Which Lotus uses a Toyota engine?
The best-known Toyota-powered Lotuses are the Elise and Exige, which used Toyota 1.8-liter four-cylinder engines (1ZZ-FE/1ZZ-FED), with higher-performance Exige variants employing the 2ZZ-GE; the Evora uses a Toyota-based 3.5-liter V6 derived from Toyota's 2GR-FE architecture. This article explains which Lotus models used Toyota engines and how those collaborations worked.
Historical Toyota power in Lotus
The following models featured Toyota four-cylinder engines, a collaboration that defined Lotus’s early powertrains and helped keep performance light and responsive.
Elise and Exige: four-cylinder Toyota powertrains
- Elise — Toyota 1.8 L inline-four from the 1ZZ-FE/1ZZ-FED family, used across multiple early and mid-generation Elise variants.
- Exige — Toyota 1.8 L inline-four (1ZZ-FE/2ZZ-GE family), with higher-performance and some variants employing the 2ZZ-GE (including supercharged configurations in later models).
These powerplants helped define the Elise and Exige as featherweight, rev-happy sports cars with a distinctly Toyota-based engine lineage.
Toyota-based power in the Evora
The Evora family marked a shift toward a larger, smoother powerplant, built in collaboration with Toyota and based on Toyota's 3.5-liter V6 architecture.
Evora: a V6 derived from Toyota
- Evora — 3.5 L V6 derived from Toyota's 2GR-FE architecture, adapted by Lotus for performance and drivability in a grand touring package.
In the Evora, Lotus leveraged Toyota’s V6 framework to deliver a more refined, higher-torque driving experience while maintaining the brand’s focus on balanced weight distribution and real-world versatility.
Summary
Across its history, Lotus has used Toyota-sourced powertrains in several key models. The Elise and Exige relied on Toyota’s four-cylinder engines (notably the 1ZZ-FE/1ZZ-FED and 2ZZ-GE variants), while the Evora employed a Toyota-based 3.5-liter V6. These collaborations enabled Lotus to offer lightweight, responsive performance with proven engine technology, even as the company evolved toward new powertrains in later generations.
