MINI Cooper S: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The MINI Cooper S passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 11.4 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 86,798 individual MINI Cooper S tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 88.1% first-time pass rate means roughly 12 in every 100 MINI Cooper S presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is better than average, so a well-kept example is a reasonably safe used buy. The average MINI Cooper S tested had covered 41,185 miles and was built around 2017.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a MINI Cooper S bought as a repairable salvage, the mechanical side is less likely to spring surprises, so your repair estimate should hold up reasonably well.

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 MINI Cooper S 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 MINI Cooper S actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a MINI Cooper S

1. A tyre has a lump, bulge or tear caused by separation or partial failure of its structure. This includes any lifting of the tread rubber, 0.3% of tests (2.2x the national rate for this defect)
2. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.8% of tests (1.4x the national rate for this defect)
3. Brake lining or pad worn down to wear indicator, 0.2% of tests (1.26x the national rate for this defect)
4. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 1.1% of tests
5. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 1% of tests
6. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 0.8% of tests
7. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 0.5% of tests
8. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 0.5% of tests
9. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 0.4% of tests
10. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 0.3% of tests

From 159,577 DVSA-tracked MINI Cooper S tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 6.48% of these flagged MINI Cooper S defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

MINI Cooper S pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each MINI Cooper S year:

• 2005 MINI Cooper S - 64.9% first-time pass, 225 tests
• 2006 MINI Cooper S - 64% first-time pass, 222 tests
• 2007 MINI Cooper S - 73.1% first-time pass, 346 tests
• 2008 MINI Cooper S - 67.6% first-time pass, 281 tests
• 2009 MINI Cooper S - 73.3% first-time pass, 281 tests
• 2010 MINI Cooper S - 77.6% first-time pass, 299 tests
• 2011 MINI Cooper S - 80.4% first-time pass, 392 tests
• 2012 MINI Cooper S - 81% first-time pass, 1,176 tests
• 2013 MINI Cooper S - 81.7% first-time pass, 2,430 tests
• 2014 MINI Cooper S - 84.9% first-time pass, 5,493 tests
• 2015 MINI Cooper S - 85.8% first-time pass, 7,748 tests
• 2016 MINI Cooper S - 87.8% first-time pass, 9,270 tests
• 2017 MINI Cooper S - 88.7% first-time pass, 9,627 tests
• 2018 MINI Cooper S - 90% first-time pass, 9,785 tests
• 2019 MINI Cooper S - 90.5% first-time pass, 16,488 tests
• 2020 MINI Cooper S - 91.3% first-time pass, 10,695 tests
• 2021 MINI Cooper S - 90.9% first-time pass, 10,684 tests
• 2022 MINI Cooper S - 95.1% first-time pass, 597 tests

MINI Cooper S by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

• Petrol MINI Cooper S - 88.7% first-time pass, 71,152 tests
• Diesel MINI Cooper S - 85.7% first-time pass, 7,872 tests
• Hybrid MINI Cooper S - 89.3% first-time pass, 7,401 tests

Other MINI models

• MINI MINI - 68.5%
• MINI Cooper - 87.9%
• MINI Countryman - 89.1%
• MINI One - 84.8%
• MINI Clubman - 85.1%
• MINI John Cooper Works - 87.8%
• MINI MINI (R60) - 79%
• MINI Paceman - 86.4%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Peugeot 5008 GT Puretech S/S Auto - 88.2%
• Toyota Hilux Invincible X D-4d4wd Dcb - 88.2%
• Kia Sorento 3 Hev Awd Auto - 88.2%
• Land Rover Discovery Hse Sd6 Auto - 88.1%
• Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line Tech Tdi 4m Sa - 88.1%
• Kia Proceed GT-Line Isg - 88.1%

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

Embed this data

Run a site about the MINI Cooper S? Embed the real DVSA pass-rate badge free, linked back to this page.

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/mini-cooper-s"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/mini-cooper-s.svg" width="340" height="92" alt="MINI Cooper S MOT Pass Rate: 88.1% - Salvage Prophet"></a>

All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate