MINI Roadster, Buying guide, MOT record and UK numbers
5,537 MINI Roadsters are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 78.2% of initial MOT tests, 5.9 points above the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific Roadster? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
MINI Roadster at the MOT
78.2% of 3,037 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Roadster 225th of 575 models. MINI Roadsters 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%.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Pass rate by age at test
MINI Roadster tests in 2025.
Where Roadsters fail
Share of all failure items recorded on MINI Roadster tests in 2025.
The 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%).
The MOT page lists every common Roadster MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The Roadster's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
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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
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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
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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
MINI Roadsters in the UK
5,537 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 12% since the end of 2014, although it peaked at 5,918 at the end of 2015.
- Change since 2014
- +12%from 4,955 licensed
- Typical year of first use
- 2013half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2013 or earlier
- First registered in 2025
- 1against 1,104 in 2015
- Declared off the road
- 2233.9% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed MINI Roadsters since 2014
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2014 | 4,955 |
| End of 2015 | 5,918 |
| End of 2016 | 5,824 |
| End of 2017 | 5,762 |
| End of 2018 | 5,817 |
| End of 2019 | 5,893 |
| End of 2020 | 5,880 |
| End of 2021 | 5,781 |
| End of 2022 | 5,770 |
| End of 2023 | 5,708 |
| End of 2024 | 5,574 |
| End of 2025 | 5,509 |
| End of June 2026 | 5,537 |
How old they are
Licensed MINI Roadsters by year of first use.
- Licensed at the end of 2025
- First registered that year
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 | First registered that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 908 | 1,104 |
| 2014 | 1,035 | |
| 2013 | 1,956 | |
| 2012 | 1,164 |
908 Roadsters first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 82% of the 1,104 first registered that year.
Roadster engines and fuel
1.6 litre engines made up 87% of MINI Roadster MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.0 litre at 13%. Petrol accounts for 87% of licensed Roadsters and diesel for 13%.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 3,037 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Fuel type, licensed Roadsters
DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.
| Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 4,798 | 87% |
| Diesel | 739 | 13% |
Other MINI models
The most-tested MINI models in 2025, against the Roadster's 78.2% MOT pass rate.
MINI Roadster FAQs
How many MINI Roadsters are there in the UK?
5,537 MINI Roadsters were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 223 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
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.
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 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 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.
Already found a Roadster?
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). 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.