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CarsLore / Compare / Large cars / 3 Series vs Cooper Countryman

BMW 3 Series vs MINI Cooper Countryman

compared on the same official records: MOT and inspection results, safety ratings, fuel use, recalls and owner complaints. 2 like-for-like measures: the BMW 3 Series leads on 1, the MINI Cooper Countryman on 1.

Where each one leads

BMW 3 Series

  • New BMW 3 Series cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 98 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 147 for the MINI Cooper Countryman in 2022.

MINI Cooper Countryman

  • Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol MINI Cooper Countryman uses 7.3 l/100 km on the road, the BMW 3 Series 7.9.

Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare

At a glance

BMW 3 SeriesMINI Cooper Countryman
Model years in the US safety record1986–20232011–2013
New cars registered in Europe1,714,816 (2010–2022)11,504 (2010–2022)
Licensed in the United Kingdom472,359—
On the road in the Netherlands127,670—
In traffic in Finland41,048—

EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).

Reliability and problems

BMW 3 SeriesMINI Cooper Countryman
UK MOT first-time pass rate75%—
… against cars of the same age+9%—
Illogical odometer records (NL)5.4%—
US owner complaints843107
Most complaints aboutAir bagsEngine
Model year with most complaints2006 (202)2012 (53)
US recall campaigns8—
Manufacturer service bulletins1,116367
NHTSA defect investigations23—

Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).

Safety

BMW 3 SeriesMINI Cooper Countryman
NHTSA overall rating5★ (2022)—

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).

Fuel, emissions and price

BMW 3 SeriesMINI Cooper Countryman
Official combined fuel use, Canada—9.0 l/100 km (2024)
Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid6.3 l/100 km—
Real-world use in Europe, petrol7.9 l/100 km7.3 l/100 km
Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid9.8 l/100 km—
Real-world use in Europe, diesel6.0 l/100 km—
Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe98 g/km147 g/km
Average power of new cars in Europe137 kW (184 hp)100 kW (134 hp)
Average mass in running order1,790 kg1,502 kg
Dutch list price when new (median)€50,742—
Average odometer in Finland226,000 km—

Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).