Pass rate
73.1%
Below average — 0.9 pts behind the 74.0% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 52 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £51–£162
2009 MINI Mini John COOPER MOT pass rate
- 2009
- typical 87,862 mi
Only 52 tests of this exact model and year are in the DVSA data, below the 100 we ask for before a page goes in the index. The figures are still shown, because they are the only ones there are.
Most common fault
Suspension
21.2% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Which year to buy
- Best 2008 75.8% pass
- Avoid 2009 73.1% pass · this year
Across the 2 years on record, a spread of 2.7 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 66.7%
- Typical mileage
- 88k mi
The 2009 MINI Mini John COOPER MOT pass rate is 73.1% of its MOT tests — about what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 21.2% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how MINI Mini John COOPER does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Emissions & leaks: 3.2× the national share
Emissions & leaks make up 17.9% of everything recorded on the 2009 MINI Mini John Cooper, against 5.5% nationally — 12.4 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 21.2%, but at 21.0% nationally that one is ordinary. A smoky diesel or a leaking joint fails on emissions more often than on wear, so ask for a recent emissions printout.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 22% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
- Based on a small sample. 52 tests back this page. That is enough to publish and to index, not enough to treat the decimal places as precise — read the pattern, not the second digit.
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 Mini John COOPER? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2009 MINI Mini John COOPER compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 74.0%, so this figure is 0.9 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 66.7%. The median 2009 MINI Mini John COOPER in this dataset had covered 87,862 mi.
The single most recorded failure item is "Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits", noted on 5.77% of tests.
- 52 recorded tests behind this page.
- 73.1% overall pass rate, 66.7% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the MINI Mini John COOPER, the average is 74.6% — best year 2008 (75.8%), worst 2009 (73.1%).
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
- 52
- Typical mileage (median)
- 87,862 mi
- Make and model
- MINI Mini John COOPER
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Emissions Repair
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the Mini John COOPER MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 54% so small gaps stay visible.
What fails a 2009 Mini John 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 2009 Mini John 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 exhaust and emissions 5.8% of tests
“catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits”
Listen for a blow at idle and have someone rev it gently. Then look at the tailpipe smoke: blue is oil, white when warm is coolant, black is over-fuelling. Any of those and the emissions test is the least of it.
-
Check the lights 5.8% of tests
“position lamp not working”
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 steering 5.8% of tests
“steering rack gaiter damaged or deteriorated,”
With the wheels straight, rock the steering wheel gently with the engine off — more than about an inch of free play before the wheels move is worth investigating. Split rack gaiters are cheap to replace and commonly recorded.
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 2009 Mini John COOPER through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £51–£162 — and 22% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £51–£162
- Cheapest common item: side repeaters lens defective
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: steering rack gaiter damaged or deteriorated,
- £120–£300
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 40%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 22%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 52 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 Mini John COOPER, side by side
2 model years on record, from 2008 to 2009. Across them the pass rate runs from 73.1% to 75.8% — a spread of 2.7 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2008 75.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2009 73.1%catalyst emissions carbon…
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 2009 MINI Mini John 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 2009 cars with a similar record
- Citroen C1 73.1%
- London Taxis Int TX4 73.1%
- Mitsubishi Colt 73.0%
- Fiat Punto 73.0%
- Mitsubishi Shogun 73.0%
- Vauxhall Corsa 73.2%
Closest pass rates among 2009 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 2009 MINI Mini John 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 150 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 32 | 21.20% | 20.98% | +0.22 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 27 | 17.90% | 5.52% | +12.38 |
| Brakes | 23 | 15.20% | 20.89% | −5.69 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 22 | 14.60% | 12.21% | +2.39 |
| Tyres | 17 | 11.30% | 19.76% | −8.46 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 14 | 9.30% | 5.57% | +3.73 |
| Steering | 5 | 3.30% | 2.57% | +0.73 |
| Non-component advisories | 4 | 2.60% | 4.18% | −1.58 |
| Road Wheels | 4 | 2.60% | 0.75% | +1.85 |
| Visibility | 2 | 1.30% | 4.97% | −3.67 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 5.8% | £60–250 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 5.8% | £5–25 |
| Steering rack gaiter damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt Steering | Minor | 5.8% | £120–300 |
| Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 3.9% | £60–250 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 3.9% | £45–120 |
| Flexible brake hoses slightly chafed Brakes | Minor | 3.9% | £25–70 |
| Fuel cap/sealing device ineffective Body, chassis, structure | Major | 3.9% | £80–250 |
| Joints constant velocity boot no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 3.9% | £80–250 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 3.9% | £18–45 |
| Side repeaters lens defective which has no effect on emitted light Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 3.9% | £3–15 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 36.5% | £200–700 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 19.2% | £40–150 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 17.3% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 13.5% | £45–110 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 11.5% | £18–45 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 9.6% | £25–65 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-60k | 3 | 100.0% | 50,708 mi |
| 60-90k | 29 | 75.9% | 81,919 mi |
| 90-120k | 16 | 62.5% | 96,160 mi |
| 120k+ | 4 | 75.0% | 141,426 mi |
Source: 52 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.
2009 Mini John COOPER MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2009 MINI Mini John COOPER?
73.1% of the 52 2009 MINI Mini John COOPER tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 74.0% for cars first used in 2009. First-attempt pass rate: 66.7%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2009 MINI Mini John COOPER?
The three most recorded items are catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits (5.77%), position lamp not working (5.77%), steering rack gaiter damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (5.77%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2009 MINI Mini John COOPER MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 75.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2009 MINI Mini John COOPER in this dataset had covered 87,862 mi.