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Oz rare cars

How rare is a 1988 Lotus Esprit?

1988 Lotus Esprit

20

still registered in Oz

Very rare

Rarer than 99% of cars still registered

How rare is yours?Oz rare cars

1988 Lotus Esprit

Getting the card ready…

Rarity here means how many are still registered today — not how many were built.

About 20 Lotus Esprit vehicles made in 1988 were still registered in Australia on 31 January 2025. Cars made in 1988 are 19% of every Lotus Esprit still registered (about 105 across all years). By count, 1988 ranks 1st of 20 build years for the Esprit. That is about 400% more than 1987. Rarer than 96% of other 1988 vehicles still registered.

At a glance

Still registered on Aussie roads · BITRE as at 31 Jan 2025

Very rare

Among 1988 cars still registered

Rarer than 96% of other 1988 vehicles still registered.

19%

Share of this Esprit fleet

About 20 of about 105 Esprit vehicles still registered, all years together.

Top year

Among manufacture years for this model

1988 has the most still registered of any Esprit build year.

30%

Registered in QLD

About 6 of about 20 are registered in QLD. State figures come from a separate BITRE table, so they can differ slightly from the national count.

Still registered, year by year: 1988 Lotus Esprit

How many of this exact car were still registered on 31 January each year (2021–2025). Not new sales in those calendar years.

Registered count 2021 to 20250132520212022202320242025

Tap a point for its count.

BITRE snapshots. Later releases can revise earlier years. Pre-2021 figures are not on this chart.

View counts as a table
Registration trend for 1988 Lotus Esprit
DateStill registered
31 Jan 2021About 21
31 Jan 2022About 20
31 Jan 2023About 22
31 Jan 2024About 19
31 Jan 2025About 20

1988 Lotus Esprit vs peak and average years

Above the average manufacture year for this model — tap bars for counts.

1988 Esprit
Peak year (1988)
Average manufacture year

Still registered counts for this model · BITRE as at 31 Jan 2025

Esprit manufacture years by registered count

Manufacture years for the Esprit, with your year highlighted. Tap a bar for its count.

You

View counts as a table
Manufacture year registration counts
Year madeStill registered
1976About 3
1977About 3
1978About 3
1981About 3
1982About 4
1985About 6
1986About 4
1987About 4
1988About 20
1989About 7
1990About 3
1994About 3
1995About 3
1996About 7
1997About 16
1998About 3
1999About 4
2002About 3
2008About 3
2019About 3

1988 Lotus Esprit registrations by state

Where these still-registered vehicles are recorded by state/territory

NSW
VIC
QLD
WA
SA
TAS
ACT
NT

Tap a bar for its count.

View counts as a table
State registration counts for 1988 Lotus Esprit
StateStill registered
NSWAbout 4
VICAbout 3
QLDAbout 6
WAAbout 5
SAAbout 3
TASNot published
ACTNot published
NTNot published

Power / fuel

Fuel mix isn’t published for this car.

What a fill might cost· tap to enter your postcode

A typical sedan tank is about 60 L — edit if you know yours.

Estimate only. Nearby pump prices from public fuel-price feeds. Not a valuation.

How likely are you to spot one?

About 699,000 cars

Watch this many cars go by and it’s a 50-50 chance one is a 1988 Lotus Esprit.

Spot a 1988 Lotus EspritUnder 1%
Spot any Lotus Esprit, any yearUnder 1%

A rough guide, based on official registration numbers.

Questions about the 1988 Lotus Esprit

How does 1988 rank among Esprit build years?
1st of 20 build years by count. About 20 still registered in Australia.
How many Esprit vehicles still registered were made in 1988?
19% — about 20 of about 105 across all years.
How rare is it among all 1988 cars still registered?
Rarer than 96% of other 1988 vehicles still registered.
Which states have the most registered?
QLD (About 6); WA (About 5). State figures come from a separate BITRE table, so they can differ slightly from the national count.

Based on BITRE Road Vehicles Australia, January 2021–2025 (CC BY 3.0 AU; the January 2024 release is CC BY 2.5 AU). Colour: Victorian Department of Transport and Planning, Whole Fleet Vehicle Registration Snapshot by Model, Q4 2024 (CC BY 4.0). Oz rare cars is not affiliated with or endorsed by BITRE, the Australian Government or the Victorian Government. Registration counts are not sales, not a valuation, and not advice. Method