MINI One MOT pass rate & common failures
The MINI One appears in 287,618 MOT tests spanning model years 2001–2024, and 87.2% of them passed. That is 5.3 percentage points better than superminis of a similar age, which fail at 18.1%. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, tyres and visibility.
Best and worst One years
Ranked across One 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
Build year matters more than the headline suggests: 2020 cars pass 92.5% of the time while 2007 cars manage 68.4%, a 24.1-point spread.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (6.3%) and tyres (5.0%) 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 position lamp — wipers alone was recorded 11,699 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 7.2% in the 0-30k band and 26.2% in the 150k+ band, a 18.9-point spread — more than double.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 1.9pp more often than petrol ones (14.5% vs 12.6%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 26.4% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 11.7% of tests failed in 2021 against 13.8% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every One model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 140 | 62.9% | 37.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 501 | 67.7% | 32.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 799 | 68.5% | 31.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 1,085 | 70.3% | 29.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 1,553 | 69.5% | 30.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 1,606 | 71.9% | 28.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 1,902 | 68.4% | 31.6% | Emissions & environmental |
| 2008 | 1,933 | 68.5% | 31.4% | Emissions & environmental |
| 2009 | 2,262 | 70.1% | 29.9% | Emissions & environmental |
| 2010 | 4,140 | 79.8% | 20.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 7,402 | 81.5% | 18.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 27,328 | 83.9% | 16.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 43,759 | 84.9% | 15.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 35,471 | 87.5% | 12.5% | Tyres |
| 2015 | 58,520 | 88.9% | 11.1% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 46,140 | 90.0% | 10.0% | Visibility |
| 2017 | 29,700 | 90.7% | 9.3% | Visibility |
| 2018 | 8,473 | 92.5% | 7.5% | Visibility |
| 2019 | 6,828 | 92.2% | 7.8% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 3,761 | 92.5% | 7.5% | Visibility |
| 2021 | 2,932 | 92.4% | 7.6% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 1,379 | 92.2% | 7.8% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 6.3% | 18,098 |
| 2 | Tyres | 5.0% | 14,459 |
| 3 | Visibility | 4.9% | 13,973 |
| 4 | Brakes | 3.0% | 8,632 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 1.8% | 5,217 |
| 6 | Suspension | 1.7% | 4,754 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.7% | 2,111 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.3% | 773 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 11,699 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 8,539 |
| 3 | Position lamp | 6,575 |
| 4 | Tread depth | 5,758 |
| 5 | Brake pads | 5,277 |
| 6 | Catalyst emissions | 5,237 |
| 7 | Washers | 4,723 |
| 8 | Stop lamp | 3,016 |
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 | 26.4% | 75,864 |
| 2 | Brakes | 15.6% | 44,780 |
| 3 | Suspension | 6.6% | 19,039 |
| 4 | Other defects | 6.1% | 17,539 |
| 5 | Visibility | 5.3% | 15,113 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 4.5% | 12,992 |
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 | 58,982 | 7.2% |
| 30-60k | 120,843 | 11.0% |
| 60-90k | 75,180 | 16.0% |
| 90-120k | 25,489 | 21.8% |
| 120-150k | 5,757 | 24.8% |
| 150k+ | 1,309 | 26.2% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 250,491 | 12.6% |
| Diesel | 37,127 | 14.5% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 54,392 | 11.7% |
| 2022 | 56,489 | 12.3% |
| 2023 | 57,891 | 12.7% |
| 2024 | 59,085 | 13.4% |
| 2025 | 59,761 | 13.8% |
What to check before buying a MINI One
- Lighting & signalling (6.3% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Tyres (5.0% 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 (4.9% 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 One?
87.2% of the 287,618 MINI One MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 12.8% fail rate, across model years 2001–2024.
What does the MINI One most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 6.3% of tests, then tyres (5.0%).
Which One years are best and worst for MOT results?
2020 has the best pass rate at 92.5% and 2007 the weakest at 68.4%, from 3,761 and 1,902 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect One MOT results?
Fail rates run at 7.2% for cars in the 0-30k band and 26.2% for 150k+, a 18.9-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel One more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 12.6% of the time against 14.5% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 287,618 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.