How reliable is the Rover Mini compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Rover Mini, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages.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 72.2% across 10,919 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 do testers most often warn about on a Rover Mini?

The most common advisory is "Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users", noted on 12.7% of all Rover Mini tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 50,609 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.

Model reliability file

Rover Mini MOT pass rate & common failures

From 10,919 recorded MOT tests of the Rover Mini, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 10,919 MOT tests, 72.2% of Rover Mini tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Rover Mini 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 steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, which appears in 17.0% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 50,609 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

72.2%unadjusted, not comparable10,919 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the Mini. 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 10,919 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

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

1.Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc17.0%
450 occurrencesSteering rack gaiter split, damaged or missing explained
2.Emissions levels exceed default limits11.1%
294 occurrencesEmissions above the permitted limit explained
3.Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle10.5%
279 occurrencesBrake binding or imbalanced across an axle explained
4.Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer10.3%
273 occurrencesEmissions above the permitted limit explained
5.The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired10.2%
270 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
6.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc8.8%
234 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
7.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements8.3%
221 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
8.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning8.1%
215 occurrencesLamp not working explained
9.Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits8.1%
215 occurrencesEmissions above the permitted limit explained
10.An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning8.0%
211 occurrencesLamp not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

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

1.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users12.7%
1,388 tests
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn7.7%
840 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.A wheel bearing with excessive play7.1%
777 testsWheel bearing has excessive play or is rough explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged7.0%
769 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements5.8%
628 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
6.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded4.4%
482 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
7.Exhaust system leaking or insecure4.0%
433 testsExhaust leaking or insecure explained
8.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn3.4%
368 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained

What gets tested

The Mini fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 50,609
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol99.9%

Check a specific Rover Mini

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

Compare within the range

Other Rover models

Rover 75 — 59.9% unadjusted
Rover 25 — 62.0% unadjusted
Rover 45 — 58.6% unadjusted
Rover 216 — 66.9% unadjusted
Rover Metro — 70.3% unadjusted
Rover 214 — 63.6% unadjusted
All Rover models

Common questions

How reliable is the Rover Mini compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Rover Mini, 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 72.2% across 10,919 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 Rover Mini?: The item recorded most often is "Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc", which appears in 17.0% of failed Rover Mini 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 Rover Mini?: The most common advisory is "Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users", noted on 12.7% of all Rover Mini tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Rover Mini usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 50,609 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.

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.