2012 MINI First: MOT pass rate and reliability
78.9% of 2012 MINI Firsts pass the MOT first time, measured across 432 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 74,553 miles.
How the 2012 compares
- Against all MINI Firsts (78.7%, 1,592 tests): +0.2 points
- Against all 2012 cars (70.8%): +8.1 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every MINI First model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2012 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the MINI First:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 78.9% | 432 | 74,553 |
| 2013 | 80.7% | 828 | 68,258 |
What this means if you are buying a 2012 First
The 2012 sits close to the MINI First average, so there is no strong model-year signal either way. Judge the individual car on its own history. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.
What a 14-year-old car fails on
A 2012 car is 14 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:
- Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
- Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
- Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
- Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
- Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
- Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested
That is a shade above the middle of the range, still ordinary wear rather than a red flag, but worth checking against the service book for the car's age. On a 2012 MINI First the average at test was 74,553 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.
The strongest year for this model is 2013 at 80.7%, and the weakest in our data is 2012 at 78.9%. That 1.8 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2012 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2013 MINI First - 80.7%