86.7%
MINI John Cooper Works
MINI John Cooper Works MOT pass rate and common problems
The MINI John Cooper Works passed 86.7% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 14.4 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was condition has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the John Cooper Works compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
77.4%
MINI average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The John Cooper Works runs 9.3 points ahead of the MINI average. It is 1st of the 6 MINI models in the data. The average John Cooper Works arrived at its test 6.7 years old with 40,805 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.
John Cooper Works MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
MINI John Cooper Works cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 89.3% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 76.9%, a drop of 12.4 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 8,468 | 89.3% | 17 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 10,423 | 84.9% | 12.6 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 1,598 | 76.9% | 4.6 pts above |
That is a steep decline with age, so the headline rate flatters older examples. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where John Cooper Works failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on MINI John Cooper Works cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Tyres and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment together account for 58.7% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common John Cooper Works MOT failures
Specific items recorded on MINI John Cooper Works cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 60.4% of everything testers recorded against failed MINI John Cooper Works cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a John Cooper Works
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Tyres
Recorded most often: condition has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure, condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, condition has ply or cords exposed, condition has a lump, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure and condition has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure. 41.6% of failure items.
2
Visibility
Recorded most often: wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively. 8.6% of failure items.
3
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: headlamp aim too high and position lamp not working. 6.6% of failure items.
4
Brakes
Recorded most often: brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick. 3.5% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific John Cooper Works has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used MINI John Cooper Works buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
MINI John Cooper Works MOT FAQs
What is the MINI John Cooper Works MOT pass rate?
86.7% of MINI John Cooper Works cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 22,557 tests. That is 14.4 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 94th of 575 models.
What does a MINI John Cooper Works most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on MINI John Cooper Works cars failing their 2025 MOT was condition has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure, on 14.7% of failure items. Next were 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%).
Which area causes the most MINI John Cooper Works MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was tyres at 43.6%, followed by lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 15.1%.
Do older MINI John Cooper Works cars fail their MOT more often?
MINI John Cooper Works cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 89.3% of MOT tests in 2025, against 76.9% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every MINI John Cooper Works has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every MINI John Cooper Works 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 MINI John Cooper Works'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.