Car statistics
Lotus car statistics
How many Lotus cars are on the road in Great Britain, every Lotus model, its share of new cars over time and which fuels they use, how they do at the MOT and their safety recalls. Built from DVLA licensing records and DVSA MOT results.
- Licensed in Great Britain 14,922 +5.2% on a year earlier
- Rank among makes No. 51 0.04% of licensed cars
- MOT first-time pass rate, 2025 86.2% Cars of the same ages 64.4%
- New registrations in 2025 1,424 0.070% of all new cars
- Most common fuel Petrol 80.0% of those licensed
- Safety recalls since 1992 17 naming 4 Lotus models
How many Lotus cars are on the road?
There were 14,922 Lotus cars licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 10,329 declared off the road (SORN). That is 0.04% of all licensed cars, making Lotus the No. 51 make on the road. That is 6.5% fewer than the peak of 15,965 in 2006. Petrol makes up 80.0% of licensed Lotus cars, against 54.6% of all cars.
Lotus cars licensed in Great Britain
The highest year-end count was 15,965 in 2006.
| Year | Licensed |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 6,790 |
| 1995 | 6,899 |
| 1996 | 7,608 |
| 1997 | 8,420 |
| 1998 | 10,291 |
| 1999 | 12,043 |
| 2000 | 12,995 |
| 2001 | 13,696 |
| 2002 | 14,569 |
| 2003 | 15,067 |
| 2004 | 15,670 |
| 2005 | 15,939 |
| 2006 | 15,965 |
| 2007 | 15,955 |
| 2008 | 15,242 |
| 2009 | 14,480 |
| 2010 | 13,393 |
| 2011 | 12,589 |
| 2012 | 11,669 |
| 2013 | 11,290 |
| 2014 | 11,118 |
| 2015 | 11,319 |
| 2016 | 11,185 |
| 2017 | 10,902 |
| 2018 | 11,099 |
| 2019 | 11,140 |
| 2020 | 10,681 |
| 2021 | 10,976 |
| 2022 | 10,955 |
| 2023 | 11,900 |
| 2024 | 13,244 |
| 2025 | 14,464 |
| 2026 | 14,922 |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Fuel type
Lotus cars
All cars in Great Britain
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Lotus models
12 Lotus models have a page of their own. The most common is the Lotus Elise, with 3,528 licensed: 23.6% of all Lotus cars on the road. The totals above also count models too small for a page of their own.
| Model | Licensed | Change on a year | SORN | Main fuel | MOT pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elise | 3,528 | −2.5% | 3,816 | Petrol | 86.1% |
| Eletre | 2,581 | +24.4% | 26 | Electric | – |
| Elan | 2,486 | −2.9% | 2,080 | Petrol | 78.4% |
| Emira | 1,591 | +7.4% | 138 | Petrol | – |
| Exige | 961 | −1.2% | 735 | Petrol | – |
| Esprit | 750 | +5.5% | 1,253 | Petrol | – |
| Evora | 627 | −1.7% | 269 | Petrol | – |
| Emeya | 381 | +429.2% | 19 | Electric | – |
| Europa | 380 | −2.8% | 266 | Petrol | – |
| Eclat | 331 | 0.0% | 765 | Petrol | – |
| Elite | 303 | 0.0% | 251 | Petrol | – |
| Seven | 233 | +0.4% | 106 | Petrol | – |
MOT pass rates are first-time passes of cars aged three and over in 2025. A dash means too few tests, or a model DVSA’s records do not separate from vans.
New Lotus cars registered each year
Registrations of new Lotus cars in Great Britain peaked at 1,677 in 2024. In 2025, 1,424 were registered for the first time: 0.070% of all new cars, against 0.086% in 2024, Lotus’s best year for share of new cars.
Registered for the first time, by year
| Year | First registrations |
|---|---|
| ’01 | 1,260 |
| ’02 | 1,327 |
| ’03 | 1,014 |
| ’04 | 891 |
| ’05 | 994 |
| ’06 | 868 |
| ’07 | 731 |
| ’08 | 684 |
| ’09 | 520 |
| ’10 | 625 |
| ’11 | 358 |
| ’12 | 168 |
| ’13 | 298 |
| ’14 | 298 |
| ’15 | 395 |
| ’16 | 402 |
| ’17 | 323 |
| ’18 | 318 |
| ’19 | 343 |
| ’20 | 219 |
| ’21 | 289 |
| ’22 | 228 |
| ’23 | 1,571 |
| ’24 | 1,677 |
| ’25 | 1,424 |
Source:DfT / DVLA 2001 to 2025 Updated
Share of all new cars
Lotus’s first registrations as a share of every car registered for the first time in Great Britain that year.
| Year | Share of new cars |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 0.049% |
| 2002 | 0.049% |
| 2003 | 0.038% |
| 2004 | 0.034% |
| 2005 | 0.041% |
| 2006 | 0.037% |
| 2007 | 0.031% |
| 2008 | 0.032% |
| 2009 | 0.026% |
| 2010 | 0.031% |
| 2011 | 0.019% |
| 2012 | 0.008% |
| 2013 | 0.013% |
| 2014 | 0.012% |
| 2015 | 0.015% |
| 2016 | 0.015% |
| 2017 | 0.013% |
| 2018 | 0.014% |
| 2019 | 0.015% |
| 2020 | 0.014% |
| 2021 | 0.018% |
| 2022 | 0.014% |
| 2023 | 0.083% |
| 2024 | 0.086% |
| 2025 | 0.070% |
Source:DfT / DVLA 2001 to 2025 Updated
Lotus MOT reliability
In 2025, 86.2% of MOT tests of Lotus cars were passed first time, from 9,781 tests. Cars of the same ages pass 64.4% of the time, so Lotus does better than average for the age of its cars, by 21.8 points. That ranks Lotus No. 3 of the 50 makes with enough tests to compare. 2.0% of Lotus tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 7.3% for all cars.
Among Lotus models with enough tests, the Elise does best for its age (+22.9 points against cars of the same ages) and the Elan does worst (+17.3 points). Average age at test for Lotus cars: 22.5 years.
Every make and model ranked by MOT pass rate
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Lotus safety recalls
DVSA lists 17 safety recalls naming a Lotus car model since 1992, across 4 models. 5 were launched from 2016 to 2025, ranking Lotus No. 49 of the makes with recalls in those years. A recall naming several Lotus models counts once.
Recalls launched each year, 2006 to 2025
| Year | Recalls |
|---|---|
| ’06 | 1 |
| ’07 | 0 |
| ’08 | 0 |
| ’09 | 1 |
| ’10 | 0 |
| ’11 | 0 |
| ’12 | 1 |
| ’13 | 1 |
| ’14 | 1 |
| ’15 | 0 |
| ’16 | 1 |
| ’17 | 0 |
| ’18 | 1 |
| ’19 | 0 |
| ’20 | 1 |
| ’21 | 0 |
| ’22 | 0 |
| ’23 | 2 |
| ’24 | 0 |
| ’25 | 0 |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated
Models with the most recalls
| Model | Recalls |
|---|---|
| Lotus Elise | 10 |
| Lotus Exige | 5 |
| Lotus Evora | 4 |
| Lotus Emira | 2 |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated
Latest Lotus recalls
- 26 Jun 2023 On affected vehicles under certain conditions the dry wipe logic built into the windscreen wiper motor can enter a fault state where the system speed cannot be increased to stalk position 3 or high speed. Lotus Emira
- 16 Jun 2023 The interior a-pillar trim tether has not been fitted onto certain production vehicles and therefore does not conform with the original Type Approval of the vehicle. There is a risk the interior a-pillar trim may become completely detached upon deployment of the side curtain airbag potentially causing injury to the occupiers of the cabin. Lotus Emira
- 20 Feb 2020 Bolts securing the fuel rail to the cyclinder head may fail. Lotus Elise
- 30 Nov 2018 Steering column cartridge screw requires tightening Lotus Evora
- 29 Sept 2016 Reduction of braking efficiency Lotus Elise
Models mostly registered as vans are left out, as on our recalls hub. A recall applies to vehicles built on particular dates or with particular VINs, not to every Lotus. To check a specific car, use GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check. How we match recalls to models.
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated
Makes of a similar size
| Rank | Make | Licensed | Change on a year | Main fuel | MOT vs same ages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | Aston Martin | 22,801 | +1.1% | Petrol | +21.4 pts |
| 49 | SsangYong | 21,034 | −4.6% | Diesel | −10.3 pts |
| 50 | Chrysler | 16,339 | −14.0% | Petrol | −1.1 pts |
| 51 | Lotus | 14,922 | +5.2% | Petrol | +21.8 pts |
| 52 | Chery | 13,339 | – | Plug-in hybrid | – |
| 53 | Ferrari | 13,209 | +0.6% | Petrol | +22.2 pts |
| 54 | Maserati | 11,496 | −1.1% | Petrol | +7.9 pts |
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed and SORN counts | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of March 2026 | 37,339,879 car records (licensed and SORN) | 15 September 2026 |
| Registered for the first time | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | 2001 to 2025 | – | 15 September 2026 |
| MOT results | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 29,122,953 car MOT tests | 15 September 2026 |
| Safety recalls | Vehicle safety recalls Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | January 1992 to September 2026 | 7,495 road vehicle recalls (R/) | 15 September 2026 |
- Figures cover Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland is not included.
- Make totals count every car DVLA records under the make, including models too small for a page of their own. The rank is among all 525 makes on the record.
- Licensed counts are vehicles with a current tax or exemption at the end of each year (or the latest quarter). SORN counts are shown separately.
- First registrations count cars registered in Great Britain for the first time, including used imports.
- MOT figures cover normal tests of cars aged three and over; retests are excluded. The same-ages figure is what all cars would score with this make’s mix of ages.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.