359,708 tests in 2025
MINI Hatch reliability and MOT pass rate
87.2% passed first time. The 12.8% fail rate is 9.8 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 8 years old with 45,215 miles.
Petrol, diesel and hybrid versions. The electric version has its own page: MINI Electric.
Pass rate
87.2%
22.6% of all cars failed; 12.8% of these did.
Fixed on the day
3.8%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
45,215 mi
8 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 80,525 | 8.5% |
| 6-9 years | 162,013 | 11% |
| 10-13 years | 102,762 | 16.8% |
| 14+ years | 13,020 | 30.5% |
What the Hatch fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Tyres16,899 dangerous43.5%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment70 dangerous19.7%
- Visibility10 dangerous19.4%
- Brakes5,234 dangerous18.8%
- Suspension175 dangerous13.3%
- Noise, emissions and leaks19 dangerous9.7%
- Body, chassis, structure86 dangerous3.7%
- Road Wheels298 dangerous2.1%
Is the Hatch getting worse?
The fail rate rose 1.2 points to 12.6% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 303,334 | — | 11.4% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 333,029 | — | 11.8% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 305,191 | — | 12.5% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 353,510 | — | 12.6% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Hatch at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a Hatch in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords6,452 tests
- 2Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively5,695 tests
- 3Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm4,611 tests
- 4Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick3,932 tests
- 5Position lamp: not working3,593 tests
- 6Condition: has ply or cords exposed3,227 tests
- 7Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure3,045 tests
- 8Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction2,614 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Hatch collects 2.15 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm47,331 tests
- 2Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure41,594 tests
- 3Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick20,356 tests
- 4Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened18,407 tests
- 5Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn8,443 tests
- 6Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords8,337 tests
- 7Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn6,951 tests
- 8Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm6,200 tests
Questions
What is the MINI Hatch MOT pass rate?
87.2% of the 359,708 MINI Hatch first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 12.8% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 3.8% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a MINI Hatch usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords", recorded on 6,452 failed tests, followed by "Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively" and "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm". By section, tyres appears in 43.5% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 19.7% of failures, visibility appears in 19.4% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 8.5%; at 14+ years it was 30.5%. The median MINI Hatch tested in 2025 was 8 years old with 45,215 miles.
Is the MINI Hatch getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 1.2 points to 12.6% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every Hatch trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
Other MINI models
- Mini 30.1%
- Countryman 11.9%
- Clubman 16.9%
- John Cooper Works 11.4%
Checking a particular Hatch?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.