An elevator drive for driving and holding an elevator car includes a traction wheel providing a driving and a holding force to the elevator car, a motor driving the traction wheel, a braking arrangement for holding the traction wheel, and a drive shaft connecting the traction wheel, the motor and the braking arrangement together. The braking arrangement includes at least two braking devices arranged, on opposite sides of the traction wheel on the drive shaft. A monitoring logic system ascertains whether an activated one of the braking devices alone can maintain the elevator car at standstill during a brief time the other of the one of the braking devices is released for issuing fault information to an elevator control.