I want to sell my MINI – the ultimate guide
An iconic British brand celebrated worldwide, MINI is one of the most instantly recognisable car brands of all time, dominating the ‘small luxury car’ segment. Though the sought-after MINI Cooper is currently out of production, the current MINI range retains the Cooper’s boxy lines and mid-century style throughout.
Owned by BMW since 2000, MINI continues to be a firm favourite on British roads. In fact, according to YouGov, it’s one of the UK’s top 10 most popular car brands. This should make selling your MINI relatively easy, but it’s still hard to know how to get the best price.
Read on for our suggested ways to sell your MINI.
- How much is my MINI worth?
- Does a MINI hold its value
- Where to sell my MINI
- The best place to sell my MINI
How much is my MINI worth?
MINIs are known to hold value very well, being reliable, well-made, and in demand. You should expect a very low depreciation rate — read on below for more details.
There are a number of things you can do as a careful owner in order to achieve a good price when you sell your MINI. The first is to regularly maintain the car, and keep complete service history. This will make a big difference when you come to sell, because there will be no room for doubt as to the repair level of your car, inside and out. Potential buyers will be willing to pay more for the car they want if they can trust the vehicle’s history and can assume its reliability going forward.
Does a MINI hold its value?
The benefits that come with the iconic brand and luxury status of MINIs means their rate of depreciation is typically very low. As a brand, across all current models the mean rate of depreciation is 25% of the purchase price when new, after three years. When calculating by mileage, MINI has an even stronger performance. Since 2017, MINI has had the lowest depreciation rate of any car brand in the UK, losing just 47% of their value after 34,700 miles.
The exact depreciation rate for your vehicle will depend on personal circumstances such as maintenance and accident history. The specific model can also play a role, due to the slight variance in popularity and demand for certain models.
Where to sell my MINI
Desirable luxury vehicles like MINIs have no shortage of options when it comes to selling. It won’t be hard to find interested private buyers or dealers. Trading your MINI in at a dealership against your next model is also an option. However, when you’re looking to get the best value from selling your MINI, it’s worth thinking carefully about the pros and cons of each option.
MINI part-exchange
If you’re thinking of selling your MINI because you want an upgrade, then trading it in for your next car at a dealership might seem like a good option. It should be quick, easy, and both the sale and purchase are concluded in one transaction. Most dealerships will be happy to take your old car and sell you your next one all at once.
However, although this is a quick and easy method with only one trip to the dealership, you will almost never get the true value of your old car discounted from the new one. The dealership has more negotiation power than you, the seller. They can cite multiple reasons for offering a low price, such as their market, and maintenance inspections. Selling outright will always get you a better deal. If you want to know more, check out our definitive guide to part-exchanging.
Sell my MINI to a Dealer
There are many MINI-specific dealerships, as well as ones with a wide range of brands on the forecourt, who would buy your MINI. The question is, whether they will truly make you a competitive offer. If you’re looking for the best price from a dealer, you’ll have to drive around to a few options and weigh up their offers. Even if you have a value in mind for your MINI, the price you’re offered may be more reflective of the dealership’s market than your specific car.
In some instances, dealers will find unreasonable excuses to lower their price for your car — this is known as ‘price-chipping’. Since MINIs have such high resale value, and the dealership will have to make a profit, this could be the case when you try to sell your MINI to a dealer. If you choose to go down the dealer route, make sure your MINI is in the best condition possible for an inspection. That means inside, outside, and under the hood. It’s the biggest factor you can control in getting a good price.
Sell my MINI privately
Whilst the general consensus is that selling your MINI privately can get you the best price, it is also widely considered to be the most hassle. Unless you’ve been approached with an offer already, you’ll need to take out some form of advertisement. This can be on a listing or auction website, or a local noticeboard or mailing list. These often cost some money to use. Whatever you choose, you’ll have to take high-quality photos of your MINI and write a detailed and compelling description.
You’ll then have to arrange viewings and test drives with potential buyers, with no guarantee of offers. Finally, you’ll have to make sure that payment is trustworthy and secure, to avoid any scams.
Selling privately may well lead to a great price, but by the end of it, you may regret the hassle.
The best way to sell my MINI
If you’re thinking about selling your MINI quickly and easily, at Motorway we offer a simple — and completely free — method of getting the best price when selling, whatever the model.
Just enter your reg and you will be provided with an instant estimated sale price based on up-to-the-minute market data. We’ll then ask you a few easy questions about your car and guide you through the photos you need to take to complete your vehicle profile. It can be done right from your phone — in a matter of minutes.
If you choose to enter your car into a daily sale, it will be shown to our nationwide network of more than 5,000 verified dealers looking to add to their stock of used cars. Interested dealers will then compete to buy your car, offering you their best price.
In as little as 24 hours you will receive your best offer — and, if you choose to go ahead with the sale, your car will be collected for free by the dealer and the money will be quickly and securely transferred to your bank account.
Thinking of selling?
Want to learn more about selling your car? Check out more of our guides here, covering the most popular cars on the road, from Ford to Ferrari, Audi to Mercedes, and everything in-between.