Ranked #298 car in the UK · Fastback (EV) · 331 units sold last year
Lotus Emeya
The Lotus Emeya is one of the UK's more popular fastback (ev) choices, ranked #298 by registrations. The figures below are estimated from segment benchmarks and, where available, real DVSA MOT data — a fully researched profile is still to come.
Estimated profile — the figures on this page are modelled from segment averages and real DVSA MOT data rather than a fully researched, hand-checked profile. Treat them as a guide, not gospel.
Versions on the road
The trim and engine designations actually registered in the UK, from DVSA MOT records — 435 vehicles analysed. Ranked by how common each is. Observed data, not a full trim catalogue.
Fuel mix
- Electric100%
Most common versions
- 1S36%
- 2Base / unspecified30%
- 3R16%
- 4GT SE8%
- 5SPORT SE7%
- 6GT2%
Tell us about the one you're looking at
Tidy and well looked-after for its age — the typical car.
Remembered as you browse other cars.
Optional — fills in the exact year and ULEZ status for your specific car. The registration isn’t stored.
Estimated market value
£17,500
Range £13,200 – £21,800
low confidence
The depreciation curve
How a 2023-registration Lotus Emeya loses value over time.
What it costs to own
Based on the 2023 car with 23,400 miles you entered above — worth about £17,500 today — here is the cost of owning it for the next 3 years, at roughly 7,800 miles a year.
3-year total
£14,730
Per year
£4,910
Per mile
£0.63
Best age to buy — around 2 years
A 2-year-old example loses roughly £5,300 a year — under half the £16,950 a one-year-old sheds. The steepest drop is behind it.
Assumes roughly £1.45/L fuel (£0.28/kWh for EVs), typical-driver insurance and manufacturer service intervals. A guide for comparison — your own costs will vary.
How it compares
Where this car ranks against the 330 vehicles in our index — higher is better.
Percentile rank across our full index. A measure is shown only where the data spreads meaningfully across the index.
Estimated insurance
Group 27 · Comprehensive · 3 years NCB
Indicative annual comprehensive premiums for this car, by driver age band and risk profile. Pick the combination closest to your circumstances.
Estimated annual premium · typical, age 33-39
£1,252/ year
Roughly £104 per month
Typical
Average UK driver — 3 years NCB, average postcode, no recent claims.| Age band | Lower risk | Typical | Higher risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age 17-25 | £2,855 | £3,568 | £4,639 |
| Age 26-32 | £1,490 | £1,753 | £2,138 |
| Age 33-39Selected | £1,102 | £1,252 | £1,477 |
| Age 40-49 | £935 | £1,039 | £1,205 |
| Age 50+ | £834 | £926 | £1,093 |
How we estimate this
Indicative annual comprehensive premium estimates. The 'Typical' figure represents an average UK driver in each age band; Lower and Higher risk show the realistic spread driven by factors UK insurers legitimately price on (postcode, occupation, claims history, NCB, voluntary excess, modifications). Based on 10,000 miles/yr, £250 voluntary excess, and the no-claims bonus selected above. Always get individual quotes before buying.
Expected annual costs
Adjust the annual mileage to match how you'll actually use the car. Insurance is what you selected above (age 33-39, typical risk, 3 yrs NCB).
Routine service
£185
Annual main-dealer service
Major service
£210
Every 2 years, annualised
Road tax
£195
Standard rate, post year-one
Electricity
£679
3.1 mi/kWh, 27p blended
Insurance
£1,252
Age 33-39, group 27
Excludes depreciation and unscheduled repairs (see next section).
Unexpected costs
What out-of-warranty repairs typically run, by mileage band. Your selected mileage is highlighted.
0-30k miles
£80
per year · low risk
30-60k miles
£240
per year · low risk
60-100k miles
£520
per year · medium risk
100k+ miles
£900
per year · high risk
Parts most likely to fail
Drawn from owner reports and warranty data. Filtered for relevance to 23,400 miles.
Watch now
Failure typically happens around your current mileage.
Upcoming
A known weak point — but you haven't reached its usual mileage yet.
Already due
Past its usual failure mileage. Either already fixed, or about to.
12V auxiliary batteryUpcoming
General wear item — not a model-specific fault.
Tyres (wear faster on EVs)Watch now
General wear item — not a model-specific fault.
Brake discs (corrosion from light use)Upcoming
General wear item — not a model-specific fault.
Suspension bushes & drop linksUpcoming
General wear item — not a model-specific fault.
"Parts low/medium/high" indicates how easy the replacement part is to source — discontinued or specialist parts mean longer workshop time and bigger bills.
Tyres
205/60 R16 · 225/50 R17 · 245/40 R18
What a full set of four will cost you (including fit and balance), and which brand each tier of buyer should pick. A typical set lasts about 24,000 miles.
Budget
£300
set of 4, fitted · £60 per tyre
Mid-range
£440
set of 4, fitted · £95 per tyre
Premium
£620
set of 4, fitted · £140 per tyre
What to fit
Optional extras worth paying for
Factory options ranked by how much of their original cost they recover at resale. Anything above 70% return tends to make money back; below 40% is paying for your own enjoyment.
| Option | New cost | Added used value | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
Tow bar (factory-fit) Niche, but the buyers who want one will pay for it. | £650 | £450 | 69% |
Parking sensors & reversing camera Near-expected now — its absence costs more than its presence returns. | £500 | £300 | 60% |
Heat pump Genuinely useful in winter; buyers increasingly look for it. | £1,000 | £450 | 45% |
Heated seats / cold-weather pack | £450 | £200 | 44% |
Faster on-board AC charger | £800 | £300 | 38% |
Metallic or premium paint Almost universal — an unusual colour is the bigger resale risk. | £600 | £200 | 33% |
Panoramic / opening roof | £1,100 | £350 | 32% |
Larger alloy wheels | £700 | £200 | 29% |
MOT outlook
How this model fares at its MOT as it ages — from 435 real DVSA test records.
Longevity
Not enough older examples yet to gauge longevity.
Theft risk
A general indicator from UK 2025 theft data and this car’s characteristics — not a prediction for any one vehicle.
Whole-car theft
Higher
Higher-value cars like this are relay-theft targets — keyless entry can be exploited from the driveway in under a minute.
Parts theft
Lower
As an electric car it has no catalytic converter, so the most common parts-theft vector doesn't apply.
Worth doing
- Keep keys in a Faraday pouch and away from the front door to block relay attacks.
- A visible steering lock is a cheap, strong deterrent on a frequently-targeted car.
Clean-air zones
Whether driving a Lotus Emeya into a UK clean-air zone will cost you anything. Rules use the same Euro standard across most zones — petrol from 2006 and diesel from 2015 onwards are exempt; pure electric is always exempt.
Charging zones for cars
| City | Area | Daily charge | Likely outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | All of Greater London (within the M25) | £12.50 | Likely exempt Battery-electric — exempt everywhere. |
| Birmingham | Inside the A4540 Middleway | £8.00 | Likely exempt Battery-electric — exempt everywhere. |
| Bristol | City centre and part of the Portway | £9.00 | Likely exempt Battery-electric — exempt everywhere. |
| Glasgow | City centre | — | Likely exempt Battery-electric — exempt everywhere. |
| Edinburgh | City centre | — | Likely exempt Battery-electric — exempt everywhere. |
| Aberdeen | City centre | — | Likely exempt Battery-electric — exempt everywhere. |
| Dundee | City centre | — | Likely exempt Battery-electric — exempt everywhere. |
Zones that don't charge private cars
- Bath — City centre (Private cars and motorbikes are not charged).
- Bradford — Outer ring road and the Aire Valley (Private cars are not charged).
- Sheffield — Inside the A61 inner ring road (Private cars are not charged).
- Newcastle & Gateshead — City centres and the Tyne, Swing, High Level and Redheugh bridges (Private cars are not charged).
- Portsmouth — Part of the city centre (Applies to taxis, PHVs, buses, coaches and HGVs only).
Model-level guidance only. To check a specific registration, use the official gov.uk clean-air zone checker. Zone charges and boundaries are set by local councils and change over time.
Company car tax
What HMRC's Benefit-in-Kind charge looks like if you ran this Lotus Emeya as a company car, by tax year and income-tax band. Calculated from a CO₂ of 0 g/km, using £44,000 as the P11D value.
EVs sit at the bottom BIK band — currently 3% — so this is one of the cheapest ways to take a company car.
| Tax year | BIK % | Tax @ 20% | Tax @ 40% | Monthly @ 20% | Monthly @ 40% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 3% | £264 | £528 | £22 | £44 |
| 2026-27 | 4% | £352 | £704 | £29 | £59 |
| 2027-28 | 5% | £440 | £880 | £37 | £73 |
| 2028-29 | 7% | £616 | £1,232 | £51 | £103 |
| 2029-30 | 9% | £792 | £1,584 | £66 | £132 |
P11D value is approximated from the latest new price; the exact figure on your tax code will depend on options fitted. The 4% diesel surcharge applies only to non-RDE2 (pre-2021) diesels — we assume RDE2 compliance for current models. Bands and rates from HMRC's Autumn Budget 2024 confirmation through 2029/30.
Reliability
Good
No usable MOT data — estimated score.
Things owners say
- 01This is an estimated profile — treat the figures as segment-level guidance, not model-specific data.
- 02Before buying, cross-check against an owners' club, a recent road test, and the car's own MOT history.
Servicing & the dealer network
How well-supported Lotus is across the UK — a practical read on how easy servicing, parts and warranty work will be to find.
Franchised UK dealers
~25
Very few outlets
Specialist sports
Network size relative to the UK's largest (Lotus is 0.6% of all franchised outlets)
Very few franchised outlets — main-dealer servicing means travelling to one of a handful of locations, so budget for that.
For context, the UK has roughly 4,500 franchised car-dealer outlets in total, plus about 15,500 independent garages.
Approximate figures, curated from public UK industry sources (NFDA, Car Dealer Magazine). Franchised networks shrink year on year — these indicate network size, not an exact count.
Dimensions & weight
Length
4,700 mm
Width
1,840 mm
Height
1,450 mm
Kerb weight
1,900 kg
Boot
460–480 L
Battery
64 kWh
How many are still out there
Of every Lotus Emeya ever registered in the UK, this is what's actively on the road, parked off the road on a SORN, or gone for good.
Total ever registered
356
Currently taxed & on road
340
96% of all registered
SORN (off road)
16
4% of all registered
Scrapped or exported
0
Source: DfT VEH0124 vehicle licensing statistics (year-end 2025) · Updated 20 May 2026