MINI Countryman SUV (2016–2023) - 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 middling 36th place in the 2022 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey. However, the MINI brand came ninth out of 30 manufacturers – that’s a massive 10-place improvement over the year before it, when it came in 19th place.

Just under 12% 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. Drivers like its handling and acceleration, and comments were positive for MINI's design and interior build quality. However, ride comfort and refinement were less impressive. 

Safety

The MINI 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.