Buick Regal vs Mini Cooper S: which is more reliable?
The Buick Regal is clearly ahead of the Mini Cooper S on the federal record: 82/100 against 66/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Buick Regal
- 10 model years scored
- 633 owner complaints on record
- about 3 complaints per year on the road
- 28 recall campaigns, 12 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (92/100) · worst 2011 (42/100)
Mini Cooper S
- 4 model years scored
- 296 owner complaints on record
- about 8 complaints per year on the road
- 6 recall campaigns, 3 safety-critical
- best year 2011 (90/100) · worst 2014 (52/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Regal against Cooper S
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Buick Regal
- Engine — 169 complaints
- Electrical System — 159 complaints
- Exterior Lighting — 127 complaints
Mini Cooper S
- Electrical System — 100 complaints
- Engine — 69 complaints
- Power Train — 49 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Regal's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Cooper S's in Electrical System. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Buick Regal — avoid: 2011.
Mini Cooper S: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2011, 2012, 2013.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Buick Regal prices at about $19,800 and a Mini Cooper S at about $11,400 — the Mini Cooper S is roughly $8,400 less, and they return 26.0 against 29.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Buick Regal or the Mini Cooper S more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Buick Regal scores 82/100 against the Mini Cooper S's 66/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Buick Regal carries about 3 complaints per year on the road against 8 for the Mini Cooper S.
Which Buick Regal and Mini Cooper S years should I avoid?
Buick Regal: 2011. Mini Cooper S: no year scores below 45. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Buick Regal and the Mini Cooper S?
The largest complaint group on the Buick Regal is Engine (169 complaints); on the Mini Cooper S it is Electrical System (100).
Is the Buick Regal or the Mini Cooper S cheaper to own?
A recent used Buick Regal prices at about $19,800 and a Mini Cooper S at about $11,400, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.