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What to check: Lotus Elise

Ranked across all years of the Lotus Elise, from its own MOT record and from what owners report. Tick it off at the car.

From this model's MOT record

The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.

Nothing above the noise floor for this one.

Because of what owners report

Drawn from the owner reports rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.

Get the car on a lift and inspect the top of each front upper wishbone mount and the aluminium around every suspension pickup point.White powdery aluminium, flaking paint or rust staining around the steel inserts means galvanic corrosion has started; advanced cases can be uneconomical to repair.

Ask for full history including any track day use, and check the clutch bite point on the test drive.A bite point high up the pedal travel, or slip under hard acceleration, points to a clutch nearing the end of its life, especially on cars used on track.

Run the heater fan through all its speed settings from cold.Any speed missing, or the fan cutting out entirely, usually means the resistor pack has started to corrode and needs the clamshell off to fix.

On K-series cars (S1 and early S2), check coolant level and look for a clean but low header tank, and watch the temp gauge on a longer run.Coolant disappearing with no visible leak, or the gauge creeping up, suggests head gasket wear rather than a simple hose issue.

On Toyota 2ZZ-GE cars, check the oil level and ask when the oil was last changed, and listen for a rattly, loose-sounding timing chain at idle.Low oil level or a history of long service intervals raises the chance of accelerated oil consumption or cam/chain wear on high-mileage or track-used cars.

Check the MOT history for repeated electrical or lighting advisories.Recurring electrical faults can point to damp getting into connectors low in the chassis, the same damp environment that kills the heater fan resistor.

Full Lotus Elise reliability report