Used car guide · 2012–2013

MINI Cooper Clubman common problems and MOT failures

What goes wrong on a used MINI Cooper Clubman, year by year: known faults from UK buying guides, the parts flagged at MOT more than on other cars (from 1,718 MOTs done during 2023–2025), and what to check before you buy one.

1,718MOTs done in 2023–2025, all years of this model

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).

20132012

What usually goes wrong with a MINI Cooper Clubman?

We haven’t found widely reported faults for the MINI Cooper 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 Cooper Clubman MOT failures to check

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

  • Brake lights

    up to 2.2× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2013.

    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 Cooper Clubman MOT pass rate by year

Older cars fail more, so compare each year with all cars registered the same year.

YearPass first timeAll cars that yearMOT tests
201377%67% +101,263
201271%64% +7455 (small sample)

Questions to ask the seller before buying a MINI Cooper Clubman

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

  1. Any recent work on the brake lights? (Flagged at MOT 2.2× as often on the MINI Cooper Clubman as on other cars the same age.)
  2. Can I see the service history and receipts for any big jobs?

Looking at a MINI Cooper 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