Lotus Cars and SUV List: Price, Reviews, and Specs

Synonymous with speed and style, Lotus Cars have been devouring race tracks for over 70 years. Sitting in the driver’s seat of these legendary roadsters transforms you into a speed demon, ready to unleash the fury of adrenaline-inducing weapons.

Carefully curated bodies slice through the air like a sharpened blade as the high-precision motors crank away with lightning-fast acceleration. Lotus models aren’t a machine, they’re a work of automotive artistry ready to conquer the impossible.

The precision performance of Lotus Cars comes with a price tag that might be lower than you’d imagine. Out of the new Lotus for sale, the Lotus Emira is the entry-level choice with a starting price of $77,100.

Taking a broader look into Lotus car prices, including some of the models from earlier this century, you’ll find the Lotus Elise for sale was originally just $53,000 for the base model.

The average price of most Lotus Cars hovers in the range of $70,000 to $100,000.

If you want to depart with a boatload of cash, you don’t have to turn to Italian supercar brands like Ferrari. https://luxe.digital/brand/ferrari/ Lotus Cars has unveiled the Lotus Evija, a mind-blowing electric hypercar with performance only eclipsed by price, starting at an estimated $2.1 million.

The Lotus Eletre is another electric Lotus departing from convention, venturing into SUV territory for the brand’s first time. The Lotus Eletre price starts at $84,500 for an all-wheel drive hyper-SUV ready to accelerate through any adventure.

Opening up to historic Lotus Cars models, the 1997 Lotus Elise GT1 is another one of the most expensive Lotus Cars. Produced to comply with homologation rules for the FIA GT Championship, there is only one in the world, valued at an estimated $1.1 million.

Even if you have the cash to spare, it’s always nice to stretch your dollar. The cheapest Lotus Cars vehicle is still action-packed and ready for fun.  The Lotus Emira price starts at $77,100.

The most affordable electric Lotus is the Eletre SUV, starting at $84,500, which is quite a deal for the over 900-horsepower drivetrain nestled within an elegant platform.

Lotus Cars has been driven by an intense passion and a will to achieve greatness since day one. In 1948, race enthusiast Colin Chapman modified a 1928 Austin Seven and claimed victory during punishing trials races, planting to seed for what would later become Lotus Cars.

One year later, Chapman took his wrench to another Austin Seven, this time calling it the Lotus Mark II, the first time he used the Lotus name, and retroactively naming the 1948 vehicle the Lotus Mark I.

In 1952, Colin Chapman joined fellow English engineer Colin Dare to officially form Lotus Engineering Ltd. The Lotus Mark model names continued to build, with the 1953 Lotus Mark VI being the first production racer from Lotus Cars with approximately 100 units constructed.

The Lotus Elite, also known as the Lotus 14, was unveiled in 1957, taking the brand to the city streets for the first time and straight into the history books. This innovative model was one of the first to use a fiberglass monocoque chassis, providing a superior weight-to-power ratio and incredible agility and acceleration.

Through the 1950s and 1960s, Lotus gained notoriety for motorsports success, becoming one of the winningest teams in history. The luxury car brand also continued to churn out legendary Lotus sports cars, including the Lotus Elan, Lotus Europa, and Lotus Esprit.

Things took a challenging and sad turn during the 1980s when Colin Chapman passed away, and the race-focused brand encountered financial difficulties. Lotus Cars persevered through various ownership changes and entered into consultancy services, while also producing more iconic high-performance sports cars like the Lotus Excel and Lotus Elan M100.

After a brief stint with Toyota and General Motors, Lotus Cars eventually landed with Malaysian-based Proton before selling a majority stake to China-based Geely Holding Group in 2017. Today, Lotus Cars is owned by Geely Holding and Etika Automotive.

Most Lotus Cars continue to be produced in England, but the new electric SUV Lotus Eletre will be the first Lotus built in China.

Lotus Cars’ naming convention follows deeply-rooted trends. The earliest models were all named Lotus Mark with a roman numeral following to signify its place in the succession.

But at the eleventh iteration, Chapman decided to drop the roman numeral and call the vehicle the Lotus Eleven. Almost every model continues to use a word that starts with an E, following this Lotus Cars tradition.

Each model also continues with a simple numeric designation, typically used as the internal codename and pre-production moniker. For example, the 2023 Lotus Eletre is also known as the Lotus 132, representing the 132nd model from Lotus Cars.

If you know expensive Lotus Cars, the 1997 Lotus Elise GT1 and its 542-horsepower twin-turbo V-8 probably rings a bell. But good luck seeing this in person. 

Most reports say it hasn’t been seen in public for over a decade, and its whereabouts are greatly uncertain. Rumors are it’s sitting in a Lotus-owned facility or with a private collector in the Netherlands.

Another interesting fact about Lotus Cars is the meaning behind the logo. Some reports say that Chapman’s original partners, Michael and Nigel Allen, are part of the logo, with ABCC representing Allen Brothers and Colin Chapman.

But most people understand the Lotus Cars logo uses Chapman’s intitials, Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman or ACBC. One thing is certain, the Lotus Cars name is more closely intertwined with Colin Chapman’s legacy than anything else.

Most Lotus Cars continue to be produced in the brand’s home country of England, headquartered in Norfolk. However, as the electric Lotus Cars models begin to hit production, the Lotus Eletre SUV will be the first model produced in China.

Lotus Cars has eagerly embraced the electrification of its fleet. In fact, the Lotus Emira sports car is reported to be the last internal combustion engine vehicle that will come out of a Lotus factory, marking the end of an era more than 70 years in the making.

The electric Lotus Evija is a jaw-dropping, gut-wrenching, and tire-burning hypercar that produces nearly 2,000 horsepower from its four electric motors. Another new Lotus Cars electric model is the Lotus Eletre, the first Lotus SUV, packing a whopping 905 horsepower and a time to 62 mph (100 km/h) of 2.95 seconds.

Soon enough, we should all expect a more traditional Lotus sports car to come out on an electrified platform. And you should be ready to hold on tight. It’s certain to be a high-performance roadster that will melt your mind and the rubber on the road.

Let’s look at the current Lotus Cars lineup and some of the icons from the past.

Bucking its usual sports car focus, Lotus Cars is joining the battle of fully electric SUVs with an exotic design paired with a powerful, all-wheel drive platform.

The Lotus Eletre is the luxury automaker’s first SUV and a strong addition to the growing Lotus electric car lineup. A 112 kWh battery pack delivers an impressive 373 miles of range, while up to 905 horsepower throws you back into the seat, reaching 62 mph in under 3 seconds.

A dimming panoramic sunroof fills the cabin with an airy feeling, while a 23-speaker KEY sound system hits all the right notes. This Lotus SUV is a strong contender, matching the gorgeous looks of the Lamborghini Urus along with the luxuriousness of the Audi Q8 e-tron. Someday soon, this will probably hit our list of the best luxury SUVs.

Internal combustion engine enthusiasts should prepare to shed some tears. The Lotus Emira is the last to use ICE propulsion from the legendary carmaker that’s been churning them out for over 70 years.

The interior is also noticeably unique, offering daily-driver touches like cupholders, charging stations, and useful storage options that most other Lotus sports cars go without. The 3.5L V-6 is impressive, but even the base model’s Mercedes-Benz sourced inline-4 screams around corners.

As Lotus sends out the combustion engine, it’s done so with an elegant example that perfectly showcases the spirited sports car DNA, putting up a solid fight against the Porsche Cayman and BMW Z4.

Settling down into this minimalistic F-1-inspired cockpit means business. The Lotus Evija is a hypercar in every sense of the word, and anyone who presses down on the accelerator better be prepared for the nearly 2,000 horsepower that follows.

Limited to just 130 units, the first electric Lotus uses four motors hidden underneath an artfully-sculpted exterior. Air not only rushes past this insanely-powerful vehicle, but the Carved By Air philosophy means it also flows through it.

Rivaling some Bugattis, this Lotus car pricing made it on our list of the world’s most expensive cars. It’s also one of the best electric cars ever produced.