Your vehicleHome›Lotus›Evora› 2017

Lotus · Coupe

2017 Lotus Evora

Gas

Minicompact Cars
2 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26

Safety Signal

92 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns 1

Complaintsnone reporting a crash, fire or injury 3

Crash ratingnot rated by NHTSA —

Fuel economybest combined, EPA 20 mpg

2021 2020 2018 2017

The 2017 Lotus Evora is sold in the U.S. as a gas coupe with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Evora, is EPA-rated at 20 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 3 complaints, most often about the engine.

Lotus Evora — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Lotus Evora · Photo: Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
Evora	Gas	RWD	3.5L 6-cyl	17	24	20	$4,100
Evora	Gas	RWD	3.5L 6-cyl	16	24	19	$4,350

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 38083, 38082.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates

Configuration	Smog rating	Emission standard	Where it can be sold new	SmartWay
Evora	5 / 10	Bin 5 / LEV-II LEV	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	—

Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.

The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.

Specifications filed with NHTSA

Source: NHTSA vPIC

Dimensions Exterior

Body style	Coupe
Doors	2

Engine Basics

Cylinders	6
Displacement	3.5 L
Engine configuration	V-Shaped

Engine Output

Horsepower

400 hp

Fuel Economy

Fuel	Gasoline

Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim. Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.

Dimensions & weight

Source: Transport Canada

Length	172.8 in
Width (body, without mirrors)	72.8 in
Height	48.4 in
Wheelbase	101.6 in
Track, front	61.4 in
Track, rear	62.2 in
Curb weight	3,075 lb

Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here one configuration: 2-door Coupe. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.

Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database

▲high

Structure

2019/01R

424 vehicles 72% reported repaired built Aug 3, 2016 – Dec 20, 2018

Problem Lotus Cars USA, Inc. (Lotus) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Evora vehicles. The toe board in the passenger footwell lacks stiffness, allowing the knee of an unbelted occupant to contact the rigid structure of the vehicle, in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection." Risk In the event of a crash, if the occupant's knee contacts the rigid structure, there may be an increased risk of injury. Fix Lotus will notify owners, and dealers will replace the toe board with a new design to provide the appropriate stiffness, free of charge. The recall began May 27, 2019. Owners may contact Lotus customer service at 1-800-245-6887. Lotus' number for this recall is 2019/01R.

Filed with NHTSARemedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 19V263000 reported Apr 2, 2019 Lotus Cars Limited the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.

Whether any of this applies to one specific Evora

A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2017 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds.

NHTSA VIN check →

Hear about a recall before the letter does

The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2017 Lotus Evora, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

3complaints filed

0 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2024: 2 · 2025: 1

Most-cited components

Engine 2

Electrical System 1

Suspension 1

In owners' own words

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.

For the second time, a Throttle Actuator code forced an engine shutdown while on a busy freeway with only very narrow breakdown lane stranding the car. Attempts to reset the code(s) failed for about 30 minutes whereupon codes reset and have not recurred indicating the code was only transient but very dangerous

Engine Nov 1, 2024 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11623114

The contact owns a 2017 Lotus Evora. The contact stated that there was a clunking sound coming from the rear suspension. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who was certified to work on Lotus vehicles, but not associated with the dealer, and the rear suspension arm was inspected and diagnosed with a fracture in the casting of…

Suspension at 69,000 miles Nov 18, 2025 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11700048

Driving on an interstate highway a MIL (Malfunction Indicator Light) illuminated and within less than 5 seconds, the engine went into shutdown mode. I was able to safely clear the highway but on a central lane and heavy traffic it would have been impossible to safely clear the highway and the car would be stranded in the middle of the…

Engine Aug 22, 2024 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11610304

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 10

Most recentmanufacturer date 2022-09-05

Kindsas classified by NHTSA 10 service bulletins

Most often about: Electrical System, Equipment, Engine, Tires, Equipment Adaptive/Mobility.

sb_2022_02 Service bulletin
2022-09-05 · Air Bags
Retrofitment of airbag rotary clock spring part number A132M6241F to Evora vehicles originally fitted with clock spring part number A132M6236F. As stated in Technical Service Bulletin TSB 2019/05, although clock spring part numbers A132M6241F or A132M6236F fitted to Evora 400 model range vehicles look identical, they are not interchangeable.
sb_2022_01_Lotus Service bulletin
2022-03-16 · Power Train
Standard information required and procedures to be followed when reporting ECU & TCU faults. There is often insufficient, or inconsistent information received from dealers when reporting ECU & TCU related faults, this can lead to unacceptable delays in repairing vehicles.
sb_2021_06_DTC Service bulletin
2021-06-16 · Engine And Engine Cooling
There is often inconsistent or insufficient information received from dealers when reporting ECU and TCU related faults. This bulletin aims to standardise the information when filing a claim to After Sales.
TSB_2020_03 Service bulletin
2020-09-30 · Equipment Adaptive/Mobility
Air conditioning compressors failing due to oil starvation. TSB reminds dealers of correct replacement and running-in procedures.
sb_2020_01 Service bulletin
2020-05-19 · Engine
Any unauthorised modifications, including fitment of non-approved after-market air filter resulting in generation of diagnostic trouble codes (DTCâs) P0101 & P1109. We have had several instances where DTCâs P0101 & P1109 had been set and the car recovered into the dealer, only for them to find that the original equipment engine air intake filter had been substituted for a non-approved after-ma
sb_2019_04 Service bulletin
2019-03-06 · Electrical System — 12V/24V/48V Battery
It is possible that some lithium batteries have been irreparably damaged because they have not been maintained whilst the vehicle is in storage or have been irreparably damaged because the correct charging procedure has not been carried out
sb-2019-03 Service bulletin
2019-02-19 · Equipment — Electrical
Inoperative Bluetooth functionality of an Evora 400 head unit microphone
sb201902T000T154 Service bulletin
2019-01-23 · Tires — Pressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems
Lotus tool part number T000T1543F is now available, which can be used in conjunction with Lotus TechCentre to assist in the investigation of diagnostic trouble code faults for all Lotus models equipped with the "LDL" type tyre pressure monitoring system by gathering data from the individual wheel transmitters whilst they are still fitted to the vehicle

A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.

Diagnostic trouble codes on file

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints

Codes documented against this model year in the federal record. A code appearing here does not mean this vehicle will set it — it means the code is part of this nameplate-year's documented history.

Code	What it means	Most often filed under	Where it appears
P0101	The mass air flow sensor is reporting a figure the engine computer does not believe for the conditions.	Engine · Mass air flow sensor →	1 bulletin
P1109	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Engine	1 bulletin

Generic codes (the second character is 0 or 2) mean the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States. Manufacturer-specific codes (1 or 3) mean whatever the automaker assigned, and no honest source can define them for you — which is why the ones here carry the evidence instead of a definition. A code is a link when enough separate federal documents name it across the catalogue to be worth a page of its own; the rest are listed here, where the vehicle is the context that makes them mean something.

Evora by model year

all years, side by side →

Year Safety Recalls Complaints

2021 A 0 0 20 mpg 2020 A 0 0 20 mpg 2018 B 2 1 20 mpg 2017 this page A 1 3 20 mpg

Common questions about the 2017 Evora

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2017 Lotus Evora have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 1 recall campaign for the 2017 Lotus Evora. The most serious on file is 19V263000, covering Structure. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.

How safe is the 2017 Lotus Evora?

NHTSA has not published a crash-test rating for the 2017 Lotus Evora yet. On the recall record WhichTrim grades it A (92/100), which measures open and severe recalls rather than crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2017 Lotus Evora?

Across the 2 EPA-rated configurations of the 2017 Lotus Evora, the best EPA combined figure is 20 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What are the dimensions of the 2017 Lotus Evora?

Transport Canada measured it at 172.8 in long, 72.8 in wide (body, without mirrors), 48.4 in tall, on a 101.6 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 3,075 lb. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.

What do owners complain about on the 2017 Lotus Evora?

Owners have filed 3 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Lotus Evora, most often about engine, electrical system, suspension. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.

How clean is the 2017 Lotus Evora?

The EPA smog rating for the 2017 Lotus Evora is 5 out of 10. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — Bin 5, LEV-II LEV — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2017 Lotus Evora?

The manufacturer has filed 10 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2017 Lotus Evora, most often covering electrical system, equipment, engine. The most recent is dated 2022-09-05. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.

Data	Held	Source	What it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations	2 configurations	EPA certification records	Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates	2 configurations	EPA emission certificates	Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls	1	NHTSA recall campaigns	A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints	3	NHTSA complaint database	Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings	none	NHTSA NCAP	NHTSA has not tested this model year. Cars are selected for testing, so untested is not unsafe.
Service bulletins	10	NHTSA manufacturer communications	Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations	none	NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation	No defect investigation has been opened.
Driver-assist crash reports	none	NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01	No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSA	7 fields	NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns	What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder.
Measured dimensions	7 fields	Transport Canada, Canadian Vehicle Specifications	Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions.
Trims, pricing & equipment	none	Manufacturer press kit	We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind.

Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.

JSON for this page · API