Let f(x) be a non-zero polynomial with integer coefficients. An automorphism φ of a group G is said to satisfy the elementary abelian identity f(x) if the linear transformation induced by φ on every characteristic elementary abelian section of G is annihilated by f(x). We prove that if a finite (soluble) group G admits a fixed-point-free automorphism φ satisfying an elementary abelian identity f(x), where f(x) is a primitive polynomial, then the Fitting height of G is bounded in terms of deg⁡(f(x)). We also prove that if f(x) is any non-zero polynomial and G is a σ′-group for a finite set of primes σ=σ(f(x)) depending only on f(x), then the Fitting height of G is bounded in terms of the number irr(f(x)) of different irreducible factors in the decomposition of f(x). These bounds for the Fitting height are stronger than the well-known bounds in terms of the composition length α(|φ|) of 〈φ〉 when deg⁡f(x) or irr(f(x)) is small in comparison with α(|φ|).