All generations and engines together · 7,843 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 46k
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. 2,520 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.
The 1.6-litre Cooper D diesel uses a timing chain mounted at the back of the engine, the same layout as other BMW-group diesels of this era, so it's an engine-out job if it ever needs doing. Honest John logged a case of the chain actually snapping on a 2013 Cooper D at around 23,000 miles, which is unusually early. Listen for a rattle on cold start-up that clears as oil pressure builds; a persistent one is the warning sign, and a full chain job runs into four figures at a dealer. No recall or TSB has been issued for it.
Honest John recorded a clutch failure on a 2015 Paceman ALL4 at just 27,000 miles, well short of what a clutch should manage. The extra driveline load of the four-wheel-drive system is the suspected reason it shows up on ALL4 cars rather than front-drive ones. A buyer would notice a high, vague biting point or slip under hard acceleration. Clutch and dual-mass flywheel replacement on these is not cheap, typically running to four figures once labour to drop the subframe is included.
Honest John's own advice is blunt: give the automatic a swerve, because the manual is so much better in this car. Owners report the auto as hesitant off the line and less crisp than the manual, which points to clutch pack or software calibration rather than outright failure in most cases. It is more a case of a disappointing gearbox than a ticking time bomb, but it affects resale and should be reflected in the price. No recall exists.
Independent of the timing chain issue, both Honest John and Auto Express flag the diesel engines as noisier and less refined than rivals, one owner describing a Cooper SD as sounding like "a bag of old nails" despite being kept on a full main dealer service history. Auto Express separately notes diesel refinement is "far from class-leading" across the range. This tends to show up from new rather than developing with age, and dealers have not treated it as a fault needing a fix under warranty in the reported case.
The Paceman comes on run-flat tyres as standard, which cost more to replace than normal tyres and can't be repaired if punctured in most cases. Honest John also flags the ride as uncomfortable in town and unsettled at speed on the larger alloy options, recommending the optional comfort suspension. Owners are split on how much this matters day to day, some find it a fair trade for the sharper handling, others call it a genuine annoyance. It's not a mechanical failure, more an ongoing cost and comfort issue worth factoring into a test drive.
Built from the two sections above.
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