Pass rate
71.4%
Below average — 1.2 pts behind the 72.6% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 1,355 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £34–£103
2003 MINI COOPER MOT pass rate
- 2003
- typical 103,544 mi
Most common fault
Brakes
23.8% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2023 96.9% pass
- Avoid 2001 68.1% pass
Across the 23 years on record, a spread of 28.8 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 62.8%
- Typical mileage
- 104k mi
The 2003 MINI COOPER MOT pass rate is 71.4% of its MOT tests — 1.2 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 23.8% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how MINI COOPER does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Fewer problems with tyres
Tyres are 8.8% of this car’s recorded faults, against 19.8% nationally — the mirror image of the usual story on a car of this age.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a MINI COOPER? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2003 MINI COOPER compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.6%, so this figure is 1.2 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 62.8%. The median 2003 MINI COOPER in this dataset had covered 103,544 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 72.0% of the time, April–September 70.7%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 11.37% of tests.
- 1,355 recorded tests behind this page.
- 71.4% overall pass rate, 62.8% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the MINI COOPER, the average is 89.6% — best year 2023 (96.9%), worst 2001 (68.1%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 1,355
- Typical mileage (median)
- 103,544 mi
- Make and model
- MINI COOPER
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Number Plate Lamp
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the COOPER MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 59% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the COOPER
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 305 | 74.4% |
| South West | 265 | 65.3% |
| East of England | 194 | 71.1% |
| East Midlands | 114 | 70.2% |
| North West | 101 | 78.2% |
| West Midlands | 100 | 67.0% |
| Yorkshire | 86 | 68.6% |
| London | 67 | 77.6% |
| Scotland | 61 | 70.5% |
| Wales | 37 | 75.7% |
| North East | 25 | 84.0% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2003 COOPER
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2003 COOPER
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the lights 11.4% of tests
“registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”
Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.
-
Check the windscreen 5.8% of tests
“windscreen damaged”
Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.
-
Check the suspension joints 3.3% of tests
“pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn”
With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2003 COOPER through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £34–£103 — and 41% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £34–£103
- Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
- £5–£20
- Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot severely…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 40%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 41%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 1,355 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the COOPER, side by side
23 model years on record, from 2001 to 2023. Across them the pass rate runs from 68.1% to 96.9% — a spread of 28.8 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2001 68.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2002 68.8% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2003 71.4%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2004 70.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2005 70.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2006 72.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2007 73.3% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2008 73.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2009 76.0% position lamp not working
- 2010 80.0% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2011 82.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2012 84.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2013 84.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2014 86.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2015 88.3% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2016 89.3% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2017 89.7% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2018 90.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 92.0% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2020 92.3% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2021 92.1% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2022 92.9% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2023 96.9% windscreen damaged but not…
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2003 MINI COOPER with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2003 cars with a similar record
- Jaguar X-Type 71.4%
- Volvo V70 71.5%
- Audi A2 71.3%
- Nissan Micra 71.6%
- Suzuki Wagon-R+ 71.6%
- Renault Megane 71.6%
Closest pass rates among 2003 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2003 MINI COOPER 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 4,936 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 1,193 | 23.80% | 20.89% | +2.91 |
| Suspension | 963 | 19.20% | 20.98% | −1.78 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 767 | 15.30% | 12.21% | +3.09 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 520 | 10.40% | 5.52% | +4.88 |
| Tyres | 440 | 8.80% | 19.76% | −10.96 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 380 | 7.60% | 5.57% | +2.03 |
| Steering | 257 | 5.10% | 2.57% | +2.53 |
| Visibility | 196 | 3.90% | 4.97% | −1.07 |
| Non-component advisories | 123 | 2.50% | 4.18% | −1.68 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 97 | 1.90% | 1.76% | +0.14 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 11.4% | £5–20 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 5.8% | £80–200 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 5.3% | £5–25 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 4.8% | £30–80 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 4.2% | £80–250 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 4.0% | £80–250 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 3.3% | £40–150 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 3.0% | £18–45 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.0% | £5–25 |
| Headlamp aim too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.9% | £30–80 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 29.9% | £80–180 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 28.9% | £200–700 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 16.5% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 15.3% | £45–110 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 13.0% | £40–150 |
| Sub-frame corroded and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 10.0% | £180–450 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 31 | 90.3% | 23,939 mi |
| 30-60k | 147 | 78.2% | 48,029 mi |
| 60-90k | 300 | 74.0% | 76,266 mi |
| 90-120k | 443 | 69.5% | 105,493 mi |
| 120k+ | 433 | 67.9% | 142,222 mi |
Source: 1,355 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2003 COOPER MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2003 MINI COOPER?
71.4% of the 1,355 2003 MINI COOPER tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.6% for cars first used in 2003. First-attempt pass rate: 62.8%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2003 MINI COOPER?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (11.37%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (5.83%), headlamp lens slightly defective (5.31%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2003 MINI COOPER MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 90.3% of the time, falling to 67.9% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2003 MINI COOPER in this dataset had covered 103,544 mi.
Does the season affect the 2003 MINI COOPER MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 72.0% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 70.7%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.