MINI Countryman running costs and reliability

08 December 2021 by Keith WR Jones

Parkers overall rating: 4.1 out of 5 4.1

Miles per pound (mpp)

Petrol engines	4.3 - 6.0 mpp
Diesel engines	5.8 - 7.1 mpp
Plug-in hybrid petrol engines	18.8 - 20.9 mpp

Low figures relate to the least economical version; high to the most economical. Based on WLTP combined fuel economy for versions of this car made since September 2017 only, and typical current fuel or electricity costs.

Based on "Weighted" mpg; figures depend on the proportion of miles driven in pure electric mode and may vary widely

Fuel economy

Petrol engines	32.1 - 44.8 mpg
Diesel engines	47.1 - 57.6 mpg
Plug-in hybrid petrol engines	141.2 - 156.9 mpg

054

No diesels in the range
Plug-in hybrid has impressive figures
Good economy despite performance

What are the running costs?

Running costs across the board will be very reasonable despite the lack of a diesel option. Most of the petrol models will achieve 40mpg.

One of the best overall is the manual transmission Cooper, with a claimed 42.2-44.8mpg under the more rigorous WLTP testing method, dropping to 38.7-40.9mpg for the All4 version.

The CO2 star is by far the plug-in hybrid PHEV Cooper S E ALL4, with a claim of 148.7-166.2mpg and CO2 emissions of just 40-44g/km. This is followed by the Cooper with a manual gearbox, producing 143-152g/km.

Worst for fuel efficiency and high CO2 emissions is, unsurprisingly, the fast John Cooper Works version, complete with All4. Official claims are for 34.4-37.2mpg and 174-188g/km.

View detailed MPG and CO2 figures on the MINI Countryman specs pages

Clearly, if you’re predominantly city-bound or you’re a company car driver, the PHEV version is the one to have.

Other running costs such as insurance and consumables for tyres and brake components shouldn’t prove too expensive.

Servicing and warranty

To help owners keep a tab on costs, MINI offers a service plan with fixed monthly pricing that also covers extras such as sat-nav updates and even the MOT. A warranty of three years is included with no limitation on mileage and the option to extend that for a fee. The high-voltage battery pack of the plug-in hybrid model is covered for eight years or 100,000 miles.

Reliability

Countryman feels solidly built
Shared parts with BMW parent brand…
Which has a strong reputation

Parent company BMW has a pretty fierce reputation for reliability so there’s no reason to assume the derived parts in the MINI Countryman will be any different.

The engines used here are found elsewhere in the MINI and BMW range, which hints at the faith the manufacturer has for its products. Despite the seemingly haphazard layout, all of the controls feel robust and made to last.

However, there have been a number of recalls for the Countryman since it launched in 2017, which is worrying. One of those concerns the JCW model alone and another relates to the battery pack in the plug-in hybrid model.