MINI Clubman MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 43 model years and 146,074 tests, the MINI Clubman passes its MOT 88.2% of the time. That is effectively the same as small family cars of a similar age (12.6% fail rate), so the MOT record here is unremarkable in either direction. Its most common failure areas are tyres, lighting & signalling and visibility.
Best and worst Clubman years
Ranked across Clubman years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
The strongest year on this record is 2019 (90.5% pass rate); the weakest is 2015 (86.6%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — tyres (6.1%) and lighting & signalling (5.0%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are stop lamp, headlamp aim and tread depth — stop lamp alone was recorded 3,737 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 23.5% versus 7.6%.
Fuel type barely separates them — petrol fails 11.5% of the time against 12.4% for diesel.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 25.4% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 9.4% of tests failed in 2021 against 14.6% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Clubman model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 143 | 72.0% | 28.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 571 | 73.6% | 26.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 538 | 74.9% | 25.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 558 | 76.9% | 23.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 710 | 81.7% | 18.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 487 | 82.3% | 17.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 303 | 84.8% | 15.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 120 | 84.2% | 15.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 8,063 | 86.6% | 13.4% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 51,215 | 87.3% | 12.7% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 45,979 | 88.6% | 11.4% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 35,188 | 90.2% | 9.8% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 1,362 | 90.5% | 9.5% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 152 | 87.5% | 12.5% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 406 | 92.4% | 7.6% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 262 | 93.5% | 6.5% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 6.1% | 8,875 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 5.0% | 7,360 |
| 3 | Visibility | 1.9% | 2,774 |
| 4 | Brakes | 1.8% | 2,549 |
| 5 | Suspension | 1.8% | 2,561 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 0.6% | 879 |
| 7 | Road wheels | 0.5% | 712 |
| 8 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.2% | 301 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stop lamp | 3,737 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 3,453 |
| 3 | Tread depth | 2,626 |
| 4 | Brake pads | 2,169 |
| 5 | Wipers | 1,865 |
| 6 | Coil spring | 1,563 |
| 7 | Washers | 1,271 |
| 8 | Position lamp | 723 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 25.4% | 37,027 |
| 2 | Brakes | 12.0% | 17,593 |
| 3 | Other defects | 5.8% | 8,411 |
| 4 | Visibility | 4.0% | 5,863 |
| 5 | Suspension | 3.7% | 5,415 |
| 6 | Road wheels | 2.3% | 3,319 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 36,465 | 7.6% |
| 30-60k | 72,102 | 11.7% |
| 60-90k | 29,501 | 15.3% |
| 90-120k | 6,513 | 18.5% |
| 120-150k | 1,183 | 21.9% |
| 150k+ | 306 | 23.5% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 104,099 | 11.5% |
| Diesel | 41,969 | 12.4% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28,439 | 9.4% |
| 2022 | 28,674 | 10.1% |
| 2023 | 29,081 | 11.7% |
| 2024 | 29,520 | 12.9% |
| 2025 | 30,360 | 14.6% |
What to check before buying a MINI Clubman
- Tyres (6.1% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
- Lighting & signalling (5.0% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Visibility (1.9% of tests): Wipers, washers, mirrors and screen damage — usually inexpensive, but check for chips in the driver's line of sight. Typical repair: £15–£150.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the MINI Clubman?
88.2% of the 146,074 MINI Clubman MOT tests in this dataset passed, an 11.8% fail rate, across model years 1981–2023.
What does the MINI Clubman most often fail its MOT on?
Tyres, recorded in 6.1% of tests, then lighting & signalling (5.0%).
Which Clubman years are best and worst for MOT results?
2019 has the best pass rate at 90.5% and 2015 the weakest at 86.6%, from 1,362 and 8,063 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Clubman MOT results?
Fail rates run at 7.6% for cars in the 0-30k band and 23.5% for 150k+, a 15.9-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Clubman more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 11.5% of the time against 12.4% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 146,074 MOT tests. 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.