2025 MOT results
MINI Countryman common problems
The most common reason a MINI Countryman fails its MOT is a cut tyre, on 13.6% of its 15,694 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 3 faults stand out: headlamp aim out of line at 5.6% of failures against 2.7% expected; a cut tyre at 13.6% of failures against 7.3% expected; headlamp aim set too high at 5.1% of failures against 3.1% expected.
- Tests in 2025 101,756 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 15.4% 15,694 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 4.3% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 38.3% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a MINI Countryman MOT
Each bar is the share of failed MINI Countryman tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 13.6% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 10.8% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 8.3% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 6.4% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.4% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 5.6% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.6% |
| Headlamp aim: too high Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.1% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 4.9% |
| Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.6% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.2% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 4.1% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Cut tyre
13.6% of failures 7.3% expected 1.9 times as often
A cut in the tyre deep or long enough to reach the structure underneath, usually from a kerb or debris.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
10.8% of failures 7.8% expected somewhat more often
Wiper blades that leave the windscreen smeared or streaked across the area the driver looks through.
Look for split or hardened rubber, and lift each blade to see whether it still sits flat.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
8.3% of failures 9.4% expected about as expected
A tyre worn past the 1.6mm legal minimum across the middle three quarters of the tread.
A 20p coin in the main grooves: if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyre is close to the limit.
-
Tyre worn through to the cords
6.4% of failures 5.6% expected about as expected
The tyre is worn or damaged far enough to expose the cords underneath, which is a dangerous defect.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
-
Sidelight out
6.4% of failures 4.4% expected 1.5 times as often
A sidelight, also called a position lamp, not working. It marks the width of the car at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
-
Worn brake pads
5.6% of failures 8.0% expected somewhat less often
Friction material worn under 1.5mm, thinner than the point most manufacturers call the limit.
Look through the wheel spokes at the pad against the disc; wear indicators squeal before they get this far.
Which parts of the car fail
Tyres is the area that most often fails a MINI Countryman, on 36.4% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 29.0%.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Tyres | 36.4% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 29.7% |
| Visibility | 19.0% |
| Brakes | 13.2% |
| Suspension | 11.8% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 7.0% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 3.3% |
| Road wheels | 2.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
38.3% of MINI Countryman tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On MINI Countrymans, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 16.2% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 9.0% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 6.5% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 3.7% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 2.9% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 2.1% |
| Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | 2.0% |
| Tyres: cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 1.9% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 1.9% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 1.5% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 1.2% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 1.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a MINI Countryman gets older
A 2022 MINI Countryman failed 9.4% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2011 one failed 31.6%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 MINI Countryman 9.4% failed, from 7,844 tests
- Cut tyre 31.0%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 24.6%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 8.8%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 7.3%
- Headlamp aim set too high 6.1%
- Washers that do not work 4.6%
2011 MINI Countryman 31.6% failed, from 2,747 tests
- Sidelight out 27.3%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 7.6%
- Engine management light on 7.3%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 7.2%
- Headlamp aim set too low 6.3%
- Washers that do not work 5.9%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
MINI Countryman problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a MINI Countryman?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords” is the most common: it appears on 13.6% of failed MINI Countryman tests. Across categories, tyres is the area that most often fails one, on 36.4% of failed tests.
How often does a MINI Countryman fail its MOT?
15.4% of MINI Countryman tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 101,756 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 64 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a MINI Countryman than on other cars?
Yes. “Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect” appears on 5.6% of its failures against 2.7% for cars of the same age, and “Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords” appears on 13.6% of its failures against 7.3% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a MINI Countryman aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 101,756 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.