2003 MINI MINI: MOT pass rate and reliability

61.6% of 2003 MINI MINIs pass the MOT first time, measured across 12,406 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 106,333 miles.

How the 2003 compares

  • Against all MINI MINIs (69.2%, 258,500 tests): -7.6 points
  • Against all 2003 cars (64.7%): -3.1 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every MINI MINI model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2003 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the MINI MINI:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
2001 60.5% 1,935 108,384
2002 60.1% 8,002 106,329
2003 61.6% 12,406 106,333
2004 61.2% 17,335 102,850
2005 61.7% 21,566 99,230
2006 62.4% 20,411 95,568
2007 64.4% 24,897 92,755
2008 65.6% 25,479 94,646
2009 68.7% 28,301 88,740
2010 74.7% 30,341 85,498
2011 76.5% 25,851 82,399
2012 80% 22,149 77,972
2013 82.3% 19,173 75,929
2014 83.8% 525 69,141

What this means if you are buying a 2003 MINI

The 2003 is a weaker year for this model, passing 7.6 points less often than the MINI MINI average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2003 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. 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 23-year-old car fails on

A 2003 car is 23 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 above average and into the range where cambelts and water pumps are due if they have not already been done, so ask for the service history rather than take the mileage on trust. On a 2003 MINI MINI the average at test was 106,333 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 2014 at 83.8%, and the weakest in our data is 2002 at 60.1%. That 23.7 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2003 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All MINI MINI MOT data · Every model