Lotus · 1996
Elise S1
Manual · RWD · United Kingdom
AutoIndex value · good UK car
£17,000
Half of the 16 sales The Classic Valuer recorded in the last 12 months were between £13,500 and £28,000.
Checked against recent sales on 4 November 2026. How we value cars
Estimated price by condition
Project
£10,200
Restoration candidate
Driver
£17,000
Good usable example
Concours
£25,500
Show standard
Indicative condition bands · not a valuation of a particular car
Price check
Looking at a Elise S1 for sale? Is it a good price?
Buyer’s notes
About the Lotus Elise S1
Lotus launched the Elise in 1996: a glassfibre body on a bonded, extruded aluminium chassis, a 1.8-litre Rover K-series engine. The Series 1 ran until 2001, including the more powerful 111S and Sport 160.
What moves the price
- Chassis condition: damage is not repairable, so a bent chassis writes the car off.
- Version: the 111S and Sport 160 sit above the standard car.
- History: head gasket and cooling work on record.
Before you buy, check
- Evidence of head gasket work with the improved gasket, and no mayonnaise under the oil filler cap.
- The chassis at the wishbone mounts and the floor for damage and stone strikes.
- The glassfibre body, especially the front clam, for crash damage and poor repairs.
Facts checked against: Wikipedia · insurance.goodwood.com · classicsworld.co.uk · autocar.co.uk
Vehicle data
Specifications
From 1996
Performance
Production
Own one?
Follow what your Elise S1 is worth
Pick its condition, then join free. Every car in your AutoIndex garage gets:
Lotus Elise S1: value questions answered
- How much is a Lotus Elise S1 worth?
- A good, usable UK example of the Lotus Elise S1 is worth around £17,000 on the AutoIndex index. A project car that needs restoration is nearer £10,200, and a concours-quality example around £25,500. Condition moves the price more than anything else.
- What makes one Elise S1 worth more than another?
- Service history and paperwork — complete, stamped, explained
- Mileage against the norm for the model
- Originality — matching numbers, original paint and trim
- Specification — gearbox, colour, factory options
- UK-supplied versus imported
- Is the Elise S1 I'm looking at fairly priced?
- Enter its asking price and condition in the price check above. It compares the price with the index for that condition and tells you what to ask the seller about.
- How many Elise S1 cars were built?
- Around 5,765 were built, by our production records.
Embed this valueFor club pages, forum posts and listings: a live value card that links back here.+
<a href="https://auto-index.co/car/lotus-elise-s1-1996?utm_source=badge&utm_medium=embed" title="Lotus Elise S1 value — AutoIndex"><img src="https://auto-index.co/badge/lotus-elise-s1-1996.png" alt="Lotus Elise S1 value — AutoIndex" width="600" height="180" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>[url=https://auto-index.co/car/lotus-elise-s1-1996?utm_source=badge&utm_medium=embed][img]https://auto-index.co/badge/lotus-elise-s1-1996.png[/img][/url]https://auto-index.co/car/lotus-elise-s1-1996?utm_source=badge&utm_medium=embedThe value updates with the index. Free to use anywhere; please keep the link.
You might also consider