Does the Austin Mini fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Austin Mini records 22.18 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 20.24 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+1.94, 95% interval +1.31 to +2.57). It ranks 229 of 712 models on brakes (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on brakes · check a Austin Mini by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Austin Mini is “Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle.”, recorded 942 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle. | 942 | 4.34 |
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 614 | 2.83 |
| Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 545 | 2.51 |
| Braking effort not recording at a wheel | 394 | 1.81 |
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 332 | 1.53 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 21,727 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a Austin Mini gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
17.0% of Austin Mini MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.4 months and 233 miles later (1,317 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,317 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
Austin Mini by postcode area · Austin Mini body, chassis and structure failures · Austin Mini vehicle identification failures · Austin Mini lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Austin Mini noise, emissions and leaks failures · Austin Mini road wheels failures · Austin Mini seat belts and airbags failures · Austin Mini steering failures · Austin Mini suspension failures · Austin Mini tyres failures · Austin Mini visibility failures