Where each one leads
Mazda MX-5
- Against cars of the same year, the Mazda MX-5 comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 51% less often than average) than the MINI Cooper Convertible (fails 32% less often than average).
MINI Cooper Convertible
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 MINI Cooper Convertible uses 7.7 l/100 km, the 2026 Mazda MX-5 8.0.
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
| Mazda MX-5 | MINI Cooper Convertible | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2006–2026 | 2005–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 112,227 (2010–2022) | — |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 79,525 | — |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 12,970 | — |
| In traffic in Finland | 645 | — |
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
| Mazda MX-5 | MINI Cooper Convertible | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 74% | — |
| … against cars of the same age | +14% | — |
| New York safety inspections failed | 0.8% | 1.7% |
| … against cars of the same year | −51% | −32% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 9.6% | — |
| US owner complaints | 155 | 173 |
| Most complaints about | Power train | Steering |
| Model year with most complaints | 2016 (34) | 2005 (96) |
| US recall campaigns | 6 | 7 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 3,927 | 414 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | — | 2 |
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
| Mazda MX-5 | MINI Cooper Convertible | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 8.0 l/100 km (2026) | 7.7 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 6.8 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 150 g/km | — |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 121 kW (162 hp) | — |
| Average mass in running order | 1,106 kg | — |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €34,590 | — |
| Average odometer in Finland | 137,000 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).