MINI Cooper MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 44 model years and 1,603,235 tests, the MINI Cooper passes its MOT 89.5% of the time. Superminis of a similar age fail 14.5% of the time, so this is 4.0pp better than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are tyres, visibility and lighting & signalling.
Best and worst Cooper years
Ranked across Cooper 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
Not every year is equal — 96.4% of 2023 examples pass against 68.8% of 2002 ones.
No single area dominates — tyres (5.2%) and visibility (3.8%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are wipers, headlamp aim and tread depth — wipers alone was recorded 54,539 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 24.4% versus 6.9%.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 5.6pp more often than electric ones (14.0% vs 8.4%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 23.5% of tests without failing them.
How it compares
Versions & engines
MOT records broken out by the engine designations buyers actually search for.
By model year
Every Cooper model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 34 | 76.5% | 23.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1996 | 48 | 83.3% | 16.7% | Brakes |
| 1997 | 66 | 80.3% | 19.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1998 | 54 | 87.0% | 13.0% | Visibility |
| 1999 | 49 | 79.6% | 20.4% | Suspension |
| 2001 | 376 | 67.0% | 33.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 1,428 | 68.8% | 31.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 2,736 | 70.0% | 30.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 3,560 | 70.8% | 29.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 4,429 | 71.5% | 28.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 4,635 | 72.5% | 27.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 8,353 | 73.9% | 26.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 6,998 | 74.6% | 25.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 7,513 | 76.9% | 23.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 10,047 | 80.7% | 19.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 19,362 | 81.5% | 18.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 53,362 | 84.3% | 15.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 89,497 | 84.9% | 15.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 140,445 | 87.4% | 12.6% | Tyres |
| 2015 | 190,859 | 88.7% | 11.3% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 200,264 | 89.8% | 10.3% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 207,231 | 90.5% | 9.5% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 221,468 | 91.9% | 8.1% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 203,026 | 92.4% | 7.6% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 110,181 | 92.4% | 7.6% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 75,657 | 92.1% | 7.9% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 39,540 | 92.8% | 7.2% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 1,879 | 96.4% | 3.6% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 5.2% | 83,288 |
| 2 | Visibility | 3.8% | 60,358 |
| 3 | Lighting & signalling | 3.6% | 58,274 |
| 4 | Brakes | 2.0% | 32,036 |
| 5 | Suspension | 1.1% | 17,758 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 1.0% | 15,315 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.4% | 6,093 |
| 8 | Road wheels | 0.3% | 4,126 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 54,539 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 33,749 |
| 3 | Tread depth | 25,378 |
| 4 | Brake pads | 21,575 |
| 5 | Position lamp | 18,369 |
| 6 | Washers | 16,787 |
| 7 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 9,901 |
| 8 | Stop lamp | 7,522 |
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 | 23.5% | 377,430 |
| 2 | Brakes | 10.9% | 175,263 |
| 3 | Other defects | 5.1% | 82,077 |
| 4 | Visibility | 4.6% | 73,093 |
| 5 | Suspension | 4.1% | 65,481 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 2.0% | 31,716 |
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 | 608,440 | 6.9% |
| 30-60k | 624,884 | 10.4% |
| 60-90k | 261,730 | 14.8% |
| 90-120k | 82,696 | 20.2% |
| 120-150k | 20,426 | 23.4% |
| 150k+ | 4,897 | 24.4% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 1,270,869 | 9.8% |
| Diesel | 272,449 | 14.0% |
| Electric | 33,011 | 8.4% |
| Hybrid | 26,898 | 9.6% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 236,951 | 10.1% |
| 2022 | 287,966 | 10.0% |
| 2023 | 324,525 | 10.4% |
| 2024 | 358,231 | 10.8% |
| 2025 | 395,562 | 10.9% |
What to check before buying a MINI Cooper
- Tyres (5.2% 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.
- Visibility (3.8% 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.
- Lighting & signalling (3.6% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£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 Cooper?
89.5% of the 1,603,235 MINI Cooper MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 10.5% fail rate, across model years 1982–2025.
What does the MINI Cooper most often fail its MOT on?
Tyres, recorded in 5.2% of tests, then visibility (3.8%).
Which Cooper years are best and worst for MOT results?
2023 has the best pass rate at 96.4% and 2002 the weakest at 68.8%, from 1,879 and 1,428 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Cooper MOT results?
Fail rates run at 6.9% for cars in the 0-30k band and 24.4% for 150k+, a 17.5-point difference.
Is the electric or diesel Cooper more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the electric fails 8.4% of the time against 14.0% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 1,603,235 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.