MINI Mini vs Volkswagen Polo
The Volkswagen Polo has the better MOT record of the two — 21.2% fail rate versus 23.9% for the MINI Mini across comparable years. The biggest single difference is emissions & environmental, where the Mini records failures noticeably more often.
23.9%
Mini fail rate
21.2%
Polo fail rate
2.78pp
Difference
Side by side
| Metric | MINI Mini | Volkswagen Polo |
|---|---|---|
| MOT tests analysed | 1,775,595 | 3,845,054 |
| Pass rate | 76.0% | 78.8% |
| Fail rate | 23.9% | 21.2% |
Where they differ
| Category | Mini | Polo |
|---|---|---|
| Emissions & environmental | 6.5% | 0.0% |
| Visibility | 0.0% | 4.8% |
| Lighting & signalling | 14.5% | 10.8% |
| Suspension | 7.0% | 8.3% |
| Brakes | 7.8% | 6.7% |
| Tyres | 5.1% | 5.1% |
Methodology & source. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.