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MINI John Cooper Works, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

24,134 MINI John Cooper Works are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 86.7% of initial MOT tests, 14.4 points above the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific John Cooper Works? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

MINI John Cooper Works at the MOT

86.7% of 22,557 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the John Cooper Works 94th of 575 models. MINI John Cooper Works aged 3 to 5 years passed 89.3% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 76.9%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • MINI John Cooper Works86.7%
  • All MINI modelsThe John Cooper Works is 9.3 pts ahead77.4%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

MINI John Cooper Works tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years8,468 tests89.3%
  • 6 to 10 years10,423 tests84.9%
  • 11 years and over1,598 tests76.9%

Where John Cooper Works fail

Share of all failure items recorded on MINI John Cooper Works tests in 2025.

  • Tyres43.6%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment15.1%
  • Visibility11.9%
  • Brakes9.6%
  • Suspension7%

The items testers recorded most often were condition has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure (14.7%), condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (10.1%) and wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (8.6%).

The MOT page lists every common John Cooper Works MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full MINI John Cooper Works MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The John Cooper Works's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Tyres

    Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear.43.6% of John Cooper Works failure items

  2. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

    Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.15.1% of John Cooper Works failure items

  3. Visibility

    Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly.11.9% of John Cooper Works failure items

MINI John Cooper Works in the UK

24,134 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 367% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
+367%from 5,164 licensed
First registered in 2025
2,398
Declared off the road
1,3825.4% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed MINI John Cooper Works since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 20145,164
End of 20156,740
End of 20168,725
End of 201710,668
End of 201812,441
End of 201914,002
End of 202015,782
End of 202116,623
End of 202218,300
End of 202319,726
End of 202420,723
End of 202523,007
End of June 202624,134

John Cooper Works engines and fuel

2.0 litre engines made up 91% of MINI John Cooper Works MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.6 litre at 9.4%. Petrol accounts for 97% of licensed John Cooper Works and battery electric for 2.7%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 22,557 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.0 litre90.5%
  • 1.6 litre9.4%

Fuel type, licensed John Cooper Works

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol23,48997%
Battery electric6453%

MINI John Cooper Works recalls

2 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the MINI John Cooper Works. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every John Cooper Works is affected.

  1. Jan 2012 R/2012/003

    Fire may occur

    John Cooper Works built Mar 2006 to Jan 2011 · 30,149 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Some engines are fitted with an additional water pump for the turbo charger. In single cases an overheating of the circuit board can occur. A short-circuit to earth may cause the melting of the plug connections and the housing. Further heat development may then lead to scorch damage. In exceptional cases such overheating can lead to smouldering of the water pump. If smouldering occurs an engine compartment fire and vehicle fire cannot be excluded.
    Remedy
    The water pump will be replaced for a new more robust version.

  2. Aug 2008 R/2008/122

    Brake performance could be affected

    John Cooper Works built May 2008 to Aug 2008 · 260 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It is possible that the vehicle has been fitted with 16 inch front brake discs instead of the required 17 inch brake discs. If this is the case extreme braking could result in the over heating of the brake system and introduce vapour (air) bubbles into the brake fluid. This could affect the braking performance.
    Remedy
    Recall all potentially affected vehicles and check the size of the brakes discs on the front axle. If 16 inch brake discs are found replace these with the correct 17 inch brakes discs and brake pads.
How to check a specific John Cooper Works for recalls

Other MINI models

The most-tested MINI models in 2025, against the John Cooper Works's 86.7% MOT pass rate.

All 6 MINI models

MINI John Cooper Works FAQs

How many MINI John Cooper Works are there in the UK?

24,134 MINI John Cooper Works were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 1,382 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the MINI John Cooper Works reliable?

MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is an 86.7% first-time pass rate for the MINI John Cooper Works across 22,557 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the MINI John Cooper Works had any recalls?

2 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the MINI John Cooper Works. The most recent was published in January 2012. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.

What should I check before buying a used MINI John Cooper Works?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: tyres, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and visibility. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check a MINI John Cooper Works's history?

Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.

Already found a John Cooper Works?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the MINI history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the MINI VIN check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to October 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.