The Lemon IndexMini Cooper reliability.
Is it reliable? Yes. A bit under half as many complaints as the average car.
One of the most reliable · 2010–2022
20153rd generation (F56)
What owners say on YouTube
2002–2006 Cooper · 185 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Fixes owners look up most
Before you buy, watch
2007–2013 Cooper · 189 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Fixes owners look up most
- Timing chain & engine1.1M views
- Infotainment, battery & electrical1.0M views
- Intake, EGR & engine sensors950K views
Before you buy, watch
2014–2024 Cooper · 194 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Nothing stands out.
Fixes owners look up most
- Gauges, lights & wiring485K views
- Infotainment, battery & electrical238K views
- Oil changes & service158K views
Before you buy, watch
THE MINI (F55/F56/3rd gen) BUYERS GUIDE | AVOID THIS CAR until you watch this!Scottish Car Clan · 243K views
Should You Buy a MINI COOPER S D? (Test Drive & Review F56)High Peak Autos · 160K views
MINI Cooper SE / Electric (F56): 5 ANNOYING PROBLEMS After Half a Year of OwnershipMartin Karel · 69K viewsPraise and complaints: the share of each generation's most-watched videos that mention a topic with a praise or trouble word next to it, in the title or what's said. YouTube rank: how positive owners and reviewers sound, compared with every car of the same model year. It measures tone, not failure rates. Videos belong to their creators; we link to them.
Looking at a 2023 or newer? Those are too new for a full complaint score (any score shown is partial, in gray), but YouTube owners like the 2023 best.
Fewest complaints
2013.
Every year. Lower is better. Tap a year for its full report.
Show 3 older years (2002–2004, YouTube reviews only, no complaint data)
Newest year first. Red = worse than average, gray = about average, too new (2023+: a partial score, marked “partial”) or too few complaints to score. #1, #2… = that year's YouTube rank among the 19 Mini Cooper years with enough videos (#1 = the year owners and reviewers talk about most positively). It is not a reliability rank.
Embed this chart
Put this chart on your site, blog or forum. Free, with the credit line built in.
<iframe src="https://lemonindex.com/embed/cars/mini-cooper/" title="Mini Cooper reliability by model year (The Lemon Index)" width="100%" height="583" style="border:0;max-width:720px" loading="lazy"></iframe><p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">Data: <a href="https://lemonindex.com/cars/mini-cooper/">Lemon Index</a> (Mini Cooper reliability by year)</p>Scores before 2010 are rough: fewer owners filed complaints back then.
YouTube rank: we read 596 YouTube videos about the Mini Cooper, 2002 to 2024, and ranked every year by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. YouTube's favorite: 2019. Old cars rank lower partly because most of their videos are repair and restoration videos. A gray dot means not enough data yet: under 10 videos, or a new year with no owner complaints to compare.
Compare the Mini Cooper.
Opens the compare tool with both cars, every year side by side. Compare with any car →
Quick answers.
Is the Mini Cooper reliable?
Yes. It draws a bit under half as many complaints as the average car, and YouTube owners rate it about average for its age. Fewest complaints: 2013.
Is the Mini Cooper a good car?
Yes, it is one of the most reliable models we track, by owner complaints to the government per car sold (2010-2022: Lemon Index 43; 100 is average). Some years are much better than others: 2013 drew the fewest complaints since 2010 and 2014 the most.
What are the best Mini Cooper years to buy?
By owner complaints per car sold since 2010: 2013, 2012, 2022. 2013 drew the fewest.
What Mini Cooper years should you stay away from?
No Mini Cooper year stands out as bad since 2010. Even the years with the most complaints per car sold beat the average car: 2014 (better than average, Lemon Index 72, the first year of a new generation), 2010 (better than average, Lemon Index 67), 2015 (better than average, Lemon Index 59).
How many recalls does the Mini Cooper have?
56 safety recalls across the 20 model years we track. Most: 2014 (7), 2015 (6), 2005 (4). Each year's page lists them, and every Mini Cooper recall is in one list here.
What are the most common Mini Cooper problems?
Across every year, owners' complaints to the government name engine, transmission & drivetrain and electrical most. Some years are much worse than others: see the chart above.
Every year in one table
| Year | Index | Compared with average | Complaints | Top complaint | Recalls | Crash test | MPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 110 | about average | 31 | transmission & drivetrain (19%) | 4 | — | 24–28 |
| 2006 | 142 | about one and a half times the average car's complaints | 35 | engine (26%) | 1 | — | 22–28 |
| 2007 | 164 | about one and a half times the average car's complaints | 61 | engine (59%) | 4 | — | 23–31 |
| 2008 | 119 | a bit more than the average car's complaints | 64 | engine (62%) | 4 | — | 23–32 |
| 2009 | 99 | about average | 36 | engine (36%) | 3 | — | 26–32 |
| 2010 | 67 | about two-thirds as many complaints as the average car | 35 | engine (40%) | 4 | — | 27–32 |
| 2011 | 35 | about a third as many complaints as the average car | 18 | electrical (28%) | 3 | — | 27–32 |
| 2012 | 26 | about a quarter as many complaints as the average car | 13 | engine (23%) | 2 | — | 27–32 |
| 2013 | 23 | about a quarter as many complaints as the average car | 13 | electrical (23%) | 1 | — | 27–32 |
| 2014 | 72 | about three-quarters as many complaints as the average car | 30 | transmission & drivetrain (30%) | 7 | — | 27–33 |
| 2015 | 59 | a bit over half as many complaints as the average car | 24 | engine (29%) | 6 | — | 27–32 |
| 2016 | 40 | a bit under half as many complaints as the average car | 16 | lights (25%) | 4 | ★★★★☆ | 27–32 |
| 2017 | 36 | about a third as many complaints as the average car | 13 | lights (23%) | 3 | — | 25–32 |
| 2019 | 30 | about a third as many complaints as the average car | 7 | transmission & drivetrain (43%) | 2 | — | 25–32 |
| 2020 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 8 | airbags (25%) | 2 | — | 26–31 |
| 2021 | 31 | about a third as many complaints as the average car | 7 | electrical (43%) | 2 | — | 26–31 |
| 2022 | 28 | about a quarter as many complaints as the average car | 7 | airbags (14%) | 0 | — | 26–32 |
| 2023 | – | too few complaints to score | 7 | tires (29%) | 0 | — | 25–32 |
| 2024 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 2 | brakes (50%) | 0 | — | 25–32 |
| 2025 | – | complaints only, too few sold to score | 6 | stability control (33%) | 4 | — | 30–32 |
The Lemon Index counts owner complaints filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) in a car's first 3 years, per car sold, against the average car of the same model years (100 = average, lower is better). It measures complaints, not crash safety. U.S. sales source: goodcarbadcar.net. How it works
Know someone shopping for a used car?
Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
. Get the data