2018 MINI Cooper 1.5L Petrol · LL68 LJO

A consistent pattern of rear-tyre perishing advisories defines the recorded DVSA history of this 2018 MINI COOPER. Across the three most recent tests (2023, 2024, and 2025), the offside rear tyre has been flagged for cracking or perishing on each pass, with both rear tyres noted as perished at the most recent examination on 22 September 2025. Despite these advisories, the vehicle has passed every recorded test without a single failure or any defect being recorded as a testable failure, and the 2022 and 2021 tests were entirely clean with no advisories noted. The repetition of the same tyre-side defect over three consecutive years, culminating in both rear tyres being affected on the latest test, indicates that the rubber compound is hardening progressively under the car's current operating conditions, which a prospective buyer should treat as a known recurring wear item. The odometer reading of 27,372 miles on an eight-year-old vehicle equates to an average accumulation of roughly 3,422 miles annually, which is notably low for a city-oriented hatchback of this type. There are no recorded gaps in annual testing since 2021, suggesting the car has remained in active use rather than being laid up for extended periods, although the modest annual mileage means individual components such as brake discs, callipers, clutch and drivetrain mounts will have accrued far less mechanical cycling than would be expected from a typical example. The recurring tyre advisories in the context of such low mileage are consistent with ageing rubber oxidising on the vehicle rather than being worn through service life, which is a separate degradation mechanism to tread wear and points specifically to time-related perishing rather than mileage-driven wear. For a prospective buyer, the immediate priority is a full inspection of all four tyres, not merely the rears. Both rear tyres were recorded as perished at the September 2025 test, and the advisory pattern suggests they have likely been replaced since, but the nearside rear was first noted as perished in 2024 and the offside rear as early as 2023, so any replacement rubber should be examined for its own age-related cracking and DOT date stamp to confirm it is not similarly aged stock. Given the low annual mileage, the brake discs and pads should be closely examined for surface corrosion and pitting, as lightly used brake components frequently develop lipping and judder under load; a test-drive should include several firm stops from around 30 mph to check for pedal pulsation or vibration through the steering. Suspension and underbody components warrant particular attention on the test drive despite no advisories being recorded, because light usage combined with the UK's damp climate and road salt exposure can produce seized linkages and perished bushes without these being formally flagged. Listen for clonking or knocking from the front suspension over speed humps and uneven surfaces, particularly from the lower wishbones, anti-roll bar links and drop links which are known wear points on this generation of MINI. Steering should be checked for any notchiness or pulling, the clutch for any slipping or judder under load given the low mileage may indicate limited use, and the engine should be observed for any smoke from the exhaust on start-up. A lift inspection to examine the rear subframe mounting points, brake pipes and fuel lines for corrosion would also be prudent, as none of these items will appear on the MOT record until they have already deteriorated to a failure-defect threshold.