MINI COOPER MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

MINI COOPER MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The MINI COOPER passed on its first attempt in 88.5%, and its overall record sits +8.6 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the MINI COOPER in the 2023–2025 data: 1,001,844 tests across 23 model years (2001–2023). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common MINI COOPER MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the MINI COOPER, the Visibility section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the MINI COOPER's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded MINI COOPER DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the MINI COOPER, each with how many of the model's 1,001,844 tests it was noted on.

• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 29,680 MINI COOPER tests, 3.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (Major) — noted on about 23,759 MINI COOPER tests, 2.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (Major) — noted on about 16,752 MINI COOPER tests, 1.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers blade defective" (Minor) — noted on about 14,145 MINI COOPER tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (Major) — noted on about 6,941 MINI COOPER tests, 0.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 6,138 MINI COOPER tests, 0.6% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst MINI COOPER Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest MINI COOPER model year on record is 2023 (96.9% across 1,561 tests), and the weakest is 2001 (68.1%). The gap between them is 28.8 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

MINI COOPER reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 0.9 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for MINI COOPER Owners

These checks follow this MINI COOPER's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a MINI COOPER.

• the windscreen — “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.

• the wipers and washers — “wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively”

  Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.

• the tyre tread — “tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm”

  Check all four tyres cold, including the inner shoulder where wear hides — 1.6mm across the central three-quarters is the legal limit, and most testers fail at 1.6mm without argument.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the MINI COOPER. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: MINI COOPER MOT & Reliability