⌘K
Home›MINI›Cooper›2021
MINI · Compact car

2021 MINI Cooper

ElectricGas
Subcompact Cars
13 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
B
Safety Signal
84 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
RecallsNHTSA campaigns2
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA7
Crash ratingNHTSA overall—
EV rangebest configuration, EPA110 mi
Fuel economybest combined, EPA31 mpg
202620262025202420232022202120202019201820172016

The 2021 MINI Cooper is sold in the U.S. as a electric and gas compact car with 13 EPA-rated configurations. Its longest-range version, the Cooper SE Hardtop 2 door, is EPA-rated at 110 miles with 108 MPGe combined efficiency. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of B. Owners have filed 7 complaints, most often about the electrical system.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombRangekWh/100miCharge (240V)Annual fuel*
Cooper SE Hardtop 2 doorElectricFWD135 kW DCPM115100108 MPGe110 mi31.34 h$700
Cooper ConvertibleGasFWD1.5L 3-cyl turbo283731———$2,500
Cooper Hardtop 2 doorGasFWD1.5L 3-cyl turbo283731———$2,500
Cooper Hardtop 4 doorGasFWD1.5L 3-cyl turbo283731———$2,500
Cooper ConvertibleGasFWD1.5L 3-cyl turbo263730———$2,600
Cooper Hardtop 2 doorGasFWD1.5L 3-cyl turbo263730———$2,600
Cooper Hardtop 4 doorGasFWD1.5L 3-cyl turbo263730———$2,600
Cooper S Hardtop 2 doorGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo263530———$2,600
Cooper S Hardtop 4 doorGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo263530———$2,600
Cooper S ConvertibleGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo263429———$2,650
Cooper S Hardtop 2 doorGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo233327———$2,850
Cooper S Hardtop 4 doorGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo233327———$2,850
Cooper S ConvertibleGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo233226———$3,000

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 42634, 42526, 42530, 42531, 42718, 42719, 42720, 42565, 42566, 42527.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2021 MINI Cooper is in the years where high-voltage electronics and module repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

Compare coverage →

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.

Recalls (2)

Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high

Seat Belts

21,537 vehicles
ProblemBMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2021 2 Series (230i, 230i xDrive, M240i, M240i xDrive), 330e, 330e Xdrive, 4 Series Coupe (430i, 430i xDrive, M440i xDrive) M4 Coupe, M4 Competition Coupe, BMW 4 Series Convertible (430i, M440i), BMW X1 sDrive28i, xDrive28i, 2 Series Gran Coupe (228i, 228i xDrive, M235i xDrive), M2 Competition Coupe, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, M3, M3 Competition, 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper, CooperS, JCW), X2 sDrive28i, X2 xDrive28i, X2 M35i, Z4 sDrive30i, Z4 M40i, MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper SE), MINI Convertible (Cooper, Cooper S, JCW), MINI Clubman (Cooper S, Cooper S All4, JCW), MINI Countryman (CooperRiskDuring a crash, a seat belt retractor that does not function as intended increases the risk of injury.FixDealers will inspect the seat belt retractors (including the seat belts) and, if necessary, replace the retractors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 3, 2021. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417; 1-866-825-1525 (MINI); 1-877-877-3735 (Rolls Royce); and 1-888-270-9371 (Toyota).
NHTSA campaign 21V554000reported Jul 21, 2021BMW of North America, LLC
▲high

Air Bags

76 vehicles
ProblemBMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020 X1 xDrive28i, X1 sDrive28i, X2 xDrive28i and X2 sDrive28i, 2020 MINI Clubman Cooper S All4, 2021 MINI Hardtop 2 Door (Cooper, Cooper S, John Cooper Works and Cooper S E) and MINI Hardtop 4 Door (Cooper and Cooper S) vehicles. Due to a problem with the rollover sensor within the air bag control unit, in the event of a rollover crash, the head air bag, seat belt pretensioners and other safety systems, may not activate.RiskIf the safety systems do not deploy as intended in a roll over crash, it may increase the risk of injury.FixBMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control unit, free of charge. The recall began July 17, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.
NHTSA campaign 20V283000reported May 20, 2020BMW of North America, LLC

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
7complaints filed

1 involved a crash · 1 a fire · 2 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2021: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 2

Most-cited components

Electrical System3
Tires1
Air Bags1
Steering1
Fuel/Propulsion System1

What owners describe

“No incident occurred. On October 18th we received a high voltage battery recall notice for this car. Apparently there were some thermal events (fires) and BMW has released software to help protect the car from such an event. We have been trying to get in touch with MINI, and just recently found that the dealer closed. …”Dec 10, 2024 · Fuel/Propulsion System · NHTSA owner report
“Digital instrument cluster of electric Mini SE (includes speedometer and battery/range information) turns off without warning while driving and does not turn back on until car is powered down for over half an hour. This has happened more than ten times. Vehicle was inspected by MINI dealer locally and no obvious equipm…”Feb 11, 2024 · Electrical System · NHTSA owner report
“The car completely lost steering in traffic. I brought it back to the Mini dealership, they informed me this is a known issue for Mini Coopers equipped with the click-and-play system, and they needed to re-wire the click-and-play to fix it. However Mini decided this should not be a recall. I strongly disagree with Mini…”Apr 27, 2023 · Steering · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Other Cooper model years

A

2026 MINI Cooper

1 recalls · 3 complaints

A

2026 MINI Cooper

1 recalls · 3 complaints

D

2025 MINI Cooper

4 recalls · 5 complaints

C

2024 MINI Cooper

2 recalls · 1 complaints

A

2023 MINI Cooper

0 recalls · 7 complaints

A

2022 MINI Cooper

0 recalls · 7 complaints

B

2020 MINI Cooper

2 recalls · 7 complaints

B

2019 MINI Cooper

2 recalls · 12 complaints

A

2018 MINI Cooper

0 recalls · 8 complaints

C

2017 MINI Cooper

3 recalls · 28 complaints

D

2016 MINI Cooper

4 recalls · 41 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

JSON for this page · API