MINI Countryman SUV - Reliability & safety

The MINI name carries a certain amount of prestige, bringing to mind images of quality the marque is keen to preserve. In recent years its cars have been given rather chequered ratings for owner satisfaction, though, and this is an area that’ll need to be focused on if MINI’s premium image is to prevail. It seems reliability is strong, though, and buyers also seem to like the touchscreens and styling.

MINI Countryman reliability

The Countryman came in a respectable 30th place in the 2021 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, which means it should be good to own. However, the MINI brand came 19th out of 30 manufacturers, a below-average result.

Scores for handling and acceleration were very strong, as were positive comments for MINI's design and interior build quality. However, ride comfort and refinement were less impressive. Around 11% of owners reported one or more faults within the first 12 months of driving, which is one of the lower percentages of all the brands in our list.

Safety

Safety is rather less of a concern – the Countryman was awarded five stars by the independent crash-test experts at Euro NCAP. A rating of 90% was given for its adult occupant protection, while 80% was awarded for its ability to protect a child in a crash. The organisation recognised that all models have automatic emergency braking as standard, although knee airbags aren’t available.

The Countryman also comes as standard with a system that automatically contacts the emergency services in the event of a collision. Convenience features include rear parking sensors and automatic lights and wipers.