78.2%
MINI Roadster
MINI Roadster MOT pass rate and common problems
The MINI Roadster passed 78.2% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 5.9 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was position lamp not working.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the Roadster 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 Roadster runs 0.8 points ahead of the MINI average. It is 5th of the 6 MINI models in the data. The average Roadster arrived at its test 11 years old with 58,179 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.
Roadster MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
MINI Roadster cars aged 6 to 10 years passed 79.7% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 76.3%, a drop of 3.3 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 to 10 years | 1,711 | 79.7% | 7.4 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 1,326 | 76.3% | 4 pts above |
That is a smaller decline than most cars show. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where Roadster failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on MINI Roadster cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and tyres together account for 53.4% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common Roadster MOT failures
Specific items recorded on MINI Roadster cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 49.1% of everything testers recorded against failed MINI Roadster cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a Roadster
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working, stop lamp not working, headlamp aim too low and headlamp aim too high. 22.9% of failure items.
2
Tyres
Recorded most often: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords and condition has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure. 11.3% of failure items.
3
Visibility
Recorded most often: wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively and washers provides insufficient washer liquid. 9.3% of failure items.
4
Suspension
Recorded most often: shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak. 5.7% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific Roadster has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used MINI Roadster buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
MINI Roadster MOT FAQs
What is the MINI Roadster MOT pass rate?
78.2% of MINI Roadster cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 3,037 tests. That is 5.9 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 225th of 575 models.
What does a MINI Roadster most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on MINI Roadster cars failing their 2025 MOT was position lamp not working, on 7.9% of failure items. Next were stop lamp not working (7.3%) and shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak (5.7%).
Which area causes the most MINI Roadster MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 35.5%, followed by tyres at 17.9%.
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, against 76.3% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every MINI Roadster has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every MINI Roadster 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 Roadster'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.