Where each one leads
BMW 318i
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
MINI Cooper S
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 MINI Cooper S uses 7.3 l/100 km, the 1999 BMW 318i 10.3.
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 318i | MINI Cooper S | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1984–2005 | 2001–2025 |
| New cars registered in Europe | — | 204,718 (2010–2022) |
| In traffic in Finland | — | 897 |
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 318i | MINI Cooper S | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | — | 86% |
| … against cars of the same age | — | +6% |
| US owner complaints | 90 | 1,782 |
| Most complaints about | Engine and engine cooling | Steering |
| Model year with most complaints | 1994 (14) | 2005 (314) |
| US recall campaigns | 4 | 23 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 47 | 2,805 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 3 | 22 |
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).
Fuel, emissions and price
| BMW 318i | MINI Cooper S | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 10.3 l/100 km (1999) | 7.3 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 7.6 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | — | 140 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | — | 131 kW (175 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | — | 1,353 kg |
| Average odometer in Finland | — | 143,000 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).