All generations and engines together · 18,638 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 42k
Middling for its age among city cars, and better than most per mile driven. Watch suspension and lights & electrics. A fair used buy, provided its MOT history has no repeating suspension advisories.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
A recurring owner complaint on the 5-speed manual: crunching or resistance selecting first and reverse, especially after the car has sat for a while, which owners put down to synchromesh wear. It comes up repeatedly across the shared VW Up/SEAT Mii/Skoda Citigo platform, and dealers aren't always quick to acknowledge it as anything other than normal. Reported from fairly low mileage on some cars, and a synchro or full gearbox rebuild runs into four figures if it's left to get worse.
Owners report knocking from the suspension and a ride that turns crashy and unsettled over potholes and speed bumps, sometimes noticed within the first few thousand miles. The measured data backs this up: suspension is the standout MOT fault for this car's segment, so the noise owners describe does line up with real wear showing at test time, not just an irritating rattle that goes nowhere.
Two official recalls affect narrow production windows: cars built 12-15 June 2013 may have airbag control units with incorrect welding that can stop the driver's airbag deploying properly, and cars built 25 November 2015 to 14 April 2016 have a child lock that can disengage on its own, letting rear doors be opened from inside. Both were formally recalled and the fix should already be logged against the VIN if it's been done, so no cost to a buyer if it's still outstanding. Two further towing-eye welding recalls cover 2015-2017 build cars, a minor fix affecting the tool kit rather than the car itself.
On the Mii Electric, the low-voltage 12V battery under the bonnet that wakes the car up and runs the electronics is a repeatedly reported weak point. Symptoms are a car that won't wake up to charge, dim or flickering interior lights, or a sluggish start. It's a cheap part to replace but a confusing one to diagnose if you don't know to check it first, since it's separate from the main traction battery. Doesn't apply to the petrol Mii.
The non-turbo 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol uses a timing belt, not a chain, and VW Group's own guidance on when to change it has shifted over the years: from 5 years/60-80k miles on early cars to talk of 120k-mile inspection-only or effectively lifetime belts more recently. Independent mechanics stay cautious and often recommend changing it well before trusting a 'lifetime' claim, since this is an interference engine and a snapped belt wrecks the pistons and valves. Budget roughly £300-500 if there's no paperwork proving it's been done.
Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.
Saveable checklistThe physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.
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. 6,847 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.
Same segment (City cars), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.