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P181 LON

1997 Rover Mini

Purple Petrol 1275cc
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MOT Status

Valid
Expires9 Dec 2026
Tests19 (13 pass, 6 fail)
Pass rate68.4%

Mileage

45,410 mi
Last recorded45,410 miles
Recorded on10 Dec 2025
Typical for 1997 Rover Mini51,557 mi

Below or average mileage for this year

4 checks still locked for this Rover
Stolen
Finance
Write-off
Keepers
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Vehicle Details

RegistrationP181 LON
MakeRover
ModelMini
Year1997
ColourPurple
Fuel typePetrol
Engine1,275cc

All premium checks include

50+ data points
Finance Check (Experian) Insurance Write-off Salvage Auction Stolen Check Previous Owners Ex-Taxi, Police, NHS Mileage Anomaly Import / Export Scrapped Check Plate Changes

MOT History

13 pass 6 fail
Pass 10 Dec 2025 45,410 miles
Pass 23 Aug 2024 45,233 miles
Fail 15 Aug 2024 45,231 miles

Rear Brakes imbalanced across an axle Axle 2 (1.2.1 (b) (i))

Nearside Rear Service brake binding but not excessively (1.2.1 (f))

Pass 23 May 2023 45,090 miles

Cover Sills Fitted

Offside Rear Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement radius arm bush (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Fail 12 May 2023 45,089 miles

Engine mounting bracket damaged or deteriorated resulting in excessive movement top engine steady forward bush (6.1.8 (a) (i))

Nearside Front Integral body structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced floor (6.1.1 (c) (i))

Nearside Front Lower Suspension arm ball joint excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Offside Front Upper Suspension arm ball joint excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Rear fog lamp not working (4.5.1 (a) (ii))

Cover Sills Fitted

Offside Rear Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement radius arm bush (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Offside Registration plate lamp inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (4.7.1 (b) (i))

Pass 29 May 2021 45,057 miles
Pass 5 Jun 2018 44,831 miles
Pass 20 Apr 2017 44,775 miles
Pass 24 Mar 2016 43,860 miles
Fail 19 Mar 2015 43,836 miles

Offside Rear Sub-frame corroded and seriously weakened (2.4.G.1)

Offside Steering rack gaiter split (2.2.D.2d)

Fuel pipe/s corroded

Nearside Front suspension has slight play in a lower suspension ball joint (2.5.B.1a)

Nearside Headlamp aim too high (1.8)

Offside Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Offside Front suspension has slight play in a lower suspension ball joint (2.5.B.1a)

Offside Front wheel bearing has slight play (2.5.A.3c)

Offside Registration plate lamp not working (1.1.C.1d)

nearside and offside front floors showing signs of corrosion

Pass 1 Apr 2014 42,571 miles

Front Brakes imbalanced requirements only just met. It would appear that the braking system requires adjustment or repair. (3.7.B.5b)

Nearside Front suspension has slight play in a lower suspension ball joint (2.5.B.1a)

Offside Front suspension has slight play in a lower suspension ball joint (2.5.B.1a)

Pass 18 Apr 2012 40,894 miles
Fail 16 Apr 2012 40,894 miles

Direction indicators not working (1.4.A.2c)

Nearside rear parking brake recording little or no effort (3.7.B.6a)

Offside rear parking brake recording little or no effort (3.7.B.6a)

Parking brake: efficiency below requirements (3.7.B.7)

Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (8.2.3)

Pass 7 Sep 2009 39,803 miles
Pass 18 Sep 2008 36,391 miles

Nearside Rear Radius arm has slight play in a pin bearing (2.4.G.2)

both rear tyres have slight cracks

Fail 15 Sep 2008

Nearside Front Front wheel bearing rough when rotated (2.5.A.2)

Nearside Front Seat belt anchorage prescribed area is excessively corroded (5.2.6)

Nearside Headlamp aim too low (1.8)

Offside Seat belt anchorage prescribed area is excessively corroded (5.2.6)

Nearside Front Lower Suspension arm has excessive play in a ball joint (2.4.G.2) DANGEROUS

Nearside Rear Radius arm has slight play in a pin bearing (2.4.G.2)

both rear tyres have slight cracks

Pass 26 Jul 2007 28,740 miles

Nearside Front wheel bearing has slight play (2.5.A.3c)

Offside Front suspension has slight play in a upper suspension ball joint (2.5.B.1a)

Pass 22 Aug 2006 26,919 miles
Fail 21 Aug 2006 26,919 miles

Nearside Front Upper Suspension arm has excessive play in a ball joint (2.4.G.2)

Nearside Rear wheel cylinder leaking (3.6.A.1)

Nearside rear brake recording little or no effort (3.7.B.5a)

How Reliable is the Rover Mini?

Based on 519,169 MOT tests across 45,631 vehicles.

66.8%
Pass Rate
876
Miles/Year
47
Year Lifespan
45,631
On UK Roads

Top MOT Failure Points

Subframe mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded 32,036
Parking brake: efficiency below requirements 24,016
Steering rack gaiter split 21,375
Seat belt anchorage prescribed area is excessively corroded 18,460
Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid 18,348
Full Rover Mini reliability report

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P181 LON is a 1997 Rover Mini in Purple with a 1,275cc petrol engine. This vehicle has been through 19 MOT tests with a personal pass rate of 68.4%.

Across all 1997 Rover Mini models, the average MOT pass rate is 66.4% with a typical mileage of 51,557 miles. This particular vehicle has performed better than the average for its year.

The most common reason a Rover Mini fails its MOT is subframe mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded, accounting for 32,036 recorded failures. If you're considering buying P181 LON, it's worth having these areas checked by a mechanic before committing.

The Rover Mini typically stays on UK roads for around 47 years. At 29 years old, this Rover Mini is well into its expected lifespan but still has years ahead.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check the history of P181 LON?

You can check the full history of P181 LON by running a full vehicle check. This shows you finance, stolen, write-off, MOT history, mileage records and more.

What year was P181 LON registered?

P181 LON is a 1997 Rover Mini, first registered on 2 May 1997.

Is P181 LON safe to buy?

The MOT history for P181 LON shows 19 tests with a 68.4% pass rate. To check for outstanding finance, stolen markers, write-off history and mileage discrepancies, run a full vehicle check.

Does P181 LON have outstanding finance?

Finance checks require a premium vehicle report. This checks against all major UK finance providers to see if there is any outstanding finance on P181 LON. If you buy a car with outstanding finance, the finance company can repossess it.

No warranty or guarantee of accuracy is provided for any free data on this page. The data guarantee applies only to information obtained through the purchase of a full check.