I’m a (pretty) old lady who lives in LA. I have had Corollas and currently a Honda Civic.
I’m thinking of downsizing to a Mini. I do a little freeway driving, but try to limit that as much as possible.
Everybody says they’re unsafe. I drove VW bugs for years, and lived to tell the tale.
Waddya think, are they THAT unsafe. I try my best to be a careful driver.
And what about all the models of this?
If you buy one ( would not just because of the poor support network ) purchase new and sell when warranty is over. As for safety if that is a concern use Google to find crash test results. There is so little difference in vehicle safety I don’t even pay attention to it.
You can compare safety ratings on vehicles at www.fueleconomy.gov and there is a link to safercar.gov (NHTSA), you may find that a new Mini has a better safety rating than your old car.
It isn’t your driving so much as everyone else around you that is the threat. This car is plenty safe and not as small as the original mini.
Safety isn’t your problem, quality and reliability are. Mini’s aren’t as problem free as your Honda and Toyota.
iihs.org does not list the Mini Cooper among its small car safety picks.
The 2018 Mini 3 door hardtop is the only 2018 model rated. It gets 4 of 5 stars overall and in front, side, and rollover. I’d say it’s reasonably safe. Note that the front and side ratings are as if another Mini collided with yours. If you and a Ford Expedition meet, those ratings don’t mean much. If you are extremely Safety conscious, look at a much larger vehicle. Otherwise, the Mini should be safe enough. Mini is one BMW vehicle that lags in reliability. If you don’t mind paying a couple hundred bucks a year more for maintenance once the warranty runs out, a Mini might be right for you.