Car
Audi A1
83.2%
pass rate across 757,350 tests
80.0% first-time pass rate
Audi A1 vs MINI COOPER
The two cars compared on 1,759,194 real MOT tests: pass rates, first-time passes, the failures each is known for, repair costs and how both have moved year by year.
Car
MINI COOPER
89.6%
pass rate across 1,001,844 tests
88.5% first-time pass rate
The short answer
MINI COOPER has the stronger MOT record
Across 1,759,194 tests, the MINI COOPER has the stronger first-time record: 88.5% against 80.0%, a 8.5-point gap. On all MOTs the MINI COOPER is ahead at 89.6% versus 83.2%. Even after adjusting for the age and mileage of the cars tested, the MINI COOPER is +3.7 points against its expected rate, the Audi A1 +0.1. A typical repair bill is similar: £43–£116 for the Audi A1 and £36–£86 for the MINI COOPER; at their pass rates that is roughly £722–£1,952 versus £371–£899 per 100 tests.
- First-time pass: 80.0% vs 88.5%.
- All MOTs: 83.2% vs 89.6%.
- Like-for-like: +0.1 vs +3.7 points.
- Typical repair bill: £43–£116 vs £36–£86.
- At 90,000–120,000 miles: 76.2% vs 80.5%.
| Measure | A1 | COOPER |
|---|---|---|
| MOT tests on record | 757,350 | 1,001,844 |
| Pass rate, all MOTs | 83.2% | 89.6% stronger figure |
| First-time pass rate | 80.0% | 88.5% stronger figure |
| Against the UK average | +2.2 pts | +8.6 pts stronger figure |
| Like-for-like, age and mileage adjusted | +0.1 pts | +3.7 pts stronger figure |
| Average mileage at test | 55,550 mi | 65,766 mi |
| Model years on record | 2010–2023 (14) | 2001–2023 (23) |
| Best model year | 2023 · 95.3% | 2023 · 96.9% |
| Worst model year | 2010 · 76.0% | 2001 · 68.1% |
| Typical repair bill | £43–£116 | £36–£86 stronger figure |
| Expected repair spend per 100 tests | £722–£1,952 | £371–£899 stronger figure |
| Main fuel | Petrol 76% | Petrol 82% |
| Variants recorded | 3 | 6 |
A ✓ marks the stronger figure in each row. It is a comparison between the two cars, not a judgement against the national average.
What goes wrong most often
The most common priced failures on each model, as a share of all its tests. Repair costs are estimates from UK parts data, not quotes.
Year by year
The newest 8 years with published results. A model's headline rate hides a wide spread between its best and worst years.
| Model year | A1 | COOPER |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 82.9% · 90,384 tests | 89.3% · 116,926 tests |
| 2017 | 84.4% · 79,524 tests | 89.7% · 121,138 tests |
| 2018 | 86.7% · 66,823 tests | 90.9% · 127,958 tests |
| 2019 | 89.9% · 64,369 tests | 92.0% · 144,720 tests |
| 2020 | 91.4% · 34,769 tests | 92.3% · 104,437 tests |
| 2021 | 92.2% · 22,990 tests | 92.1% · 71,472 tests |
| 2022 | 93.0% · 12,185 tests | 92.9% · 35,187 tests |
| 2023 | 95.3% · 745 tests | 96.9% · 1,561 tests |
Does the pass rate hold at higher mileage?
Pass rate by the mileage recorded at test, pooled across every published year. A car that stays strong past 90,000 miles is doing something right.
| Mileage | A1 | COOPER |
|---|---|---|
| 0–30,000 mi | 92.0% · 131,216 tests | 93.0% · 356,871 tests |
| 30,000–60,000 mi | 85.4% · 274,791 tests | 89.8% · 405,226 tests |
| 60,000–90,000 mi | 79.9% · 208,198 tests | 85.7% · 174,821 tests |
| 90,000–120,000 mi | 76.2% · 102,706 tests | 80.5% · 50,942 tests |
| 120k+ | 74.6% · 40,184 tests | 76.9% · 13,745 tests |
What to check before you buy
Audi A1
- Tyre has a bulge — 1.9% of tests, £45–£95 to put right.
- The weakest year on record is 2010 at 76.0%; check that generation's MOT history closely.
MINI COOPER
- Tyre has a bulge — 1.8% of tests, £45–£95 to put right.
- The weakest year on record is 2001 at 68.1%; check that generation's MOT history closely.
Both columns cover every published year for the model. Pass rates are test-weighted, so a model with more recent tests is not dragged down by its oldest ones. Repair figures are estimates from UK parts data; a garage quote is the only number that matters for a specific car. The same car can be tested in more than one year, so these are test outcomes, not a count of individual vehicles.
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