At a glance
How 9,883 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 55 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 45 in every 1004,446 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 22 yearsabout 105,382 miles
- First tests counted
- 9,883
What failed most often
- Headlight aim17 in every 100 failed tests
- Individual sidelight or tail light (front)12 in every 100 failed tests
- Drive shaft joints and boots (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.
These are patterns across 2003 MINI Hatch vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.
Body and structure
Two faults. The strongest is the fuel cap: 9.9 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 4,439 of 4,446 failed first attempts (99.8%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.
We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.
Fuel cap
What it means
A missing or ineffective fuel filler cap is Major, as is a plain fuel system leak, while a fuel system leaking excessively or a risk of fire has its own, separate wording. A fuel tank with a hole, or a split filler neck, from which fuel can leak must be failed for leaking even if the hole or split is above the fuel line.
Exhaust system (rear)
What it means
Exhaust fumes causing a danger to health of persons on board are graded Dangerous, and so is a silencer likely to become detached. Fumes entering the cabin are Major. One or more missing or defective mountings does not necessarily make the exhaust insecure, since testers assess the overall security of the system.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Brakes
Three faults and one wear pattern. The strongest is the brake pedal: 7.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Brake pedal
What it means
A brake pedal rubber worn smooth is not a defect, and nor is a worn design pattern on an aftermarket rubber. A pedal with no rubber is rejected if its grooves or raised grip sections are worn smooth, unless the vehicle was made without them. Insufficient reserve travel is Major, but a vehicle is failed for it only if the pedal or lever is touching the floor or handlebar.
Handbrake performance (roller test)
Rigid brake pipes (front)
What it means
Chafing, corrosion or damage to a rigid brake pipe justifies rejection once its wall thickness is reduced by a set amount, although DVSA accepts this is not easy to determine. If a tester is not sure, the benefit of the doubt applies. A leaking pipe or connection is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic system and Major on an air system.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 862 first tests, 2.7 times as often as on similar cars.
Brake discs (rear)
What it means
A brake disc or drum must be significantly worn before it is rejected, and being worn below the manufacturer's recommended limits is not a reason in itself. Significantly and obviously worn is Major, as is contamination with oil or grease. A disc or drum that is fractured, insecure, seriously weakened or missing is graded Dangerous.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 571 first tests, 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
Suspension
One fault: wheel bearings (front), 4.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Wheel bearings (front)
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Lamps and electrical
One fault: headlight levelling device, 3.1 times as often as on similar cars.
Headlight levelling device
What it means
A headlamp levelling device that is inoperative is graded Major, and so is a manual levelling device that cannot be operated from the driver's seat. Vehicles with high intensity discharge or LED dipped beam headlamps may have a self-levelling system, and if fitted it must work. Where it is not easy to tell, testers give the benefit of the doubt, and motor caravans are not checked.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Advisories
Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.
An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.
Power steering pump
Power steering pipes and hoses (front)
Macpherson strut (rear)
Hydraulic fluid leaks
Other power steering components
Brake performance (plate test, rear)
Suspension sub-frame (rear)
Brake performance (roller test, rear)
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
MOT pass rates
How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.
- Passed first time
- 55in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 7in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 38in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 55.0% of 9,883 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 62.5%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 38 not fixed make the 45 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
Same model, other years
Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.
Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 53 in every 100 passed first time.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 50 in every 100 | 1,394 |
| 2002 | 53 in every 100 | 6,184 |
| 2003 This car | 55 in every 100 | 9,883 |
| 2004 | 55 in every 100 | 14,270 |
| 2005 | 55 in every 100 | 17,836 |
| 2006 | 56 in every 100 | 17,365 |
| 2007 | 56 in every 100 | 20,625 |
| 2008 | 58 in every 100 | 21,902 |
| 2009 | 60 in every 100 | 24,970 |
| 2010 | 65 in every 100 | 29,511 |
| 2011 | 66 in every 100 | 28,014 |
| 2012 | 71 in every 100 | 33,870 |
| 2013 | 73 in every 100 | 40,211 |
| 2014 | 79 in every 100 | 30,471 |
| 2015 | 81 in every 100 | 44,312 |
| 2016 | 84 in every 100 | 44,778 |
| 2017 | 85 in every 100 | 44,384 |
| 2018 | 87 in every 100 | 43,078 |
| 2019 | 88 in every 100 | 48,093 |
| 2020 | 88 in every 100 | 35,781 |
| 2021 | 88 in every 100 | 36,233 |
| 2022 | 90 in every 100 | 35,706 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage matters most on a 2003 MINI Hatch.
Of 2003 MINI Hatch vehicles with under 77,000 miles, 64 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 132,000 miles or more, 50 in every 100 did.
What to check at your mileage
How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.
| Under 77,000 | 97,000–113,000 | 132,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headlight aim | 6.2 | 7.8 | 8.8 |
| Individual sidelight or tail light (front) | 3.8 | 5.4 | 7.0 |
| Drive shaft joints and boots (front) | 2.7 | 5.6 | 5.9 |
| Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) | 2.3 | 3.9 | 5.5 |
| Petrol emissions (with catalyst) | 2.3 | 4.0 | 5.3 |
Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.
When a car fails
of failed cars had one item to fix.
of failed cars had three or more items to fix.
of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).
Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.
FAQs
Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.
About this data
How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.
These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.
What we include
UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.
Same-day repairs
PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.
How we compare
We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.
What this does not cover
- MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
- Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
- Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
- If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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