Rover Mini 1998: MOT failure rate for its age

34.8% of 1,968 MOT tests of the Rover Mini first registered in 1998 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 98.4 (95% CI 91.0–105.8; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 1998 build year is no different from other years of the same model at the same age. This is a rough estimate from a smaller sample.

Rover Mini built in 1998 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	34.8	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	1968
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 91.0–105.8)	98.4	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	1968
Rank among this model's 4 build years	3	of 4	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	1968
Tested in 2024	78	tests	median 52,362 miles	2024	78

Built 1998 against Rover Mini normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 21: 36.1% vs 37.3%; age 22: 33.3% vs 33.1%. Axis from 0% to 40%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 1998 Rover Mini by registration · All Rover Mini MOT statistics · Download the build-year table (CSV)

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 1998 Rover Mini fail at each age?

Cars built in 1998 were tested at ages 21 to 22 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

Rover Mini built 1998: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
Age	Tests	Failed, %	95% interval	Normal for this model at that age, %	Index (100 = normal)
21	1,079	36.1	33.2–39	37.3	96.7
22	889	33.3	30.3–36.5	33.1	100.6

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,968 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 1998 Rover Mini?

The most common failure group on cars built in 1998 is suspension: 28.3 items per 100 first tests, against 24.9 across all build years of the Rover Mini. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 1998 were tested at ages 21 to 22.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Rover Mini built 1998 against the Rover Mini in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 1998, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Suspension	28.3	24.9	1,361
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	24.2	32.2	1,166
Brakes	18.8	19.4	905
Noise, emissions and leaks	16.7	17.3	802
Body, chassis, structure	14.7	14.7	706

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 4,812 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 1998 compare with the years around it?

Among the 4 published build years of the Rover Mini, 1998 ranks 3 (1 = fails least for its age). 1999: index 100.2.

Rover Mini build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
1998	98.4	91.0–105.8	no different (rough estimate)	1,968
1999	100.2	93.3–107.1	no different (rough estimate)	2,354
2000	95.8	91.1–100.6	no different	4,835
2001	90.8	83.7–98.0	better (rough estimate)	1,976

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 11,133 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). Rover Mini 1998 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/rover-mini/1998/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

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