Used car guide · 2012–2015

MINI Roadster common problems and MOT failures

What goes wrong on a used MINI Roadster, year by year: known faults from UK buying guides, the parts flagged at MOT more than on other cars (from 7,874 MOTs done during 2023–2025), and what to check before you buy one.

7,874MOTs done in 2023–2025, all years of this model
5,298on the UK register
2013best year at its MOT

Pick the year

Most years have their own guide. The year is when the car was first registered (it’s on the logbook, or check the reg below).

2015201420132012

What usually goes wrong with a MINI Roadster?

We haven’t found widely reported faults for the MINI Roadster in the UK buying guides we use yet. That doesn’t mean it has none, so check the car carefully and look at the MOT weak spots below.

Common MINI Roadster MOT failures to check

Parts flagged at MOT well above the usual rate for cars the same age, for each fuel on its own. From the DVSA’s results for every MOT done in Great Britain during 2023–2025.

Petrol

  • Wheels

    up to 4.7× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

    Rough price £70–£150 our estimate

    At the viewing: Check the tread on all four tyres, including the inside edges, and look for cracks or bulges.

  • Brake lights

    up to 3.7× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2014 and 2015.

    Rough price £10–£80 our estimate

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light while you work the switches: indicators, brake lights, fog lights and reversing lights.

Diesel

  • Wheels

    up to 5.1× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2014.

    Rough price £70–£150 our estimate

    At the viewing: Check the tread on all four tyres, including the inside edges, and look for cracks or bulges.

  • Brake lights

    up to 2.3× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2014.

    Rough price £10–£80 our estimate

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light while you work the switches: indicators, brake lights, fog lights and reversing lights.

MINI Roadster MOT pass rate by year

Of the years since 2005 with plenty of MOT tests, the 2013 MINI Roadster did best (78% passed first time, 11 points above all 2013 cars) and the 2015 did worst (80%, 6 points above all 2015 cars). Older cars fail more, so compare each year with all cars registered the same year.

YearPass first timeAll cars that yearMOT tests
201580%74% +63,124
201479%70% +93,533
201378%67% +111,067
201281%64% +17150 (small sample)

Questions to ask the seller before buying a MINI Roadster

Ask before you travel to see it. A seller who knows the car will have answers, and receipts.

  1. Any recent work on the wheels? (Flagged at MOT 4.5× as often on the MINI Roadster as on other cars the same age.)
  2. Any recent work on the brake lights? (Flagged at MOT 3.8× as often on the MINI Roadster as on other cars the same age.)
  3. Can I see the service history and receipts for any big jobs?

Looking at a MINI Roadster?

Check the actual car: its own MOT history, whether it already shows these weak spots and what to ask the seller. Free, no sign-up.

Where this comes from: MOT figures are the DVSA’s anonymised results for every MOT test done in Great Britain during 2023–2025, grouped by the year each car was first registered. How many are on the road is from the Department for Transport’s vehicle licensing statistics. Known faults are from UK buying guides, in our own words, with links. How we score