Mini Cooper Crash Test Ratings
IIHS crash test ratings for the Mini Cooper were good, but not high enough to earn any awards. The NHTSA gives the Mini four stars out of five for safety.
Written by Mary Cahill
Reviewed by Jessica Barrett
The 2022 Mini Cooper earned an overall crash test rating score of “Good” from the Insurance Institute for Safety (IIHS) but wasn’t chosen as a Top Safety Pick. The Mini is a cool-looking subcompact car with sporty handling, but if safety is your top priority, this might not be the vehicle for you.
For a starting MSRP of $22,900, you could be the proud owner of a two-door Mini Cooper. The base model is cute, seats four, and has a manual transmission. While it offers an engaging driving experience and eye-catching design, it’s not considered one of the safest vehicles you can buy.
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Is the Mini Cooper a safe car?
It could be safer. The 2022 Mini Cooper passes all of its crash tests but doesn’t receive any awards for notable safety. The last Mini model to make IIHS’s Top Safety Pick list was the 2019 Mini Cooper two-door hatchback.
The Mini Cooper may be small, but it’s pretty heavy, which makes it generally safer in a crash than a lighter car. The base model two-door version weighs in at 2,712 pounds and the four-door model weighs 2,846 pounds.
IIHS crash test ratings
The Mini Cooper’s IIHS crash test ratings are part of the minicar category. No minicars have been given a Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ badge since 2019.
The Mini Cooper does have a strong safety rating history, though. In 2016, Mini Cooper was awarded a Top Safety Pick rating and in 2017 it was again chosen as a Top Safety Pick+. As we mentioned before, the 2019 Mini Cooper two-door hatchback did earn a spot as a Top Safety Pick (it was tested in 2018) in the minicar segment—but it couldn’t match the 2018
Kia Rio
, which was the best in show for minicars that year as a Top Safety Pick+ recipient. More recently, Mini Cooper still earns the highest rating of “Good” in all of IIHS’s crashworthiness categories but falls short with an “Acceptable” rating for its headlights and a “Marginal” ratingfor its LATCH system.
A less than good rating for headlights drags down Mini’s crash avoidance and mitigation ratings. The low score in ease of use of the LATCH system hurts its performance in the seat belts and child restraints test.
However, the frontal and side curtain airbags did a great job of protecting the head during the IIHS crash tests.
Other crash test ratings
When the 2022 Mini Cooper was crash tested by the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
it earned four out of five stars. The NHTSA bases its crash test ratings on the following types of impact:
- Frontal crash
- Side crash
- Rollover
In Mini’s frontal crash test, the front passenger side earns five stars, but the front driver side only gets four. This means the overall frontal crash test rating is four stars.
The side crash test determined how well Mini Cooper’s front and rear seats can handle impact from a moving barrier and a stationary barrier. The front seat of the Cooper fared well and earned five stars, but the rear passengers didn't have it as good with just three stars earned.
The overall side crash test gets four stars.
Rollover testing for the 2022 Mini Cooper received four stars also. Crash test ratings show that the 2022 hardtop Mini Cooper has a rollover risk of 11.1%.
2022 Mini Cooper safety features
Despite less-than-perfect crash test ratings, the 2022 Mini Cooper has many safety features so you can hit the road with peace of mind.
Standard safety features for the 2022 Mini Cooper include:
- Lane-departure warning
- Stability control
- Traction control
- Emergency braking assist
- Engine immobilizer
- Ventilated front disc brakes and solid rear disc brakes
A Driver Assistance package is also available, which adds parking assist and adaptive cruise control, but in order to enjoy these extras, you’ll need to upgrade to at least the second highest trim,
Cooper S
, as they aren’t offered for the base model. 
Is the Mini Cooper safer than other subcompact vehicles?
So how does the 2022 Mini Cooper hold up to its competitors? The table below provides the crash safety stats of four similar vehicles.
Model | IIHS rating | NHTSA rating | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|
2022 Mini Cooper | Good Overall Evaluation | 4 Stars | $22,900 |
2022 Kia Rio | Good Overall Evaluation | N/A | $16,450 |
Good Overall Evaluation | 4 Stars | $16,645 | |
Good Overall Evaluation | 4 stars | $14,645 | |
Top Safety Pick (Autobahn trim only) | N/A | $29,900 |
Most of the vehicles that compete with Mini Cooper have very similar overall ratings. The sportier, albeit more expensive,
VW Golf
GTI is larger than Mini Cooper and heavier too, but when it comes to crash test ratings, the Golf GTI scores higher. MORE:
Car loan for Mini 2022
How crash test ratings can affect car insurance
A vehicle’s crash test ratings have a lot of influence on car insurance. Cars that are rated safer in crash tests may be more affordable to insure—up to a point.
Another factor that determines your annual premium is how much your car costs. So before you splurge on a bunch of customizations for your 2022 Mini Cooper, keep in mind that pricey upgrades raise the cost of your car insurance simply because they make the vehicle more valuable.
How to save on Mini Cooper insurance costs
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