72.8%
Austin Mini
Austin Mini MOT pass rate and common problems
The Austin Mini passed 72.8% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 0.5 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was non catalyst emissions emissions carbon monoxide content excessive.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the Mini compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
76.4%
Austin average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The Mini runs 3.6 points behind the Austin average. The average Mini arrived at its test 39.6 years old with 49,179 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
Mini MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years (small sample) | 2 | 100% | 27.7 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years (small sample) | 4 | 75% | 2.7 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 2,779 | 72.8% | 0.5 pts above |
Too few tests fall into some age groups to compare them reliably. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where Mini failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Austin Mini cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes together account for 47.2% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common Mini MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Austin Mini cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 31.6% of everything testers recorded against failed Austin Mini cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a Mini
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working, rear fog lamp not working, headlamp aim too high and headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect. 11.8% of failure items.
2
Noise, emissions and leaks
Recorded most often: non catalyst emissions emissions carbon monoxide content excessive and non catalyst emissions emissions hydrocarbon content excessive. 8.5% of failure items.
3
Brakes
Recorded most often: service brake imbalance across an axle. 3.6% of failure items.
4
Suspension
Recorded most often: ball joint excessively worn. 2.9% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific Mini has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Austin Mini buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Austin Mini MOT FAQs
What is the Austin Mini MOT pass rate?
72.8% of Austin Mini cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 2,785 tests. That is 0.5 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 294th of 575 models.
What does an Austin Mini most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Austin Mini cars failing their 2025 MOT was non catalyst emissions emissions carbon monoxide content excessive, on 6.4% of failure items. Next were position lamp not working (4.3%) and service brake imbalance across an axle (3.6%).
Which area causes the most Austin Mini MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 31.8%, followed by brakes at 15.4%.
Does this mean every Austin Mini has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Austin Mini that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific Austin Mini's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.