Austin MINI 1000 City E: MOT pass rate and reliability data
The Austin MINI 1000 City E fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 2.2 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 690 individual Austin MINI 1000 City E tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.
The numbers
| First-time pass rate | 74.5% |
| UK national average | 76.7% |
| Difference | -2.2 points |
| Tests analysed | 690 |
| Average mileage at test | 50,780 miles |
| Average year of manufacture | 1987 |
| Reliability rank | 1,635 of 2,005 models |
What this means if you are buying one
A 74.5% first-time pass rate means roughly 26 in every 100 Austin MINI 1000 City Es presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Austin MINI 1000 City E tested had covered 50,780 miles and was built around 1987.
What this means at salvage auction
Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Austin MINI 1000 City E bought as a repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.
Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.
Looking at a specific Austin MINI 1000 City E rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see what damaged Austin MINI 1000 City Es actually sold for at UK salvage auction.
Most common MOT failures on a Austin MINI 1000 City E
- Emissions levels exceed default limits, 7.7% of tests (26.46x the national rate for this defect)
- A wheel bearing with excessive play, 2% of tests (14.93x the national rate for this defect)
- Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2% of tests (11.83x the national rate for this defect)
- An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3% of tests (8.99x the national rate for this defect)
- Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 3.8% of tests (6.84x the national rate for this defect)
- Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle., 2.7% of tests (6.77x the national rate for this defect)
- Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 2% of tests (5.51x the national rate for this defect)
- A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 4.1% of tests (4.6x the national rate for this defect)
- The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 3.2% of tests (3.79x the national rate for this defect)
- A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 3.5% of tests (3.12x the national rate for this defect)
From 1,746 DVSA-tracked Austin MINI 1000 City E tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.03% of these flagged Austin MINI 1000 City E defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.
Other Austin models
- Austin MINI Mayfair - 74.9%
Models with a similar pass rate
- Vauxhall Adam - 74.6%
- DS Ds3 - 74.6%
- Nissan Patrol - 74.6%
- Fiat Ducato Motorhome - 74.5%
- Ford Focus - 74.4%
- Kia Rio - 74.3%
If this car is a salvage or write-off
- What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
- What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
- Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences
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