Used Mini Countryman 2017-present reliability

The Countryman will often have found itself pressed into service as a family wagon, so it’s important to check throughout for problems that might have been caused by heavy family use, such as scuffs from small feet against the rear seats and doors, cracked or broken plastics and stains on the upholstery.

Check, too, that four-wheel-drive models haven’t been pressed into service off road too often; the Countryman All4 does offer extra traction on mud, but that doesn’t make it an off-roader, and using it as such will wear it out prematurely. Look for scuffs and scrapes to the lower edges of the bumpers and an underside covered in mud.

Mind you, even a Countryman used in town needs a few checks. Make sure the wheels haven’t been smacked into kerbs repeatedly; a little light grazing is okay, but heavy scuffs or chunks taken out of the wheel rim are more serious and could point to damaged suspension components or steering that's been knocked out of alignment.

Tie rods

A small number of Countrymans made between 29 March to 8 April 2019 have an issue where the tie rods on the front suspension were not assembled correctly. If your car is affected, it will need to be checked by a Mini dealer and have the fault rectified.

Crankshaft sensor

A problem with the crankshaft sensor of some examples built from 19 May and 9 June 2018 could lead to the engine going into an emergency reduced power mode and limiting performance. A Mini dealer will be able to confirm if your Countryman is affected by this and arrange to have the sensor replaced.

Swivel bearings

A manufacturing flaw with the swivel bearings on the front suspension could lead to fractures in the part over time. This affects vehicles made between 24 April and 1 May 2018, and you can find out if your car is affected by contacting your Mini dealer.

Crash protection plate

This applies to 1.5-litre petrol models manufactured between 2 January 2017 and 25 May 2018 where a plate to protect the high-pressure fuel pump in the event of a collision wasn't installed at the factory. If your car is affected, it'll need to have this plate retrofitted at a dealer.

This generation of the Countryman did very well in the latest What Car? Reliability Survey, coming sixth out of 22 cars in the small SUV class with a great overall score of 97.7%. It was below the Audi Q2 and Suzuki Ignis but above most of its main rivals including the Renault Captur, Seat Arona, Skoda Kamiq and Volkswagen T-Roc.

As a brand, Mini finished third out of 32 manufacturers featured with a great overall score of 97.2%. It was only beaten by Lexus and Toyota.