Austin MINI Mayfair: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Austin MINI Mayfair fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 1.8 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 825 individual Austin MINI Mayfair tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 74.9% first-time pass rate means roughly 25 in every 100 Austin MINI Mayfairs 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 Mayfair tested had covered 51,223 miles and was built around 1986.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Austin MINI Mayfair sits 1.8 points below the national average, ranked 1,622 of 2,005 models. On one bought as 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 Mayfair 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 recorded closing bids for damaged Austin MINI Mayfairs at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Austin MINI Mayfair

1. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 9.8% of tests (27.75x the national rate for this defect)
2. Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 1.9% of tests (9.09x the national rate for this defect)
3. 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, 3.2% of tests (7.17x the national rate for this defect)
4. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 2.8% of tests (6.74x the national rate for this defect)
5. 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., 3.3% of tests (6.27x the national rate for this defect)
6. 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, 4.6% of tests (4.88x the national rate for this defect)
7. Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 3.2% of tests (4.24x the national rate for this defect)
8. A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.2% of tests (3.33x the national rate for this defect)
9. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 4.2% of tests (2.52x the national rate for this defect)
10. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 2.9% of tests (2.37x the national rate for this defect)

From 825 DVSA-tracked Austin MINI Mayfair tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.6% of these flagged Austin MINI Mayfair defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Austin MINI Mayfair

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Austin MINI Mayfair before it actually fails on it.

1. A wheel bearing with excessive play, 10.8% of tests (16.62x the national rate for this advisory)
2. A wheel bearing excessively rough, 2.1% of tests (5.53x the national rate for this advisory)
3. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 5.3% of tests (4.29x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. 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, 6.3% of tests (4.15x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 14.8% of tests (2.66x the national rate for this advisory)
6. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 5.6% of tests (1.96x the national rate for this advisory)
7. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 1.8% of tests (1.36x the national rate for this advisory)
8. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2.7% of tests (1.33x the national rate for this advisory)
9. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 16.4% of tests (1.22x the national rate for this advisory)
10. A tyre seriously damaged, 7.4% of tests

From 825 DVSA-tracked Austin MINI Mayfair tests, 2024.

Other Austin models

• Austin MINI 1000 City E - 74.5%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Dacia Sandero - 75%
• Mercedes-Benz Slk - 75%
• Suzuki Sx4 - 75%
• Mercedes-Benz 220 - 74.9%
• Ford C-Max - 74.8%
• BMW 630 - 74.8%

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
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

Embed this data

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate