering | 1 | 1.60% | 2.57% | −0.97 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 1 | 1.60% | 1.76% | −0.16 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 1.8% | £5–25 |
| Stop lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 1.8% | £3–12 |
| Washers provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | Major | 1.8% | £5–15 |
| Brake discs significantly and obviously worn Brakes | Major | 0.88% | £45–110 |
| Door condition cannot be opened from outside the vehicle Body, chassis, structure | Major | 0.88% | £80–250 |
| Headlamp aim too high Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 0.88% | £30–80 |
| Headlamp aim too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 0.88% | £30–80 |
| Headlamp aim too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 0.88% | £30–80 |
| Headlamp insecure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 0.88% | £5–25 |
| Horn not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 0.88% | £8–25 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 7.9% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 4.4% | £45–110 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 4.4% | £25–65 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 3.5% | £45–95 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 2.6% | £18–45 |
| Brake discs significantly and obviously worn Brakes | Advisory | 1.8% | £45–110 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 49 | 100.0% | 21,126 mi |
| 30-60k | 49 | 89.8% | 40,731 mi |
| 60-90k | 2 | 100.0% | 84,888 mi |
| 90-120k | 9 | 77.8% | 107,648 mi |
| 120k+ | 5 | 100.0% | 144,000 mi |
Source: 114 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.
2012 Elise MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2012 Lotus Elise?
93.9% of the 114 2012 Lotus Elise tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 77.2% for cars first used in 2012. First-attempt pass rate: 93.5%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2012 Lotus Elise?
The three most recorded items are headlamp lens slightly defective (1.75%), stop lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning (1.75%), washers provides insufficient washer liquid (1.75%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2012 Lotus Elise MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 100.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2012 Lotus Elise in this dataset had covered 34,442 mi.
Does the season affect the 2012 Lotus Elise MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 90.0% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 95.9%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.