78.2%
MINI Roadster pass rate
Used MINI Roadster buying guide
In 2025, MINI Roadster cars passed 78.2% of 3,037 initial MOT tests, 5.9 points above the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific Roadster? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
MINI Roadster MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
+5.9
percentage points above average
Ranked on pass rate the Roadster sits 225th of 575 models in the data. MINI as a brand averaged 77.4%, so this model runs 0.8 points ahead of its own brand. MINI Roadster cars aged 6 to 10 years passed 79.7% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 76.3%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full MINI Roadster MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the Roadster compares with similar cars.
Roadster fuel types
Petrol was the most common fuel among MINI Roadster cars tested in 2025. Diesel still made up 16.7% of tests.
Where the Roadster fails its MOT
Where MINI Roadster cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.
The specific items testers recorded most often were position lamp not working (7.9%), stop lamp not working (7.3%) and shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak (5.7%). See every common Roadster MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every MINI Roadster that failed, not a claim that every Roadster has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used Roadster?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at in each.
1
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. 35.5% of Roadster failure items.
2
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. 17.9% of Roadster 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. 12.3% of Roadster failure items.
4
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 12.2% of Roadster failure items.
5
Brakes
Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing. 11.3% of Roadster failure items.
None of this replaces the car's own record. Run a free MOT history check on the registration to see every test, advisory and recorded mileage for that car.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing MINI Roadster failures cluster around lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and tyres tells you what to inspect. It tells you nothing about whether the car is safe to buy. An MOT does not show money still owed on the car, a write-off, a theft record or a clocked odometer.
Check the exact Roadster you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the MINI history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used MINI models
The most-tested MINI models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the Roadster.
Used MINI Roadster FAQs
Is the MINI Roadster 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 a 78.2% first-time pass rate for the MINI Roadster across 3,037 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older MINI Roadster cars fail their MOT more often?
MINI Roadster cars aged 6 to 10 years passed 79.7% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 76.3%. On an older example, the car's own MOT history tells you more than the model average.
What should I check before buying a used MINI Roadster?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, tyres and visibility. Then check the individual car's history: outstanding finance, insurance write-off records, stolen markers, mileage and previous keepers. None of these appear in the MOT record or on the V5C.
How do I check a MINI Roadster'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.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.