MINI hatchback - MPG, running costs & CO2

MINI hatchback MPG & CO2

Petrol engines don’t tend to be as economical as diesels but they’ve come a long way, and the turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol in the MINI One is claimed to achieve 51mpg with either a manual or automatic gearbox - although some options like bigger wheels and a sunroof slightly increase running costs. CO2 emissions are 114-123g/km for the manual and 109-117g/km for the automatic version. The One makes a lot of sense if you make a lot of stop-start urban journeys. For company-car drivers, the MINI One has a very appealing Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) rating. The best option for business users is the MINI Electric, which has the lowest possible BiK rating - we’ve reviewed it separately.

There's no real fuel-economy penalty for choosing the 134bhp Cooper – it uses a more powerful version of the same 1.5-litre petrol engine as the One and returns a similar consumption figure. It does emit more CO2, however.

The 189bhp, 2.0-litre Cooper S isn't quite so frugal, with a quoted 45.6mpg best-case figure combined with CO2 emissions of up to 145g/km. Unusually, speccing an automatic gearbox does improve those figures a little but it’s more expensive in the first place. That means a much higher BiK rating, but its more expensive running costs are a consequence of the extra performance on offer.

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Road tax for all petrol MINI hatchbacks is the standard yearly rate and the first year’s payment is usually included in the on-the-road price. The MINI Electric has free road tax and will save company-car drivers a lot of money in tax compared to a petrol one.

Insurance groups

The MINI is a relatively small car, but it actually sits in fairly high insurance groups. The lowest rating (13) is held by the MINI One, the Cooper sits in group 20 while the Cooper S falls into group 28 or 29, depending on trim level.

MINI does offer a scheme called MINI FlexiMile Insurance, which involves your car's mileage being monitored throughout ownership. Drivers who cover less than 6,000 miles per year will qualify for a discount on their insurance if they use MINI Financial Services as the provider.

Warranty

The warranty on all new MINIs is a generous three-year, unlimited-mileage offer. But if you want something that lasts longer, you can look at Hyundai's five-year cover or Kia's seven-year deal.

Servicing

MINI's Pay Monthly Service Plan means you can spread the cost of two services into monthly installments. An MOT, seasonal health checks and sat-nav map updates are also included in the deal. You’ll need to speak to your MINI dealer for pricing info.