The passenger compartment of the MINI Cooper remained stable in the frontal offset test.  Dummy readings during the test showed good protection of the legs the driver and front passenger.  However, MINI did not demonstrate that a similar level of protection would be provided to occupants of different sizes and to those sitting in different positions.  Accordingly, a penalty was applied where structures in the instrument panel were thought to present a risk of greater injury.  Protection of the driver’s chest was rated as marginal, based on dummy readings of compression.  Analysis of the deceleration of the impact trolley during the test, and analysis of the deformable barrier after the test, revealed that the MINI Cooper would be a moderately benign impact partner in a frontal collision.  In the full-width rigid barrier test, protection of the rear passenger’s chest was marginal, with good or adequate protection of both occupants otherwise.  In the side barrier test, the MINI Cooper provided good or adequate protection to all critical body areas.  In the more severe side pole impact, good protection was provided to all critical body regions, and maximum points were scored.  Control of excursion (the extent to which a body is thrown to the other side of the vehicle when it is hit from the far side) was found to be adequate  The MINI Cooper has a countermeasure to mitigate against occupant-to-occupant injuries in such impacts.  The airbag performed well in Euro NCAP’s tests with dummy readings indicating good protection for both the driver and passenger.  Tests on the front seats and head restraints demonstrated good protection against whiplash injuries in the event of a rear-end collision.  A geometric analysis of the rear seats also indicated good whiplash protection.  The car has an advanced eCall system which alerts the emergency services in the event of a crash, and a  system to prevent secondary impacts after the car has been in a collision.  MINI demonstrated that the doors would be openable to allow occupants to escape in the event of vehicle submergence.

In the frontal offset test, good or adequate protection was provided to both children, apart from the neck of the 10 year dummy, where readings of tensile forces indicated marginal protection.  In the side barrier impact, although there was no contact with the car interior, head accelerations of the 10 year dummy again indicated marginal protection.  The front passenger airbag can be disabled to allow a rearward-facing child restraint to be used in that seating position.  Clear information is provided to the driver regarding the status of the airbag and the system was rewarded.  The MINI Cooper is not equipped with 'child presence detection', a system which can alert others if children have been left in the car. All of the child restraint types for which the MINI Cooper is designed could be properly installed and accommodated in the car.

The MINI Cooper has an 'active' bonnet.  Sensors in the bumper detect when a pedestrian has been struck and actuators lift the bonnet surface to provide more space to the hard structures underneath.  MINI showed that the system worked robustly over a range of speeds and for different statures.  Accordingly, the car was tested with the bonnet in the raised, deployed position.   Protection of the head of a struck pedestrian or cyclist was largely good on the bonnet surface, but with poor results recorded on the windscreen and the stiff areas around it.  Protection of the pelvis was good at all test locations, as was that of the femur, while that of the knee and tibia was good or adequate at all test locations.  The autonomous emergency braking system of the MINI Cooper responds to vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists, as well as to other vehicles.  In tests of its response to pedestrians, the system performed well.  Protection of those to the rear of the car is available as an option and was not included in this assessment.  The system performed well in tests of its reaction to cyclists.  Protection against ‘dooring’, where a door is opened into the path of a cyclist approaching from behind, is also an option and not included in the assessment.  The system’s response to motorcyclists was good.

Overall, the performance of the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system was good in tests of its reaction to other vehicles.  A seatbelt reminder system is fitted as standard to the front and rear seats.    The car has an indirect driver status monitoring system as standard, detecting driver fatigue but not distraction.  The lane support system gently corrects the vehicle’s path if it is drifting out of lane and also intervenes in some more critical situations.  The speed assistance system identifies the local speed limit.  The driver can choose to allow the limiter to be set automatically by the system.