How reliable is the Mini Paceman compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Mini Paceman, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 81.6% across 7,838 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Mini Paceman?

The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 18.6% of failed Mini Paceman tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Mini Paceman?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 25.9% of all Mini Paceman tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Mini Paceman usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 69,253 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Which Mini Paceman years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Mini Paceman cars first registered 2017–2019 do best at 84.3%, and those registered 2011–2013 do worst at 80.2%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.

Does a Mini Paceman get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 84.3% of Mini Paceman tests pass. By 12 to 14 years, that falls to 80.2%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Mini Paceman models petrol or diesel?

Of the Mini Paceman cars tested, 54% are petrol, 46% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Mini Paceman MOT pass rate & common failures

From 7,838 recorded MOT tests of the Mini Paceman, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 7,838 MOT tests, 81.6% of Mini Paceman tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Mini Paceman fleet does not yet cover a wide enough spread of ages and distances to compare it fairly against other models. Its most commonly recorded failure is tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, which appears in 18.6% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 69,253 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

81.6%unadjusted, not comparable7,838 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the Paceman. The examples tested do not cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages to compare it fairly, and an unadjusted pass rate mostly sorts models by how recently they were bought rather than how well they were built. The failure and advisory patterns below come from the same 7,838 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Mini Paceman tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements18.6%
204 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A tyre cords visible or damaged10.3%
113 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged10.1%
111 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.3%
102 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning8.2%
90 occurrencesLamp not working explained
6.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen5.2%
57 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
7.Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen5.2%
57 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
8.A tyre seriously damaged4.7%
51 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
9.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement4.6%
50 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
10.A tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative4.6%
50 occurrencesTyre pressure monitoring system inoperative explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Mini Paceman tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements25.9%
2,034 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged11.9%
931 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured10.2%
800 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.3%
729 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded5.7%
444 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
6.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users3.8%
297 tests
7.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened3.8%
295 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
8.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn3.5%
272 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Mini Paceman

The 19 other defects testers recorded on this model, beyond the most common listed above. Each links to what it means and what it takes to put right.

Known faults

Mini Paceman common problems, by part and by year

The same failure record read the way a buyer asks the question: which parts wear out on a Paceman, when they start, and how each registration year compares — including the steps that mark a generation change.

Paceman common problems and results by year

How wear changes the picture

Paceman pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Mini Paceman passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 6 to 8 was first used in 2017–2019.

6–8 yrsreg. 2017–201984%

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201682%

12–14 yrsreg. 2011–201380%

Read this as an age curve rather than a verdict on particular model years. Nearly every car passes less often as it gets older, so a newer Paceman outscoring an older one says more about wear than about how that year’s cars were built. Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Paceman fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 69,253
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol53.7%
Diesel46.3%

Trim names grouped into this model (10)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

PACEMAN COOPER
PACEMAN COOPER D
PACEMAN COOPER D ALL4
PACEMAN COOPER S
PACEMAN COOPER S ALL4
PACEMAN COOPER S ALL4 AUTO
PACEMAN COOPER SD
PACEMAN COOPER SD ALL4 AUTO
PACEMAN COUPE ALL 4 JCW
PACEMAN JOHN COOPER WORKS

Check a specific Mini Paceman

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Mini models

Mini Cooper — 75.9% adjusted
Mini Mini — 69.4% adjusted
Mini Countryman — 79.9% adjusted
Mini One — 73.9% adjusted
Mini Clubman — 76.8% adjusted
Mini John Cooper Works — 83.8% adjusted
All Mini models

Common questions

How reliable is the Mini Paceman compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Mini Paceman, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 81.6% across 7,838 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Mini Paceman?: The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 18.6% of failed Mini Paceman tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Mini Paceman?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 25.9% of all Mini Paceman tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Mini Paceman usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 69,253 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Which Mini Paceman years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Mini Paceman cars first registered 2017–2019 do best at 84.3%, and those registered 2011–2013 do worst at 80.2%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.
Does a Mini Paceman get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 84.3% of Mini Paceman tests pass. By 12 to 14 years, that falls to 80.2%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Mini Paceman models petrol or diesel?: Of the Mini Paceman cars tested, 54% are petrol, 46% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. No adjusted rate is shown because this model's tested examples do not cover enough of the national age and mileage range for standardisation to mean anything.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.