2012 MINI MINI: MOT pass rate and reliability

80% of 2012 MINI MINIs pass the MOT first time, measured across 22,149 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 77,972 miles.

How the 2012 compares

  • Against all MINI MINIs (69.2%, 258,500 tests): +10.8 points
  • Against all 2012 cars (70.8%): +9.2 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 2012 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 2012 MINI

The 2012 is one of the stronger years for this model, passing 10.8 points more often than the MINI MINI average. That is a point in its favour, though condition and service history still matter more than the model year. 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 MINI the average at test was 77,972 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 2012 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All MINI MINI MOT data · Every model