How many Lotus Elans are left?
2,708 are on the road in Great Britain and 1,863 are declared off the road. Fewer than ten thousand on the road.
Looking at one? Check its own record:
2,708
on the road in Great Britain
plus 1,863 declared off the road
Uncommon
- Most on the road
- 3,494, the end of 1998
- Still on the road
- 78% of the most there were
- Since 2021
- Down 1% (2,745 to 2,708)
Every version, as the DVLA records it
The model name on the logbook. Some are the same car recorded in slightly different ways, and a few are typing mistakes.
| Version | On the road | Off the road | Most there were |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elan SE Turbo | 560 | 792 | 1,485 (1994) |
| Elan | 931 | 414 | 950 (2024) |
| Elan S2 | 219 | 199 | 430 (1996) |
| Elan +2 | 205 | 123 | 218 (2024) |
| Elan S4 | 164 | 68 | 171 (2025) |
| Elan + 2S 130 | 155 | 83 | 165 (2025) |
| Elan DHC Sprint | 158 | 36 | 163 (2024) |
| Elan +2S | 105 | 60 | 105 (2024) |
| Elan +2S 130/5 | 89 | 44 | 93 (2024) |
| Elan FHC Sprint | 82 | 28 | 82 (2026) |
| Elan S3 | 27 | 9 | 29 (2024) |
| Elan S1 | 13 | 7 | 13 (2024) |
What the numbers mean
- On the road means licensed: taxed, or exempt from tax, at the end of June 2026.
- Off the road means declared SORN: still registered but not used on public roads, often stored, being restored or waiting to be sold.
- Counts are for Great Britain and come from the DVLA. Records start in 1994, so older cars may have been more common before then.
Buying one?
Rare or not, check the one in front of you: its MOT history, mileage and tax are free, and the full check adds finance, write-off and theft.
Source: Department for Transport and DVLA vehicle licensing statistics for Great Britain, table VEH0120, to the end of June 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.