Costs & verdict
Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is
Costs, insurance groups, MPG and CO2
The Mini range isn’t available with the sort of discounts you’ll get on rivals such as the Audi A1. It's a premium product and is therefore priced as such, so it looks a bit expensive when you compare it with more mainstream small cars such as the Seat Ibiza and Volkswagen Polo. That’s especially true when you consider the price of the option packs.
That said, the Mini can still make some financial sense, thanks to competitive PCP and leasing offers. Its depreciation is also reasonably slow over three years compared with the Ford Fiesta, but an Audi A1 depreciates slightly slower still.
Whichever version you go for, if you fancy adding a few extra bits and bobs, we’d advise going for the optional packs instead of individual items, as it’ll likely end up costing you less. We’d recommend either the Comfort Pro or Navigation pack, as they add a good amount of luxuries for additional outlay.

Reliability
Mini finished in joint fifth place out of 30 manufacturers in the 2021 What Car? Reliability Survey. That's level with Toyota and above Audi, Honda and Volkswagen.