All generations and engines together · 518,765 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 47k
Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 180,461 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
On the N14 turbo engine fitted to 2007-2010 Cooper S and 2008-2012 JCW models, a weak timing chain tensioner lets the chain slap the cover, producing a loud rattle for a second or two on cold start-up that gets worse with age. Left alone it can eventually jump the chain and wreck the engine. Independent specialists sell a revised tensioner and guide kit specifically because the original part is known to fail, and it's now standard advice to fit it pre-emptively rather than wait for the bang.
On turbocharged Cooper S and JCW models (R55, R56, R57, R60) built roughly June 2007 to September 2011, the electric auxiliary coolant pump's circuit board could short and overheat, in rare cases smouldering. MINI issued an official recall to replace the pump free of charge; this only affects the turbo N14/N18 cars, not the naturally aspirated Cooper.
A long-running owner complaint across every generation: clonks and creaks from anti-roll bar drop links and their plastic-bushed end links, plus wishbone and subframe bushes, worse in cold weather when the plastic shrinks and the joints get play in them. This lines up with the measured MOT data for the supermini class, where suspension is the standout fault group for this model. The parts themselves are cheap; it's the labour of getting underneath to trace the exact knock that adds up.
Water tracks in past the scuttle panel or a poorly sealed windscreen trim and runs down behind the dashboard onto the wiring loom and a body control module, causing damp carpets, warning lights, battery drain and intermittent electrical faults. It's common enough that MINI sells a dedicated repair section of loom for it, but there's no formal recall, so it comes down to how well a previous owner sealed things up. A full repair with drying out and loom work runs into four figures.
Owners on both petrol and diesel manuals report the clutch and dual-mass flywheel wearing out well before you'd expect, sometimes under 30-50k miles, with judder or slip pulling away. Dealers typically class it as a normal wear item and decline warranty cover, which is exactly what owners argue about on the forums; a supplier service bulletin from as far back as 2008 acknowledged early failures without MINI ever calling it a fault. Replacing both parts together is the usual fix since the labour overlaps.
The electric power steering motor (or its earthing) can fail, giving sudden heavy, manual-feeling steering, sometimes with a misleading warning light that doesn't mention steering at all. MINI doesn't sell the motor on its own, only as part of a complete rack assembly, which is why the repair bill is so steep. It's been through several revised designs over the years, a sign the fault has been common rather than a one-off.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (Superminis), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.
Head to head with the other popular cars in its class on reliability and common faults.