Ford Fiesta vs MINI Hatch
Take the MINI Hatch for lower age-adjusted MOT risk: its index is 85.5 versus 117.8 for the Ford Fiesta, and the 95% confidence intervals do not overlap.
Lower is better. The index adjusts for each fleet's exact age profile; the raw failure rate below does not. The index gap is 32.3 points. Data release dvsa-2024-v1.
Side-by-side evidence
| Measure | Ford Fiesta | MINI Hatch |
|---|---|---|
| Age-adjusted MOT Risk Index | 117.8 (117.6–118.0) | 85.5 (85.2–85.8) |
| Raw initial failure rate | 34.33% | 23.43% |
| Dangerous defects per 100 tests | 14.92 | 10.40 |
| Initial tests | 1,959,383 | 1,011,919 |
Where their MOT failures diverge
These are component groups present in both models' published top-six failure lists, sorted by the absolute gap. A positive difference means the Ford Fiesta records more failure items; a negative one means the MINI Hatch does.
| Component group | Ford Fiesta | MINI Hatch | Difference | Lower rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 28.6 | 10.3 | +18.3 pp | MINI Hatch |
| Visibility | 10.9 | 14.6 | -3.7 pp | Ford Fiesta |
| Tyres | 13.1 | 9.5 | +3.6 pp | MINI Hatch |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 29.9 | 26.9 | +3.0 pp | MINI Hatch |
| Brakes | 12.9 | 12.5 | +0.4 pp | MINI Hatch |
Counts are defect items, not the share of cars: one failed test can contain several items. A group absent from a model's top six is not treated as zero.
What the six-year test history says
The longitudinal layer follows the same vehicles between MOTs from 2019 to 2024. It separates a one-day retest from the harder question of what returns next year, and puts failures against miles actually driven.
| Component | Ford Fiesta | MINI Hatch | Difference | Tracked advisories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 21.8% | 15.3% | +6.5 pp | 1,095,745 / 284,075 |
| Steering | 15.8% | 12.5% | +3.3 pp | 184,027 / 62,042 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 12.6% | 15.3% | -2.7 pp | 223,031 / 83,443 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 25.3% | 27.6% | -2.3 pp | 179,085 / 52,536 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 7.9% | 10.1% | -2.2 pp | 234,076 / 230,105 |
| Visibility | 11.7% | 13.2% | -1.5 pp | 8,802 / 3,745 |
| Tyres | 10.4% | 8.9% | +1.5 pp | 1,702,145 / 635,092 |
| Brakes | 12.5% | 13.8% | -1.3 pp | 1,196,935 / 541,285 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 3.8% | 3.0% | +0.7 pp | 45,448 / 9,535 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 3.4% | 3.8% | -0.4 pp | 193,569 / 52,409 |
| Measure | Ford Fiesta | MINI Hatch |
|---|---|---|
| Repaired and passed the same day | 49.8% | 41.2% |
| Passed 1–10 days later | 48.0% | 55.3% |
| Median retest delay | 1.0 days | 1.0 days |
| Failures per 10,000 miles | 0.603 | 0.547 |
| Three-test clean streak | 33.4% | 39.7% |
| Same advisory repeated 3+ times | 34.7% | 30.9% |
Care proxy is descriptive, not a claim about an owner's character: a clean streak means three or more consecutive tests with nothing recorded; the repeat measure means the same advisory appeared at least three times.
Safety recalls
| Model | Campaigns listed | Per 10,000 licensed |
|---|---|---|
| Ford Fiesta | 32 | 0.26 |
| MINI Hatch | 27 | — |
More campaigns do not by themselves mean a less reliable car: recalls are manufacturer remedies, and the licensed-fleet denominator is unavailable for some families. Check a registration for outstanding work before buying.
Do other countries see the same thing?
Both models appear in the same independent national inspection datasets below. Compare each model with that country's own average; absolute pass rates are not portable between rulebooks.
| Country / test | Model | Model fails | National average | Position | Inspections |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finland · Katsastus | Ford Fiesta | 27.1% | 26.3% | +0.8 pp | 22,437 |
| Finland · Katsastus | MINI Hatch | 24.3% | 26.3% | -2.0 pp | 2,341 |
| Netherlands · APK | Ford Fiesta | 51.6% | 50.9% | +0.7 pp | 119,462 |
| Netherlands · APK | MINI Hatch | 48.7% | 50.9% | -2.2 pp | 70,207 |
| Norway · PKK | Ford Fiesta | 38.1% | 33.5% | +4.6 pp | 3,779 |
| Norway · PKK | MINI Hatch | 30.1% | 33.5% | -3.4 pp | 2,215 |
Sources are the national PKK, Katsastus and APK datasets recorded in each family artifact. Position is model failure rate minus that country's national rate.
Quick answers
- Is the Ford Fiesta or the MINI Hatch more reliable?
- The MINI Hatch has the stronger age-adjusted MOT result: index 85.5 against 117.8 for the Ford Fiesta, with non-overlapping 95% confidence intervals.
- Does the Ford Fiesta or the MINI Hatch fail more MOTs?
- 34.33% of Ford Fiesta initial tests and 23.43% of MINI Hatch initial tests found a failing defect in 2024. The lower raw rate belongs to the MINI Hatch, but the age-adjusted index is the fairer model comparison because the fleets can be different ages.
- What are the main MOT problem areas on the Ford Fiesta and MINI Hatch?
- The leading published failure group for the Ford Fiesta is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 29.9 items per 100 tests; for the MINI Hatch it is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 26.9 per 100.
- Should I buy a Ford Fiesta or a MINI Hatch?
- If MOT reliability is the deciding factor, the MINI Hatch is the evidence-led choice. Still check the individual car's MOT history and condition: these figures describe whole model populations, not a particular vehicle.
Model pages and nearby comparisons
See the DS 3 and Renault Clio comparisonSee the Ford Fiesta and Renault Clio comparisonSee the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C Class comparison
Browse all car reliability comparisons.
How to read and cite this comparison
Scope: class-4 vehicles, initial tests only, Great Britain 2024. PRS fixed-on-the-spot results count as failures because a defect was present on arrival. Index = observed initial failures ÷ age-profile-expected failures × 100; intervals are 95% confidence intervals. Every model family combines all generations and engines. Full method: methodology.
Cite: MOT Risk Index (2026). Ford Fiesta vs MINI Hatch: MOT reliability comparison, 2024 (dvsa-2024-v1). https://motriskindex.co.uk/compare/ford-fiesta-vs-mini-hatch/