Does the Rover Mini fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Rover Mini records 11.81 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 7.35 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+4.46, 95% interval +4.21 to +4.71). It ranks 69 of 640 models on steering (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on steering · check a Rover Mini by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Rover Mini is “Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc”, recorded 4,790 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 4,790 | 6.60 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 2,416 | 3.33 |
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 605 | 0.83 |
| Excessive movement of centre of steering wheel up or down | 109 | 0.15 |
| Free play in the steering, measured at the rim of the steering wheel is excessive | 93 | 0.13 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 72,564 (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 Rover Mini gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
12.5% of Rover Mini MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.3 months and 436 miles later (1,123 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,123 (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
Rover Mini 1998 · Rover Mini 1999 · Rover Mini 2000 · Rover Mini 2001 · Rover Mini by postcode area · Rover Mini body, chassis and structure failures · Rover Mini brakes failures · Rover Mini vehicle identification failures · Rover Mini lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Rover Mini noise, emissions and leaks failures · Rover Mini road wheels failures · Rover Mini seat belts and airbags failures · Rover Mini suspension failures · Rover Mini tyres failures · Rover Mini visibility failures