Lotus Elise 1998: MOT failure rate for its age

22.1% of 1,204 MOT tests of the Lotus Elise first registered in 1998 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 104.0 (95% CI 91.5–116.5; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 1998 build year is no different from other years of the same model at the same age. This is a rough estimate from a smaller sample.

Lotus Elise built in 1998 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	22.1	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	1204
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 91.5–116.5)	104.0	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	1204
Rank among this model's 8 build years	7	of 8	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	1204
Tested in 2024	27	tests	median 57,500 miles	2024	27

Built 1998 against Lotus Elise normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 21: 20.6% vs 21.9%; age 22: 24% vs 20.5%. Axis from 0% to 30%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 1998 Lotus Elise by registration · All Lotus Elise MOT statistics · Download the build-year table (CSV)

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 1998 Lotus Elise fail at each age?

Cars built in 1998 were tested at ages 21 to 22 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

Lotus Elise built 1998: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
Age	Tests	Failed, %	95% interval	Normal for this model at that age, %	Index (100 = normal)
21	678	20.6	17.8–23.9	21.9	94.5
22	526	24	20.5–27.8	20.5	117

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,204 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 1998 Lotus Elise?

The most common failure group on cars built in 1998 is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 19.3 items per 100 first tests, against 13.1 across all build years of the Lotus Elise. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 1998 were tested at ages 21 to 22.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Lotus Elise built 1998 against the Lotus Elise in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 1998, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	19.3	13.1	598
Noise, emissions and leaks	12.7	7.9	393
Suspension	9	5	279
Visibility	8.2	5.3	255
Brakes	4.5	4.3	138

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 3,093 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 1998 compare with the years around it?

Among the 8 published build years of the Lotus Elise, 1998 ranks 7 (1 = fails least for its age). 1999: index 111.5.

Lotus Elise build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
1998	104.0	91.5–116.5	no different (rough estimate)	1,204
1999	111.5	101.0–121.9	worse (rough estimate)	1,974
2000	91.8	81.9–101.6	no different (rough estimate)	1,947
2001	96.0	82.3–109.7	no different (rough estimate)	1,081
2002	86.0	76.9–95.1	better (rough estimate)	2,102
2003	94.1	80.8–107.4	no different (rough estimate)	1,133
2004	91.5	75.0–108.0	no different (rough estimate)	728
2005	63.4	46.9–79.9	better (rough estimate)	509

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 10,678 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). Lotus Elise 1998 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/lotus-elise/1998/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

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