Lotus · 1996–2021
Lotus Elise
The Lotus Elise is a sports car conceived in early 1994 and released in September 1996 by the British manufacturer Lotus Cars. A two-seater roadster with a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, the Elise has a fibreglass body shell atop its bonded extruded aluminium chassis that provides a rigid platform for the suspension, while keeping weight and production costs to a minimum. The Elise was named after Elisa Artioli, the granddaughter of Romano Artioli, who was chairman of Lotus and Bugatti at the time of the car's launch. Production of the Elise, Exige and Evora ended in 2021. It was replaced by the Lotus Emira.
Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
UK fuel mix: —. Records from the VCA fuel & emissions archive.
Model years
Generations & variants
Photos
UK vehicles on the road
3,449 licensed and 3,976 SORN (7,425 total) at 2025 Q4.
| Year (latest quarter) | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 7,268 |
| 2015 | 7,333 |
| 2016 | 7,337 |
| 2017 | 7,323 |
| 2018 | 7,327 |
| 2019 | 7,362 |
| 2020 | 7,420 |
| 2021 | 7,474 |
| 2022 | 7,460 |
| 2023 | 7,387 |
| 2024 | 7,366 |
| 2025 | 7,425 |
DfT/DVLA VEH0120 vehicle licensing statistics, source ↗, Open Government Licence v3.0. Small counts are rounded or suppressed at source.
US safety recalls
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14V280000 2014-05-27 · model years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
Lotus Cars USA, Inc. (Lotus) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Elise and Exige vehicles manufactured from November 2007 to July 2011, and 2011 Evora vehicles manufactured September 2010 through September 2011. The oil cooler hose may detach from its fitting.
Remedy: Lotus will notify owners, and dealers will replace the oil cooler hose fittings on the Elise and Exige vehicles and will replace the oil cooler hose assemblies on the Evora vehicles, free of charge. The manufacturer has…
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13V041000 2013-02-05 · model years 2007, 2008
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Lotus is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Elise and Exige vehicles manufactured from December 1, 2006, through October 31, 2007. The oil cooler line may become detached from its fitting.
Remedy: Lotus will notify owners, and dealers will replace the oil cooler hose fittings and the entire lateral oil cooler hose, free of charge. The safety recall began on March 4, 2013. Owners may contact Lotus at…
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11V541000 2011-11-03 · model years 2011
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL:FLASHER UNIT
LOTUS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 ELISE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 2010, THROUGH FEBRUARY 2011, FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NUMBER 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE VEHICLES WERE FITTED WITH TURN SIGNAL MODULES WHICH…
Remedy: LOTUS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE TURN SIGNAL MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 19, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT LOTUS AT 1-800-245-6887.
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11V510000 2011-10-14 · model years 2005, 2006, 2007
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
LOTUS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2007 ELISE AND EXIGE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 1, 2004, THROUGH NOVEMBER 30, 2006. THE OIL COOLER LINE MAY BECOME DETACHED FROM ITS FITTING.
Remedy: LOTUS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE VEHICLES AS NECESSARY FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 19, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT LOTUS AT 1-800-245-6887.
NHTSA recalls database (US government, public domain). Recalls apply to US-market vehicles; check the manufacturer for your country.
Sources
- Wikidata / Wikipedia profiles — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/cars/Q1131622CC0 / CC BY-SA 4.0
- UK Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) fuel & emissions data — https://carfueldata.vehicle-certification-agency.gov.uk/Open Government Licence v3.0
- DfT/DVLA VEH0120 licensing statistics — https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/vehicle-licensing-statistics-data-tablesOpen Government Licence v3.0
- NHTSA recalls database — https://www.nhtsa.gov/recallsUS Government public domain
- Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.