• Convertible range is an all-petrol line-up
• Cooper is the cheapest to run
• Performance models aren’t too costly

What are the running costs?

The good news is that all three engines available in the Convertible are fairly fuel efficient.

In terms of fuel economy and emissions, it’s the Cooper that shines here. That’s because it uses a three-cylinder 1.5-litre engine, whereas the Cooper S and John Cooper Works use larger four-cylinder 2.0-litre engines. The Cooper returns an official 47.9mpg.

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There’s not a huge gap between this and the 45.6mpg Cooper S. During a week with a Cooper S automatic we averaged around 44mpg, but this was mostly long motorway runs. Make use of the car’s nippy performance and playful chassis and you’ll see economy fall, though it’s unlikely to drop much past 35mpg unless you’re really caning it. A Mazda MX-5 will return similar numbers.

The John Cooper Works model has an official 40.9mpg consumption figure, which we’ve found to be more like 30mpg in the real world.

Even the cleanest Cooper model returns 135g/km of CO2, reflecting the MINI Convertible’s lack of any sort of hybrid assistance. This means a pricey initial road tax bill and high company car costs.

Servicing and warranty

MINI provides a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty for the Convertible, which though it isn’t very long in chronological terms does at least suggest a degree of faith that’ll be very reassuring for high-mileage drivers.

The brand recommends an oil change service every two years or 18,000 miles. MINI dealerships typically rank a little lower than their sister BMW dealerships for owner satisfaction.

Reliability

• One recall for the MINI Convertible
• Feels a solid and well-built small car
• Should be very few concerns

All of the MINI Convertible’s mechanical and electrical components are shared with various models in the BMW Group, and overall the car feels very solid and well built, especially the premium interior.

There have only been two recalls – to do with a steering gear tie rod fault and a seatbelt buckle fault. Most issues will have all been sorted out as part of the recall. But if you’re buying used it’s worth checking.