MINI Countryman MOT pass rate & common failures
The MINI Countryman appears in 474,405 MOT tests spanning model years 2007–2024, and 90.2% of them passed. Small SUVs of a similar age fail 13.5% of the time, so this is 3.7pp better than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are tyres, lighting & signalling and visibility.
Best and worst Countryman years
Ranked across Countryman 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 — 93.1% of 2022 examples pass against 82.9% of 2010 ones.
No single area dominates — tyres (5.1%) and lighting & signalling (3.8%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, wipers and tread depth — headlamp aim alone was recorded 12,386 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 6.7% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 20.0% once past 150k — 3.0× the risk.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 2.7pp more often than petrol ones (11.7% vs 8.9%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 23.7% of tests without failing them.
How it compares
By model year
Every Countryman model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 53 | 83.0% | 17.0% | Emissions & environmental |
| 2009 | 71 | 90.1% | 9.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 2,084 | 82.9% | 17.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 16,848 | 83.2% | 16.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 14,841 | 85.0% | 15.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 16,005 | 86.8% | 13.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 72,402 | 88.3% | 11.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 51,000 | 89.6% | 10.4% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 50,520 | 90.7% | 9.3% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 59,705 | 91.3% | 8.7% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 76,342 | 91.2% | 8.8% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 61,499 | 92.2% | 7.8% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 26,827 | 92.5% | 7.5% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 16,633 | 92.6% | 7.4% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 9,018 | 93.1% | 6.9% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 548 | 95.4% | 4.6% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 5.1% | 24,076 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 3.8% | 17,846 |
| 3 | Visibility | 2.7% | 12,979 |
| 4 | Brakes | 1.7% | 7,965 |
| 5 | Suspension | 1.1% | 4,989 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 0.7% | 3,491 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.4% | 1,756 |
| 8 | Road wheels | 0.3% | 1,269 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Headlamp aim | 12,386 |
| 2 | Wipers | 9,482 |
| 3 | Tread depth | 7,903 |
| 4 | Brake pads | 5,731 |
| 5 | Washers | 5,275 |
| 6 | Position lamp | 4,515 |
| 7 | Headlamp | 2,194 |
| 8 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 2,079 |
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 | 23.7% | 112,432 |
| 2 | Brakes | 10.8% | 51,427 |
| 3 | Other defects | 7.0% | 33,183 |
| 4 | Visibility | 3.9% | 18,618 |
| 5 | Suspension | 3.5% | 16,786 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 2.4% | 11,184 |
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 | 149,334 | 6.7% |
| 30-60k | 196,238 | 9.2% |
| 60-90k | 93,802 | 13.2% |
| 90-120k | 27,965 | 16.9% |
| 120-150k | 5,863 | 20.2% |
| 150k+ | 1,182 | 20.0% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 300,608 | 8.9% |
| Diesel | 152,102 | 11.7% |
| Hybrid | 21,684 | 9.6% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 72,988 | 9.2% |
| 2022 | 88,138 | 9.4% |
| 2023 | 96,688 | 9.5% |
| 2024 | 103,578 | 10.0% |
| 2025 | 113,013 | 10.6% |
What to check before buying a MINI Countryman
- Tyres (5.1% 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 (3.8% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Visibility (2.7% 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 Countryman?
90.2% of the 474,405 MINI Countryman MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 9.8% fail rate, across model years 2007–2024.
What does the MINI Countryman most often fail its MOT on?
Tyres, recorded in 5.1% of tests, then lighting & signalling (3.8%).
Which Countryman years are best and worst for MOT results?
2022 has the best pass rate at 93.1% and 2010 the weakest at 82.9%, from 9,018 and 2,084 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Countryman MOT results?
Fail rates run at 6.7% for cars in the 0-30k band and 20.0% for 150k+, a 13.2-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Countryman more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 8.9% of the time against 11.7% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 474,405 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.