Does the Lotus Elan fail the MOT on body, chassis and structure more than it should?
The Lotus Elan records 5.07 body, chassis and structure failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 15.12 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−10.05, 95% interval −10.87 to −9.23). It ranks 625 of 663 models on body, chassis and structure (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on body, chassis and structure · check a Lotus Elan by registration
What exactly fails on body, chassis and structure?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Lotus Elan is “A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated”, recorded 187 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated | 187 | 2.15 |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 131 | 1.50 |
| Exhaust system leaking or insecure | 56 | 0.64 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 8,716 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
Lotus Elan by postcode area · Lotus Elan brakes failures · Lotus Elan vehicle identification failures · Lotus Elan lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Lotus Elan noise, emissions and leaks failures · Lotus Elan seat belts and airbags failures · Lotus Elan steering failures · Lotus Elan suspension failures · Lotus Elan tyres failures · Lotus Elan visibility failures