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P518 PPW

1997 Lotus Elise

Silver Petrol 1796cc
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MOT Status

Valid
Expires25 Sep 2026
Tests24 (18 pass, 6 fail)
Pass rate75%

Mileage

63,342 mi
Last recorded63,342 miles
Recorded on26 Sep 2025
Typical for 1997 Lotus Elise47,496 mi

Above average mileage for this year

4 checks still locked for this Lotus
Stolen
Finance
Write-off
Keepers
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Vehicle Details

RegistrationP518 PPW
MakeLotus
ModelElise
Year1997
ColourSilver
Fuel typePetrol
Engine1,796cc

All premium checks include

50+ data points
Finance Check (Experian) Insurance Write-off Salvage Auction Stolen Check Previous Owners Ex-Taxi, Police, NHS Mileage Anomaly Import / Export Scrapped Check Plate Changes

MOT History

18 pass 6 fail
Pass 26 Sep 2025 63,342 miles

Nearside Front Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Nearside Rear Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Nearside Rear Brake pad(s) wearing thin (1.1.13 (a) (ii))

Offside Front Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Offside Rear Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Offside Rear Brake pad(s) wearing thin (1.1.13 (a) (ii))

Fail 24 Sep 2025 62,341 miles

Exhaust Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (8.2.1.2 (c))

Exhaust emissions likely to be affected by an exhaust leak (8.2.1.1 (b))

Exhaust has a major leak of exhaust gases tail pipe (From back box) (6.1.2 (a))

Nearside Front Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Nearside Rear Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Nearside Rear Brake pad(s) wearing thin (1.1.13 (a) (ii))

Offside Front Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Offside Rear Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Offside Rear Brake pad(s) wearing thin (1.1.13 (a) (ii))

Pass 13 Sep 2024 61,979 miles

Front Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Rear Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Fail 11 Sep 2024 61,979 miles

Exhaust Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (8.2.1.2 (c))

Front Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Rear Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Pass 15 Sep 2023 61,707 miles

Front Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Nearside Rear Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (5.2.3 (d) (ii))

Offside Front Shock absorbers has light misting of oil (5.3.2 (b))

Offside Front Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (5.2.3 (d) (ii))

Rear Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Pass 31 Aug 2022 61,700 miles

Front Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Offside Front Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (5.2.3 (d) (ii))

Rear Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Pass 23 Aug 2021 61,363 miles

Front Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Offside Front Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (5.2.3 (d) (ii))

Rear Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Fail 23 Aug 2021 61,363 miles

Front Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Offside Front Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (5.2.3 (d) (ii))

Offside Rear Position lamp not working (4.2.1 (a) (ii))

Offside Stop lamp(s) not working (4.3.1 (a) (ii))

Rear Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Pass 6 Mar 2020 61,113 miles

Offside Front Tyre cracking

Pass 23 Jul 2018 61,012 miles

Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened all (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Offside Front Shock absorbers light misting of oil or has limited damping effect (5.3.2 (b))

Steering rack gaiter damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt both (2.1.3 (g) (i))

Pass 21 Aug 2017 60,940 miles

Offside Front Shock absorber has a light misting of oil (2.7.3)

Offside Steering rack gaiter deteriorated (2.2.D.2d)

Pass 20 Apr 2016 60,396 miles
Pass 29 Jan 2015 60,157 miles

Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases (7.1.2)

Front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i)

Rear brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i)

Fail 16 Jan 2015 60,157 miles

Exhaust emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (7.3.D.3)

Nearside Front Front wheel bearing rough when rotated (2.5.A.2)

Nearside Front Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (4.1.E.1)

Offside Headlamp aim beam image obviously incorrect (1.8.A.1b)

Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases (7.1.2)

Front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i)

Rear brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i)

Pass 20 Aug 2013 59,473 miles

Nearside Front Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)

Nearside Inner Rear Road wheel with a slightly distorted bead rim (4.2.A.1a)

Pass 15 Aug 2012 59,462 miles

Nearside Front Front wheel bearing has slight play (2.5.A.3c)

Nearside Front Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)

Pass 29 Jul 2011 59,399 miles

front anti roll bar has slight click on compression

Pass 12 Jul 2010 59,308 miles

Nearside Front Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)

Fail 9 Jul 2010 59,308 miles

Horn not working (1.6.2a)

Nearside Steering rack gaiter split (2.2.D.2d)

Pass 30 Jul 2009 58,590 miles

Nearside Front wheel bearing has slight play (2.5.A.3c)

Nearside Inner Front Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)

Offside Upper Windscreen has damage to an area less than a 10mm circle within zone 'A' (8.3.1a)

Pass 13 May 2008 57,084 miles

Nearside Front wheel bearing has slight play (2.5.A.3c)

Pass 1 May 2007 51,206 miles
Fail 27 Apr 2007 51,206 miles

Emissions not tested (7.0)

Nearside Rear Tyre has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure (4.1.D.1b)

Nearside Track rod end ball joint has excessive play (2.2.B.1f)

Offside Rear Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (4.1.E.1)

Pass 25 Apr 2006 46,756 miles

How Reliable is the Lotus Elise?

Based on 150,954 MOT tests across 12,302 vehicles.

81.8%
Pass Rate
1,309
Miles/Year
30
Year Lifespan
12,302
On UK Roads

Top MOT Failure Points

Exhaust emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle excessive 3,173
Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 3,131
Headlamp aim too high 3,014
Exhaust emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits 2,630
Exhaust emissions carbon monoxide content at idle excessive 1,898
Full Lotus Elise reliability report

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P518 PPW is a 1997 Lotus Elise in Silver with a 1,796cc petrol engine. This vehicle has been through 24 MOT tests with a personal pass rate of 75%.

Across all 1997 Lotus Elise models, the average MOT pass rate is 78.3% with a typical mileage of 47,496 miles. This particular vehicle has a lower pass rate than the average for its year, which may indicate maintenance issues worth investigating.

The most common reason a Lotus Elise fails its MOT is exhaust emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle excessive, accounting for 3,173 recorded failures. If you're considering buying P518 PPW, it's worth having these areas checked by a mechanic before committing.

The Lotus Elise typically stays on UK roads for around 30 years. At 29 years old, this Lotus Elise is approaching the upper end of the typical lifespan for this model.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check the history of P518 PPW?

You can check the full history of P518 PPW by running a full vehicle check. This shows you finance, stolen, write-off, MOT history, mileage records and more.

What year was P518 PPW registered?

P518 PPW is a 1997 Lotus Elise, first registered on 4 April 1997.

Is P518 PPW safe to buy?

The MOT history for P518 PPW shows 24 tests with a 75% pass rate. To check for outstanding finance, stolen markers, write-off history and mileage discrepancies, run a full vehicle check.

Does P518 PPW have outstanding finance?

Finance checks require a premium vehicle report. This checks against all major UK finance providers to see if there is any outstanding finance on P518 PPW. If you buy a car with outstanding finance, the finance company can repossess it.

No warranty or guarantee of accuracy is provided for any free data on this page. The data guarantee applies only to information obtained through the purchase of a full check.