MINI car
Ranked 5 of 8 cars by recommenders
People recommend the original Mini's iconic, well-loved design and say it is fairly safe to drive. Critics cite frequent engine and electrical problems.
People recommend the original Mini's iconic, well-loved design and say it is fairly safe to drive. Critics cite frequent engine and electrical problems.
16 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 9
- approval share
- 44%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 0.7 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Iconic original design admired
“the Topolino , the R4, the Mini , the Cinquecento and other greats of its time”
Comment from 12 Oct 2026 in “Citroen revives the 2CV for an electric age” “What I've always found neat about the original Mini”
Comment from 13 Oct 2026 in “Citroen revives the 2CV for an electric age” “The Mini, all day, every day.”
Comment from 29 Sep 2026 in “Best of British Design”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Engine and electrical failures
“The failure on the Mini is a known issue with a particular Mini engine (the BMW N14 engine).”
Comment from 13 Oct 2026 in “Citroen revives the 2CV for an electric age” “that thing was more in the shop than out of it with electrical issues”
Comment from 5 Dec 2025 in “BMW PHEV: Safety fuse replacement is extremely expensive” “No other car we had had that much trouble.”
Comment from 5 Feb 2026 in “BMW's Newest "Innovation" Is a Logo-Shaped Middle Finger to Right to Repair” - Comment from 13 Oct 2026 in “Citroen revives the 2CV for an electric age”
Design called impractical or unsafe
“They can't even build a proper Mini anymore because the hood was so low it elked pedestrians face first into the windshield.”
Comment from 16 Oct 2026 in “Tesla Roadster” “the ridiculous design of the Mini that cause the problems”
Comment from 18 Nov 2025 in “Nearly all UK drivers say headlights are too bright” “For heaven's sake, it's the size of an Austin Maxi!”
Comment from 13 Oct 2026 in “Citroen revives the 2CV for an electric age” - Comment from 28 Sep 2026 in “Best of British Design”
Other cars people recommend
The four most recommended other cars, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Camry | 25 | 8 | 76% | 9 | 6 yrs5 owners | Approved |
| Subaru Outback | 10 | 8 | 56% | 5 | 7 yrs5 owners | — |
| Honda Accord | 8 | 4 | 67% | 5 | — | — |
| Volkswagen Beetle | 8 | 2 | 80% | 3 | — | — |
| MINI carThis page | 7 | 9 | 44% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
16 of the 19 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“They can't even build a proper Mini anymore because the hood was so low it elked pedestrians face first into the windshield.”
“The failure on the Mini is a known issue with a particular Mini engine (the BMW N14 engine).”
“What I've always found neat about the original Mini”
“For heaven's sake, it's the size of an Austin Maxi!”
“My sister-in-law's Mini engine blew up”
“I wonder if they could be sued for false advertising”
“the Topolino , the R4, the Mini , the Cinquecento and other greats of its time”
“The Mini, all day, every day.”
“the Mini reminds me of the terrible parking”
“Not sure how i feel that they can directly target my car with license plate but ah well”
“No other car we had had that much trouble.”
“that thing was more in the shop than out of it with electrical issues”
“it was still fairly safe to drive but I would not let non experienced mini drivers others drive it”
“its more than just the tesla's and mini's at fault”
“the ridiculous design of the Mini that cause the problems”
“A monocoque design could be really cool.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.