Lotus Cars Reviews 42

I am leaving a negative review as a result of having many problems with my new Lotus Eletra S from Lotus Berkshire.

Within just 5 days of delivery the Eletra developed serious break faults, loss of regen & ESC, so was off the road to have parts replaced.

Since then I have had software issues, including the car being supplied with no factory sat nav, passenger door handle failing, rattles then most recently serious faults again with loss of regen, loss of power, shuddering & ESC.

My Eletra S has been sat with the dealer since 26th February, so 7.5 weeks so far off the road with parts supposedly due in in approx 2-3 weeks time, so for this round of issues alone, my car will have been off the road for almost 3 months & I am having to drive round in an inferior hire car that is petrol.

Sadly the Eletra looks good, but for me having been off the road for circa 4 months of barely 17 months of ownership is completely unacceptable for a £100,000+ SUV.

I am really disappointed & would not have another Eletra again. Bearing in mind the car has been available in the UK for over 2 years, you'd expect the network to be efficient & cars to be reliable but sadly this is not the case!

I am rejecting my car & will get another brand of EV. Lotus sort yourselves out!

18th December 2025 I became a proud owner of a stunning Lotus Emira First Edition An early Christmas present to myself. I have 'no cure' cancer, and I am determined to “retire” from this world owning a wonderful car! G C Motors Harrogate I noticed an unusual 458 Ferrari It was in-fact a stunning Seneca Blue Lotus Emira. I immediately fell in love. So far not driven enough (our wonderful UK weather) but now the sun has arrived in preparation I had a closer look at the documentation that came with the car. I tried the Lotus Website/owner "My Lotus" registration with zero success Seems that this is focused on new purchases? Not applicable to preowned? Hard Copy Service Book with 3 Stamps @Lotus Bristol Predelivery Inspection First Service Second Service Printed Invoices Copies Customer details redacted My wife and have owned 62 cars We fully understand the value of ALL relevant documentation When I die hopefully not too soon! My wife will sell the Lotus I need ALL data/documentation for the car; the original Purchase Build Date Specification/Sales Invoice “Validation Certificate” access to “Digital Service Records/Data”, “Safety Recalls” Records Unable to register online via Lotus Website “My Lotus” Digital Portal I assumed Lotus Bristol were the Dealership suppliers/commissioners 16th March emailed them Ashley Morris replied following day Advised this was an "Agency Sale" Direct from “Lotus HQ” rather than from a third-party dealer “Agency Model” is applied by many OEM’s TESLA Mercedes-Benz Volvo Jaguar Land Rover Mini Ford Honda Toyota Lotus Bristol provided the pre delivery inspection handover and two services Lotus Bristol do not have/hold copy of the original sales documentation Advised that Lotus HQ EU Lotus Customer Care could provide original sales order redacted to not include previous keeper details compliant with GDPR I am getting somewhere? 17th March Contacted Lotus Customer Care, 17.03. 2026 Dear John Thank you for contacting us Isobella Kristina Lotus Customer Care Team we will review all documents that can be shared with you according to our GDPR Two hours later I received strange 2nd email Isobella Kristina “Dear Ashley Thank you for contacting us We are sorry to hear about your unfortunate experience with your Lotus Car Unfortunately we are not the correct rejection channel You need to contact CA Autobank Clearly this is a mistake referring to an issue in California USA a GDPR breach? I had included my previous correspondence with Lotus Bristol (Ashley) in my email to Lotus they have got me mixed up with another customer 18th Mar Third email Dear Ashley Apologies for the last email please disregard the advice from it as there was a mismatch in recipient (Isobella) I replied thank you for clarifying I could 'tell' it was clearly intended for another customer in the USA! To clarify I am John Reynolds Not Ashley "Ashley" is referring to Lotus Bristol who I contacted RE: missing paperwork for an "Agency Car" sold directly from Lotus HQ I require a redacted copy of the original sales specification invoice Currently I am still in love with my marvellous Emira However, Lotus Customer Care are an incompetent joke I suspect their resistance to cooperate with myself and many other dissatisfied customers? The chap in CA doesn’t sound too happy either! I am sure is really about wider issues in terms of EMIRA build/manufacture/warranty problems especially Emira Body/Paint issues? Rather than accept there are issues and honourably “owning it” Lotus are, nervously, ignoring and trying to avoid reoccurring problems As a bi-product their, general, evasive, non cooperative Customer Care Strategy for “ANY and ALL” customer queries is seriously damaging the LOTUS Brand, worldwide. The Lotus Forum’s are exploding with damningly similar poor customer service accounts TBC. You would think I am asking for Lotus to release the EPSTIEN Files! Not a redacted copy of a sales invoice! TBC. I will keep you posted.

⭐ (Generously rounded up from zero)

I made the bold leap from Land Rover ownership to the dazzling promise of the Lotus Eletre. Reader, I have regrets.

Where to begin? The faults. Oh, the faults. Warning lights appear like it’s Christmas morning, except instead of gifts you get another trip to a service centre that can’t actually service it. Parts? Apparently they exist in a mystical land far, far away, also known as China. The UK? Not so much. If you enjoy waiting indefinitely while being told “we’re looking into it,” this is absolutely the car for you.

Infrastructure? Delightfully theoretical. Customer service? A masterclass in interpretive dance, lots of movement, zero forward progress. Communication is so rare it should be listed as an optional extra.

And the depreciation! Two-thirds of its value vanished in 18 months. I’ve seen avocados hold their worth better. Buying this car wasn’t a purchase; it was a financial magic trick where my money simply disappeared.

Why would anyone buy one of these? Why did I? Why, why, why?

If you’re considering it, may I suggest a nice bicycle instead. At least the parts exist.

I don’t often review negatively but in this case I’m compelled to.
I’ve had my electre from new, for 2 years and have had many issues.
First of all; even just getting in touch with customer services is hard work and their opening hours don’t give adequate access to services and multiple times I’ve not been able to get through in times of urgent need.
No one turned up to collect my vehicle for its service as planned.
When rescheduled, the car was eventually picked up, but then not dropped off on same day as planned, leaving me stranded at work with no explanation despite the agreement that the car would be dropped back off for a fee
The car its self has never been free of technical problems. Aircon thermostat is not calibrated and blows cold even when temp is set to 26 deg. Not great during freezing English winter. Subwoofer issues, tire pressure warning issues, 2 occasions where the car wouldn’t start or open. I could go on!
I won’t be buying from lotus again.

Just picked up my Lotus Emeya, have to say it is a spectacular vehicle in every respect -the build quality inside and out is meticulous, sumptuous and luxurious but still with a very present sports car feel. Many car brands have made the most stupid mistake, they take a great design, and make it look bulbous and boring by putting silly fat wheels on it, alloys that look like hubcaps and crappy rear ends where the exhaust were… they've almost made electric = boring, but not Lotus. The wheels are of race quality, the discs are huge, and they have incorporated 6 pot lightweight racing callipers. The adjustable suspension can be adjusted to race level - and hardened in the process… and the adjustable rear wing adds loads of character to the rear end.
But, at this level small details matter. During my first night drive I realised there was something very off in the cabin, In that you had this really bright Centre console screen and no ambient lighting whatsoever in the cabin to break the piercing light. At first I thought it was a setting that needed to be turned on, but upon speaking with Lotus it became apparent that it was an extra. This absolutely blew me away, you can buy a budget Ford or Vauxhall and it comes as standard - I never thought to check this as an extra because it's just a given, a bit like having a radio. The lighting is installed (Don't want any fancy multicolour features, just a single colour), because it lights up during a hazard situation (and because a dealership confirmed this)… so this is just a software change. I offered to pay whatever price required to update the software, but I was told no. Bottom line, the car is horrible to drive at night because there is no ambient light which blends in the Super bright centre console… it's just a BLOB of light in a black hole… I feel a bit tricked over something so basic, and they wouldn't even take my money to change which can be done over-the-air at 100% £margin.
What they have done is take an amazing car and ruined the experience over something so small and petty. What a shame.

We have had a lot of troubles to get our caution back.With fake photos they reduced the original amount.this is not a serious Business!!
The car was very old,more then 13000 km.
I will never use this Company in Athens!!

⭐ 1 Star – Extremely Poor Customer Service and Failure to Honour Paid Insurance Products

I purchased my Lotus Eletre earlier this year via the Lotus website, as the garage I dealt with wasn’t a fully registered Lotus dealer. As part of the package, I paid over £1,500 for three insurance products sold by Lotus:

Tyre Insurance

Alloy Insurance

Cosmetic Repair Insurance

These were listed clearly on my invoice and paid for in full. However, when I tried to make a claim, I was told none of the policies had been activated. Despite raising this issue more than two months ago, I have received no proper resolution, no confirmation of cover, and no reimbursement for the multiple tyres I’ve now had to replace myself — totalling £1,030.01 out of my own pocket.

I've sent multiple emails, photos, and invoices. I’ve been promised updates that never arrive. I've even had to issue legal proceedings just to try and recover my costs — and I’m now being stonewalled with no meaningful response.

This is a major concern for anyone purchasing financial products via Lotus. If a customer pays for insurance cover, they should be entitled to it. Instead, I’ve been left exposed, out of pocket, and completely unsupported by a brand that claims to stand for quality.

Deeply disappointing experience. Buyers beware — check your policies are actually in place.

I have had a lotus eletre for 6 months and have some problems that need to be addressed. Customer service is non existent and they now want me to drive from Norwich to Colchester to investigate as the Norfolk dealer does not repair EVs
Total joke of a company, beware 😡

Do not pick up the phone or call back - TERRIBLE customer service.

These reviews don't lie, I really like my Electre but the customer service from Lotus is non-existant so be warned...
Initially called up their London flagship store interested in buying, no reply.
I eventually bought at a dealership and they said any problems call their dedicated client services number.
Even though this is active they never call back, when I inquired I was told it's moved to China but nobody thought to change the message or update anything.

Really shoddy service a 1 star review rating is utterly dire so buy a Lotus and pray you don't need anything from them.......

The Lotus Eletre is a stunning vehicle, no doubt about it. But sadly, that's where the positives end. The customer service is, quite frankly, the worst I’ve ever experienced. In reality, there’s basically no support at all.

Even for issues that are clearly covered under warranty, you’ll be waiting months—if you’re lucky—to get anything resolved. It’s frustrating, disheartening, and completely unacceptable for a premium brand.

Such a shame, because the car has so much potential. My honest advice: stay away from Lotus until they seriously improve their after-sales service.

Recently purchased an Emira, got a better deal from Lotus elsewhere, then pproceeded to get a small part from Lotus - Colchester, I was directed to their so called parts dept over the road, went in there and the guy behind the counter said they didn't supply Lotus Parts ???? he said he'd phone me back after checking , 4 days later I'm still awaiting the call !!! best to leave this dealer well alone tbh !!!!!!! there's no effective back up service once you have purchased your car, if you have an issue with one of these cars even one under warranty you rfeally are on your own , trust me !! I found this out already !!!!

I've also been reading all the reviews re this company & Lotus themselves, steer well clear !!! spend monies elsewhere, Lotus will suffer in the end, really not in a good place at the moment obviously !!

UPDATE 29/07/2025;
COLLECTED MY CAR ON THE 13TH DECEMBER 2024. BUT I STILL DON’T HAVE THE CAR AND LOTUS ‘CUSTOMER CARE’ STILL CANNOT TELL ME WHEN IT WILL BE READY. ABSOLUTE SHAMBLES. AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!

It turns out that Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious (LOTUS) is still the case, but they’ve added zero customer service and dodgy operations to the list.

I bought my car from an independent dealer (Auto100), who sold me an Emira with just over 400 miles on the clock. The car was described as ‘immaculate’ and ‘effectively new’, with Lotus Cars shown as the previous owner. That was at the beginning of December 2024. I had the car just 6 days and drove it just once and the car broke down. The AA were called and car was put on a low loader and delivered to Endeavour Lotus in Colchester.

It’s now been with them for just on two months and the car has been stripped down to just the chassis and wheels. The front clam and back clam has been removed as has the bonnet, under trays, engine, clutch, gearbox, seats, carpet, dashboard, trim, both front doors, front loom and fuse box.

So far the car needs a new loom, new fuse box, new clutch plates, new clutch, new clutch thrust bearing, new front doors, a new rubber HeVAC shroud, a new rubber fuse box shroud, a new drivers door, a new passenger door, the software updating and a new battery. It’s still to be determined whether it also needs a new wing mirror motor. All this on a car that was owned by Lotus and has only done 400 miles!

To make matters worse, Auto100 have stated that it’s all under warranty, so it’s nothing to do with them and I need to speak to Lotus customer care and/or Endeavour Lotus Colchester.

Lotus customer care are stating that, as I bought the car from an independent, it’s not their issue and I need to speak to the independent.

Every time I chase Endeavour Lotus Colchester, they tell me that they’ve found another issue that needs another new part to be ordered and the delivery is a week, so everything stops again. They refuse to give me any indication as to when the car will be ready. As the car wasn’t bought from them, they’re prioritising customer cars ahead of mine. They were advised by the AA that the clutch had failed at the beginning of December and yet they only looked at the clutch just over a week ago and only noticed the damaged flywheel this week! When I eventually get my car back, it will effectively be a car that has been built from scratch, by a remote (from the factory) garage from individual parts, rather than manufactured properly, on a production line, by the manufacturer. I wonder what else is going to go wrong or fail at later date.

So I am the ‘piggy in the middle’ while everyone points the finger at someone else.

What is very strange is that Lotus have numerous dealers of their own, yet they are selling off a large amount of Lotus owned cars (at the time of writing, Auto100 have more than 20 Lotus’s all with very low mileage and Lotus as the previous owner), with very low mileage, via an independent dealer. I have spoken to a number of Lotus owners, via an online Lotus forum, that have purchased their car through the same independent and they have also had numerous issues with their cars. It seems to me that Lotus are aware of faults on these cars and are pushing them out into the market via independents, thereby allowing them to deny responsibility, leaving it to the new owner, to sort out all the issues and to be without their new car for months. This seems very underhanded to me and clearly Lotus don’t care about their customers. Lotus are also refusing to give me any details as to what the car was used for, by Lotus, during those 400 miles.

At the time of writing, I’ve been without my new car for two months and I’ve still no idea when I’ll get it back.

This has ruined my experience of buying a new car and tainted me completely against the brand and my own car if/when I eventually get it back.

Lotus should be ashamed.

If you buy a Lotus from Endeavour be ready. We have had an issue with the car while it was under warranty. They have used delayed tactics which meant to keep our car for weeks adding to months, without doing anything to it. Until the warranty expired. Now the position is that the car is not under warranty anymore. Needless to mention the stress and effect on work and family life. I have been in touch with the CEO but nothing has changed. Delay, deny, defend.

Don't pay their bills. Ignore emails and calls. Three of my customers have Lotus' and they all have issues. Customer services are incompetant. MD is ignorant. Buy anything else other than a Lotus unless you enjoy dealing with idiots, because you will be. A lot.

Lotus delivered my Eletre in April and since day one the car have issues at the steering wheel.
After 6 months no one has approved the replacement nor is it in charge of managing the problem.
The dealer has no answers and lotus doesn't care.
It's incredible to see how a brand considered top has a worse customer management than any brand of cheap cars.

Purchased an Exige 410 from Chadd at Lotus Cars Queensland in Australia, the vehicle was sold with a faulty 5th gear/bad syncros. Both contractually and legally covered under a full class A statutory warranty yet Chadd and his team have refused to warranty the vehicle sighting: “Gearboxes are consumables” even though they were notified within a single day after the vehicle was delivered. Frankly, it feels like I've been scammed out of $7,000. The courts will need to decide whether this is true or not. It's a shame we even need to head there.

I adored Lotus until this.

We liked the Lotus Electre and are keen to buy one. Since the last two weeks we have been trying to get an appointment to go in to a dealership to place an order. We have filled in multiple web forms to get an appointment and have not received a single response. We have then tried calling the Mayfair Dealership and have been kept waiting for over an hour twice, although the recording says we are number 1 in the queue. After this long frustrating wait we then took the option for a call back both times and two days later we still did not hear back from anyone. In the meanwhile we even picked an Electre from their exisiting stock and asked for the relevant dealership to contact us for an order, no one did since over a week now. Either this company is selling a lot of EV's and does not need any new Sales or this is the worst managed Company I have come across in a very long time. I hope they improve other wise it will be curtains for them soon. In the meanwhile we are going to look for alternatives as they simply don't want us to own an Electre.

I now have to add that a day after my posting the above review two different reps of the company have reached out to me and have supported our process of ordering an Electre so our complaint has been well responded to. The experience since then with the Sales and Marketing Team at the Lotus Mayfair Showroom has been very good and they have been very responsive. The order is now going through to HR Owen’s Dealership and hopefully it will all continue to work out well from here.

Bought a range rover evogue for £5995 on the sales receipt he put 2900 and no mention of the 3100 he allowed me on my car, he sold me a dangerous car advertised with a three month warranty but put no warranty given on the sales invoice my own stupid fault for not checking but he was close to closing he was rushing me anyway put the car into my local garage to make sure it was safe and OH DEAR was told the car should not of been sold like this as it was dangerous , no heat shield between exhaust and fuel tank, rear break disc were so thin very close to snapping and pads very worn down drive shafts need replacing rear diff knackered and shocks need doing over £3000 to put everything right do not buy from this dealership or mohamed mohamed disgraceful firm trust me please stay away from them this is my second review after sales are non existent.. he let us drive away in this and just didn't care..he also used my trade in car the next day and let me pay a £65 parking ticket ..scum give him a wide berth

We arrived at 6.40pm because of traffic they shut at 7.30pm when we got there he was blunt and in a hurry to go home he told me he sees his last customer at 6.30 and that we were late he rushed us and we came away with no warranty he didn't offer to take us on a test drive he wanted to do the deal and go home I had driven 3 hours to see this car the engine was smooth the interror and exterior was good everything worked, but the car has a few issues that might of been covered by the warranty I'm not driving to London again and I have a feeling this man won't help anyway so my overall view is DODGY DEALER he might say I'm being unfair but I don't think he will send me the warranty I'll correct this review if he does...