Used car guide

2018 MINI Clubman: common problems and what to check

What gets flagged at MOT on 2018 MINI Clubmans, from 6,262 tests in 2025, plus known faults and what to look at before you buy one.

6,262MOT tests in 2025
82%pass first time (all 2018 cars: 81%)
7,000typical miles a year
4.3×the usual rate for brake lights

What stands out

Parts flagged at MOT more often on 2018 MINI Clubmans than on all cars registered in 2018.

  • Brake lights4.3× usual
    MINI Clubman
    3.9% All 2018 cars
    0.9%

    Failed outright at MOT: 3.9%, against 0.7% of all 2018 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    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.

  • Wheels3× usual
    MINI Clubman
    2.7% All 2018 cars
    0.9%

    Failed outright at MOT: 0.4%, against 0.3% of all 2018 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    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.

By area

The share of 2018 MINI Clubman MOT tests where testers flagged each area, as a fail or an advisory. Rough prices are typical independent-garage costs.

  • Tyres
    33% of testsRough price £70–£150

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

  • Brakes
    15% of testsRough price £150–£350

    At the viewing: Look for a lip on the disc edges and feel for judder or pulling when braking firmly from about 40mph.

  • Lights and electrics
    10% of testsRough price £10–£80

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light, including brake lights and indicators, while you operate them.

  • Wipers, windscreen and mirrors
    7% of testsRough price £15–£250

    At the viewing: Check for chips in the driver's view, and test the wipers and washers.

  • Suspension
    6% of testsRough price £120–£400

    At the viewing: Listen for knocks over speed bumps, and look behind each front wheel for a snapped coil spring.

  • Seats and seatbelts
    2% of testsRough price £80–£250

    At the viewing: Pull each seatbelt sharply. It should lock, and retract cleanly.

Looking at a MINI Clubman?

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Other years

YearMOT testsMost flagged
20178,169Tyres 32%
20168,942Tyres 32%
20151,440Tyres 30%

Where this comes from: the DVSA's anonymised results for every MOT test in Great Britain in 2025, counting tests of 2018 MINI Clubmans registered in 2018. "Flagged" includes advisories, so it isn't the same as a fail rate. How we score