MINI Clubman common problems and MOT failures
What goes wrong on a used MINI Clubman, year by year: known faults from UK buying guides, the parts flagged at MOT more than on other cars (from 77,040 MOTs done during 2023–2025), and what to check before you buy one.
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).
2026202420232022202120202019201820172016201520142013201220112010200920082007
What usually goes wrong with a MINI Clubman?
We haven’t found widely reported faults for the MINI Clubman 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 Clubman MOT failures to check
Parts flagged at MOT well above the usual rate for cars the same age, in more than one year. From the DVSA’s results for every MOT done in Great Britain during 2023–2025.
Wheels
up to 3.2× usualStands out on cars registered in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Rough price £70–£150 our estimateAt the viewing: Check the tread on all four tyres, including the inside edges, and look for cracks or bulges.
Brake lights
up to 3.9× usualStands out on cars registered in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Rough price £10–£80 our estimateAt the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light while you work the switches: indicators, brake lights, fog lights and reversing lights.
MINI Clubman MOT pass rate by year
Of the years since 2005 with plenty of MOT tests, the 2015 MINI Clubman did best (79% passed first time, 5 points above all 2015 cars) and the 2019 did worst (86%, 1 point above all 2019 cars). Older cars fail more, so compare each year with all cars registered the same year.
| Year | Pass first time | All cars that year | MOT tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 92% | 89% +3 | 248 (small sample) |
| 2021 | 90% | 87% +3 | 356 (small sample) |
| 2020 | 84% | 87% -3 | 127 (small sample) |
| 2019 | 86% | 85% +1 | 940 |
| 2018 | 84% | 83% +1 | 18,537 |
| 2017 | 82% | 80% +2 | 24,214 |
| 2016 | 80% | 77% +3 | 26,712 |
| 2015 | 79% | 74% +5 | 4,272 |
| 2013 | 73% | 67% +6 | 174 (small sample) |
| 2012 | 71% | 64% +7 | 263 (small sample) |
| 2011 | 67% | 62% +5 | 365 (small sample) |
| 2010 | 61% | 60% +1 | 281 (small sample) |
| 2009 | 59% | 59% +0 | 267 (small sample) |
| 2008 | 57% | 57% +0 | 284 (small sample) |
Questions to ask the seller before buying a MINI Clubman
Ask before you travel to see it. A seller who knows the car will have answers, and receipts.
- Any recent work on the wheels? (Flagged at MOT 3.2× as often on the MINI Clubman as on other cars the same age.)
- Any recent work on the brake lights? (Flagged at MOT 3.9× as often on the MINI Clubman as on other cars the same age.)
- Can I see the service history and receipts for any big jobs?
Looking at a MINI Clubman?
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