Does the Lotus Esprit fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Lotus Esprit records 10.66 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 21.17 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−10.51, 95% interval −11.78 to −9.24). It ranks 658 of 712 models on brakes (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on brakes · check a Lotus Esprit by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Lotus Esprit is “Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement”, recorded 96 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 96 | 1.91 |
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 72 | 1.43 |
| Parking brake inoperative on one side | 46 | 0.92 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 5,018 (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 Esprit by postcode area · Lotus Esprit body, chassis and structure failures · Lotus Esprit vehicle identification failures · Lotus Esprit lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Lotus Esprit noise, emissions and leaks failures · Lotus Esprit steering failures · Lotus Esprit suspension failures · Lotus Esprit tyres failures · Lotus Esprit visibility failures