Where each one leads
MINI Cooper S
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 MINI Cooper S uses 7.3 l/100 km, the 2026 Volkswagen Golf R 9.3.
- New MINI Cooper S cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 140 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 147 for the Volkswagen Golf R in 2020.
Volkswagen Golf R
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Too close to call: MOT pass rate against cars of the same age.
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
| MINI Cooper S | Volkswagen Golf R | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2001–2025 | 2012–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 204,718 (2010–2022) | 55,992 (2010–2020) |
| 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
| MINI Cooper S | Volkswagen Golf R | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 86% | 90% |
| … against cars of the same age | +6% | +3% |
| New York safety inspections failed | — | 0.8% |
| … against cars of the same year | — | −44% |
| US owner complaints | 1,782 | 80 |
| Most complaints about | Steering | Service brakes |
| Model year with most complaints | 2005 (314) | 2017 (15) |
| US recall campaigns | 23 | 16 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 2,805 | 4,810 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 22 | 6 |
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
| MINI Cooper S | Volkswagen Golf R | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | — | 5★ (2019) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| MINI Cooper S | Volkswagen Golf R | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 7.3 l/100 km (2026) | 9.3 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 | 147 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 131 kW (175 hp) | — |
| Average mass in running order | 1,353 kg | 1,406 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).