Lotus Esprit
Reliability, running costs, and MOT data across 10 years from 959 real MOT tests.
Avg Pass Rate
90%
Total Tests
959
Best Year
1991 (100%)
Years Covered
10
How reliable is the Lotus Esprit?
Lotus Esprit by Year
Checking a specific Lotus Esprit?
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About the Lotus Esprit
The Lotus Esprit has been tested 959 times in 2024 MOT data across 10 model years (1990 to 2000), with an average pass rate of 90%. That's comfortably above the national average of 82%, making it a reliable choice. Available as petrol.
Best and Worst Years
The 1991 model is the most reliable with a 100% pass rate from 47 tests. The 1994 model has the lowest at 81%. With a 19 point spread, choosing the right year makes a big difference to reliability.
Reliability Trend
The LOTUS ESPRIT has maintained consistent MOT pass rates across model years, varying by only 1 percentage points.
Mileage Across Years
The oldest model in our data (1990) averages 51,406 miles, while the newest (2000) averages 44,772 miles.
Click any year in the table above to see detailed running costs, individual reliability data, and comparisons with similar cars.