Is the Lotus Emira reliable?

The Lotus Emira scores 90/100 on Forecourt's MOT-based reliability measure. That is computed from 1,964 real DVSA MOT test results.

How much does a used Lotus Emira cost?

A 2023 Lotus Emira with around 14,997 miles is worth roughly £63,200 today (typical range £54,250–£72,200). Dealer forecourt prices sit higher and part-exchange offers lower; newer or lower-mileage examples cost more.

How quickly does the Lotus Emira depreciate?

A new Lotus Emira typically loses about 30% of its value over the first three years, then depreciates more slowly. Buying at three to five years old avoids the steepest part of the curve.

What insurance group is the Lotus Emira?

The Lotus Emira sits in insurance group 40 of 50 — the more expensive end of the scale. Exact premiums depend on the trim (some versions sit a few groups higher or lower), your age, postcode and no-claims history.

What goes wrong on a used Lotus Emira?

The most common age-related issues we track for the Lotus Emira are: lighting & signalling (typically around under 30k miles, £15-£120 to put right); tyres & wheels (typically around under 30k miles, £80-£500 to put right); driver's view (typically around under 30k miles, £60-£300 to put right). A full service history and a recent MOT with no advisories are the best protection.

What does the Lotus Emira cost to run?

Expect around 28 mpg combined on the Emira V6 Supercharged First Edition, £200 a year in road tax, about £185 for a standard annual service. The full cost-of-ownership table above breaks this down per year and per mile for the exact year and mileage you choose.

Is the Lotus Emira ULEZ compliant?

Most petrol Lotus Emiras from 2006 and diesels from September 2015 meet the Euro standards for London ULEZ and other UK clean-air zones, so they are generally exempt from the daily charge. Pure-electric versions are always exempt.

How many Lotus Emiras are on UK roads?

About 1,581 Lotus Emiras are currently taxed and on the road in the UK, from DfT vehicle-licensing data.

Ranked #249 car in the UK · Sports · 152 units sold last year

Lotus Emira

The Lotus Emira is the marque's last petrol sports car - a fittingly beautiful send-off, pairing classic Lotus mid-engined balance with either a supercharged Toyota V6 or an AMG-sourced four-cylinder. Sharper and more usable than its predecessors but still a featherweight by class standards, it's a genuine Porsche Cayman rival with real soul. As a used buy it's a future classic: the final combustion Lotus, bought for its handling and that bittersweet significance.

How these figures are sourced — the valuation is anchored to a researched used-market price for this model (AutoTrader median, 2023 at 30k miles). Reliability, mileage and variant data are real DVSA MOT records. Dimensions, tyre sizes and costs, servicing figures and the insurance group are segment-level estimates rather than sourced per car, and are being replaced model by model.

Body: Sports
Years: 2022–2026
Fuel: Petrol
Economy: 28 mpg
Insurance: Group 40

The short version

73/100

Forecourt score

Value 88 · Reliability 90 · Insurance 10 · catalogue percentiles

The Lotus Emira holds its value well and is dearer to run than most. Its MOT-based reliability is excellent — an MOT score of 90/100. On three-year value retention it ranks better than 88% of models.

The Forecourt score blends how this car ranks against the catalogue on value retention, reliability and insurance cost (weighted 40/40/20) — the from-new ownership picture. Higher is better; running cost is not yet folded in.

Pick your version

Estimates are tuned to the version you choose.

Fuel

Petrol · 3456cc

Power

405 ps

Drivetrain

RWD

Cam drive

Chain

Quoted MPG

28 mpg

The volume Emira. 3.5L supercharged V6 (Toyota-sourced, used in Lotus Evora / Toyota Camry V6), 405 PS, 6-speed manual (or auto), RWD. 4.3s 0-62 (manual). UK-built at Hethel — Lotus pride. The last ICE Lotus before EV-only future.

Tell us about the one you're looking at

Year of registration2023

20222026

Mileage on the clock14,997 mi

0Expected: 14,997180k

Conditiongood

PoorFairGoodExcellent

Tidy and well looked-after for its age — the typical car.

Region

Remembered as you browse other cars.

Know the registration?

Optional — fills in the exact year and ULEZ status for your specific car. The registration isn’t stored.

Estimated market value

£63,200

Range £51,850 – £75,350

medium confidence

When new (2023)circa £86,000Age-based value£60,200Mileage adjustment+£0Condition & region+£13Market calibration+£5,787Forecourt price£66,000Private sale£60,450Part-exchange£53,200

Holdthis 3-year-old

Fair value — depreciation is moderating.

At 14,997 miles it’s well above the ~9,537 typical for a 3-year-old.

Seen one for sale?

That’s a lot of miles for the age. One nearer the typical 9,537 miles would hold its value better.

A data-led guide from the depreciation curve, UK parc trend and reliability — not financial advice.

The depreciation curve

How a 2023-registration Lotus Emira loses value over time.

Marker = your selection
Dashed = mileage either side

What it costs to own

Over

Based on the 2023 car with 14,997 miles you entered above — worth about £63,200 today — here is the cost of owning it for the next 5 years, at roughly 4,999 miles a year.

5-year total

£17,133

Per year

£3,427

All-in per mile

£0.69

Fuel per mile

26.9p

If a company carAround £1,209/mo Benefit-in-Kind tax at the 40% rate (£604/mo at 20%) — 37% band

Depreciation£2,039

Fuel / energy£6,729

Servicing£1,765

Road tax£1,000

Insurance£5,600

If you're a company-car driver

At 37% BIK, a 40% taxpayer would pay about £1209/month in company-car tax (£604/month at 20%) — on top of the running costs above. Full BIK table below for context.

Best age to buy — around 7 years

A 7-year-old example loses roughly £3,900 a year — 50% less than the £7,850 a one-year-old sheds. The steepest drop is behind it.

Uses current UK pump and home-charging prices (DESNZ weekly), typical-driver insurance and manufacturer service intervals. "Fuel per mile" is just the energy input — so an EV at ~9p and a diesel at ~22p make running-cost comparison direct. A guide; your own costs will vary.

How it compares

Where this car ranks against the 340 vehicles in our index — higher is better.

Holds its valuebetter than 88%

Reliabilitybetter than 90%

Fuel economybetter than 5%

Cheap to insurebetter than 10%

Percentile rank across our full index. A measure is shown only where the data spreads meaningfully across the index.

Petrol, diesel, hybrid or EV?

How the available versions compare on price, running cost, and the headaches each tends to develop.

V6 Supercharged / Turbo SE

Lotus's last ICE sports car. Beautiful design, mid-engined, lightweight focus. Cross-shop Porsche 718 Cayman, Alpine A110, BMW M2. The V6 manual is the enthusiast's pick; Turbo SE the modern DCT alternative. Strong residuals — Emira will become a future classic as the last ICE Lotus.

New price: circa £80,000
Annual fuel / energy: £2,300
3-yr depreciation: 35%

Watch for

·Too new for clear patterns
·Some early V6 transmission glitches (campaign-fixed)
·Strong residuals — last ICE Lotus
·UK-built at Hethel — Lotus pride

Fuel/energy costs based on this week’s UK averages (w/c 03/08/2026) · Petrol 159.9p/L, Diesel 179.2p/L, Electricity 27.0p/kWh · DESNZ

Estimated insurance

Group 40 of 50 (high — premium bracket) · 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.

No-claims bonus3 years

0 yearsBaseline: 3 years15+

Risk profile:

Estimated annual premium · typical, age 33-39

£1,120/ year

Roughly £93 per month

Typical

Average UK driver — 3 years NCB, average postcode, no recent claims.

Age band	Lower risk	Typical	Higher risk
Age 17-25	£2,552	£3,191	£4,148
Age 26-32	£1,332	£1,567	£1,912
Age 33-39Selected	£985	£1,120	£1,321
Age 40-49	£836	£929	£1,078
Age 50+	£746	£828	£978

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).

Annual mileage4,999 mi/yr

2,000UK avg for this model: 4,99930,000

Routine service

£185

Annual main-dealer service

Major service

£210

Every 2 years, annualised

Road tax

£200

Standard rate, post year-one

Fuel

£1,298

28 mpg, £1.60/L

Insurance

£1,120

Age 33-39, group 40

Clean-air zones

✓ ULEZ compliant

All petrol variants meet Euro 4 standards and are ULEZ compliant.

Based on London ULEZ standards — Birmingham, Bath, Bristol, Sheffield, Glasgow and other UK clean-air zones generally follow the same rules.

Total expected£3,013 / year

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

Tyres

235/40 R18 · 245/35 R19

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 15,000 miles.

Budget

£400

set of 4, fitted · £85 per tyre

Mid-range

£580

set of 4, fitted · £130 per tyre

Premium

£840

set of 4, fitted · £195 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%
Heated seats / cold-weather pack	£450	£200	44%
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%

Parts most likely to fail

Drawn from owner reports and warranty data. Filtered for relevance to 14,997 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.

Lighting & signallingUpcoming

Typical at under 30k milesCost £15-£120low severityParts high

Recorded in 1.6% of MOT tests under 30k miles — from 1,897 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

Tyres & wheelsUpcoming

Typical at under 30k milesCost £80-£500low severityParts high

Recorded in 1.5% of MOT tests under 30k miles — from 1,897 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

Driver's viewUpcoming

Typical at under 30k milesCost £60-£300low severityParts high

Recorded in 0.7% of MOT tests under 30k miles — from 1,897 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

EmissionsUpcoming

Typical at under 30k milesCost £150-£800medium severityParts high

Recorded in 0.7% of MOT tests under 30k miles — from 1,897 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

BrakesUpcoming

Typical at under 30k milesCost £150-£500medium severityParts high

Recorded in 0.3% of MOT tests under 30k miles — from 1,897 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

SuspensionUpcoming

Typical at under 30k milesCost £150-£450low severityParts high

Recorded in 0.2% of MOT tests under 30k miles — from 1,897 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

"Parts low/medium/high" indicates how easy the replacement part is to source — discontinued or specialist parts mean longer workshop time and bigger bills.

MOT outlook

How this model fares at its MOT as it ages — from 1,964 real DVSA test records.

MOT pass rate by age

94.3% at 3yr → 91.3% at 4yr

A 3-year-old Emira passes its MOT 94.3% of the time; by 4 years that has slipped to 91.3%. The y-axis is zoomed to this model’s range so the trend is readable.

Longevity

Not enough older examples yet to gauge longevity.

What fails at the first MOT

The defect categories a Emira registered 2022–2023 fails on at its first MOT, from 645 first tests. Every car here is the same age and the same generation, so these are the faults that show up first - not the wear a high-mileage older example collects.

Lighting & signalling2.2%
Tyres & wheels1.7%
Emissions0.9%
Driver's view0.5%
Brakes0.3%
Identification & other0.3%

Share of first MOT tests recording at least one defect in that category. DVSA test-item categories, not parts: “Driver’s view” covers mirrors, wipers and glass.

Typical mileage by age

The average odometer reading for a Emira at MOT, by age — measured from the same DVSA records, not assumed. A useful yardstick for whether a given car has done more or fewer miles than its age suggests.

3 yr9,537
4 yr9,656

Mean recorded mileage at MOT by vehicle age, from DVSA test records. Ages below three are not shown: the first MOT is due at three years, so the few cars tested earlier are a self-selected minority rather than a representative sample. Ages with at least 10 tests shown.

Reliability

90/ 100

Excellent

First-MOT pass rate and defect rate for cars registered 2020 onward (645 first tests), with cohort survival — medium confidence.

MOT outlook

Insufficient MOT history at this car's reference age — too few tests to compute a reliable percentile.

Things owners say

01The supercharged V6 (with a manual option) is the enthusiast's pick; the AMG four-cylinder is the other choice.
02Classic Lotus handling and balance - one of the best-steering cars in the class.
03The last petrol Lotus, which gives it future-classic appeal; check build quality and history.

Safety recalls

Manufacturers occasionally issue safety recalls to fix a fault free of charge. You can check whether the Lotus Emira, or your exact vehicle, has any outstanding recalls on the official DVSA service.

Check on GOV.UK

Opens the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency recall checker. Choose the make, model and year of manufacture — no registration needed.

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

Around average

Parts-theft risk is around average — catalytic-converter theft is the main thing to be aware of on any petrol or diesel car.

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 Emira 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 Petrol from 2006 meets Euro 4.
Birmingham	Inside the A4540 Middleway	£8.00	Likely exempt Petrol from 2006 meets Euro 4.
Bristol	City centre and part of the Portway	£9.00	Likely exempt Petrol from 2006 meets Euro 4.
Glasgow	City centre	—	Likely exempt Petrol from 2006 meets Euro 4.
Edinburgh	City centre	—	Likely exempt Petrol from 2006 meets Euro 4.
Aberdeen	City centre	—	Likely exempt Petrol from 2006 meets Euro 4.
Dundee	City centre	—	Likely exempt Petrol from 2006 meets Euro 4.

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 Emira as a company car, by tax year and income-tax band. Calculated from a CO₂ of 237 g/km, using £98,000 as the P11D value.

Tax year	BIK %	Tax @ 20%	Tax @ 40%	Monthly @ 20%	Monthly @ 40%
2025-26	37%	£7,252	£14,504	£604	£1,209
2026-27	37%	£7,252	£14,504	£604	£1,209
2027-28	38%	£7,448	£14,896	£621	£1,241
2028-29	39%	£7,644	£15,288	£637	£1,274
2029-30	39%	£7,644	£15,288	£637	£1,274

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.

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

These are segment estimates, not manufacturer figures. 296 of 325 catalogued cars share one of 14 identical dimension sets, so they describe a class rather than this particular car. Sourced figures replace them model by model.

Length

4,400 mm

Width

1,850 mm

Height

1,300 mm

Kerb weight

1,500 kg

Boot

280–320 L

Fuel tank

48 L

How many are still out there

How the UK Lotus Emira fleet splits: taxed and on the road, parked off the road on a SORN, and gone from the register where that figure is available.

Currently registered

1,759

Currently taxed & on road

1,581

90% of all registered

SORN (off road)

178

10% of all registered

Scrapped or exported

n/a

not in this DfT extract

UK fleet trend — 2022 to 2025

+9.8% vs 2024

861,581

Source: DfT VEH0124 vehicle licensing statistics (year-end 2025) · Updated 29 Jul 2026

Similar cars

Other sports models worth looking at

Ranked #299 in the UK

Morgan Plus Four

Read profile →

Ranked #292 in the UK

McLaren 750S

Read profile →

Ranked #300 in the UK

Caterham Seven

Read profile →

Ranked #291 in the UK

McLaren Artura

Read profile →

Common questions

Lotus Emira, answered from the data

Is the Lotus Emira reliable?: The Lotus Emira scores 90/100 on Forecourt's MOT-based reliability measure. That is computed from 1,964 real DVSA MOT test results.
How much does a used Lotus Emira cost?: A 2023 Lotus Emira with around 14,997 miles is worth roughly £63,200 today (typical range £54,250–£72,200). Dealer forecourt prices sit higher and part-exchange offers lower; newer or lower-mileage examples cost more.
How quickly does the Lotus Emira depreciate?: A new Lotus Emira typically loses about 30% of its value over the first three years, then depreciates more slowly. Buying at three to five years old avoids the steepest part of the curve.
What insurance group is the Lotus Emira?: The Lotus Emira sits in insurance group 40 of 50 — the more expensive end of the scale. Exact premiums depend on the trim (some versions sit a few groups higher or lower), your age, postcode and no-claims history.
What goes wrong on a used Lotus Emira?: The most common age-related issues we track for the Lotus Emira are: lighting & signalling (typically around under 30k miles, £15-£120 to put right); tyres & wheels (typically around under 30k miles, £80-£500 to put right); driver's view (typically around under 30k miles, £60-£300 to put right). A full service history and a recent MOT with no advisories are the best protection.
What does the Lotus Emira cost to run?: Expect around 28 mpg combined on the Emira V6 Supercharged First Edition, £200 a year in road tax, about £185 for a standard annual service. The full cost-of-ownership table above breaks this down per year and per mile for the exact year and mileage you choose.
Is the Lotus Emira ULEZ compliant?: Most petrol Lotus Emiras from 2006 and diesels from September 2015 meet the Euro standards for London ULEZ and other UK clean-air zones, so they are generally exempt from the daily charge. Pure-electric versions are always exempt.
How many Lotus Emiras are on UK roads?: About 1,581 Lotus Emiras are currently taxed and on the road in the UK, from DfT vehicle-licensing data.

Answers are generated from this car's Forecourt data — DVSA MOT records, DfT licensing statistics and our valuation model — and update with the weekly data refresh.