Do Mini Coopers Need Premium Gas? [ We Answered ]

While Mini Coopers happen to be attractive subcompact cars, their sophisticated fuel requirements often worry owners. The manufacturers recommend using premium gas for Mini coopers, and there’s no denying the fact that this is an undeniable expense.

Considering this recurring expense that you need to bear throughout the lifeline of your car, you might be wondering whether you can settle with regular fuel. You might find it tempting to go for regular fuel with fuel expenses hurting your wallet. We have explained what could happen if you don’t use premium gas in your Mini Cooper to clear your doubts. This way, you’ll get to know whether or not these cars really need premium gas.

Do Mini Coopers need premium gas?

BMW, the manufacturer of Mini Coopers, requires the owners to use premium gas for these cars. Therefore, you need to shell out extra for fuel to prevent the warranty from becoming void.

Although the Mini Cooper is a subcompact car, it comes from the maker of two of the most celebrated luxury cars, the BMW and the Rolls Royce. Therefore, it’s natural that these cars would demand better care for their engines. As a car owner, you need to choose the recommended fuel while filling the tank.

While the Octane level in regular fuel is 87, premium-grade fuel has a better Octane content between 91 and 93. To ensure that your Mini Cooper delivers its best performance, owners should purchase premium gas for these cars.

What happens if you put regular gas in a Mini Cooper?

Canceled warranty

BMW has designed the engine of Mini Coopers to deliver the best potential with higher octane gas. Since the Mini Cooper manufacturer requires the owners to use premium fuel, settling for the regular one would void the warranty.

Damage in engines

Using regular fuel in your Mini Cooper causes premature fuel ignition or detonation. This would cause pinging or knock in the engine, inflicting damage to the engine parts, including the pistons. Ultimately, this would take a toll on the lifeline of the vehicle.

Engine underperformance

The manufacturer has designed the engine to deliver its optimal performance with premium fuel. Using the wrong fuel simply denotes that you would engine underperformance and poor fuel economy. Ultimately, the car would experience low mileage issues. In these situations, you would end up shelling out higher fuel costs.

 Can you use regular gas on Mini Coopers?

Whether or not you can use regular gas for these cars is a choice after knowing the consequences. Would you risk the warranty of your Mini Cooper by using regular fuel and saving a few cents?

Technically, it is possible to use regular gas on your car. However, the owners should weigh the consequences before using regular fuel. The manufacturers recommend using unleaded gasoline for your Mini Cooper, which is a premium fuel with an Octane level of 91 or higher. Using E85 or diesel for the car would simply destroy the fuel system or the motor.

In case you start using regular gas for your Mini Cooper, the computer might accommodate the inferior grade fuel by adjusting the car’s ignition system. However, you would experience a deterioration in acceleration and fuel economy. Besides, the car would experience frequent engine knocks. This might inflict damage to the spark plugs, valves, and pistons. After a few years, this damage would reflect conspicuously in terms of hefty expenses on parts replacements.

Rather than occasionally using regular fuel in your Mini Cooper, don’t entertain the bad habit. When the owner’s manual recommends premium fuel, stick to the prescribed norms. Purchasing regular fuel might save you a few cents a gallon. However, getting the warranty void would cost you much more!

How Big Is the Gas Tank of Mini Cooper?

The average gas tank size of Mini Coopers is 44 liters.

However, depending on the model and year of manufacturing, the tank size may range between 40 and 47 liters. For instance, the Mini Cooper S comes with a 40-liter gas tank. This limited capacity is reasonable, as this is a compact car.

When you take a look at the Mini Cooper Countryman, it offers 47 liters of fuel capacity. On the other hand, the Mini Cooper Convertible has the same tank capacity as the Mini Cooper S, i.e., 40 liters. Evidently, the fuel capacity of the Mini Cooper is much lower compared to its closest rival, the Volkswagen Beetle. The luxurious hatchback from Volkswagen comes with a larger fuel tank capacity of 55 liters.

However, Mini Coopers offer better fuel economy as compared to several cars of its class. This explains why you can cruise along long distances without having to refuel your car too often.

How much mileage can you get out of your Mini Coopers?

With conservative driving habits and proper maintenance, you can yield around 200,000 to 250,000 miles from your Mini Cooper. Taking the average annual mileage to be around 15,000 miles, these cars would last for 13 to 17 years. Following this, you might have to make occasional expenses on repairs.

The Mini Cooper comes from the established automobile brand, BMW. The manufacturers ensure that the quality vehicles would endure the test of time with proper care. Of course, the maintenance charges would be high, but it would be worth it to shell out these charges. Most Mini Cooper drivers who have driven the vehicles for more than 100,000 miles are satisfied with the performance.

Some of the older models look even more impressive. You might come across some of these cars in proper functional conditions with the odometer reading more than 150,000 miles.

How to get the best mileage out of your Mini Coopers?

Take a look at the recommended practices to get the best mileage of these iconic cars.

• Apart from using premium-grade fuel, remember that Mini Coopers might need two to three oil changes each year. Changing the oil once you travel 4K to 6K miles would help it attain high mileage.
• Smooth acceleration and gentle braking would help you maintain fuel economy.
• Avoid overseeding to prevent gas wastage.
• Deploy the cruise control feature to maintain speed stability. Fluctuating speed takes a toll on fuel economy.
• Don’t use your AC when you can travel without it.
• Excessive idling can also burn more fuel. In case the wait time exceeds 30 seconds, switch the engine off.
• Make sure not to refill the tank until the car uses up three-fourths of the fuel. Remember, keeping the tank fuller implies that the Mini Cooper would be carrying an unnecessary load in the tank.

Conclusion

Well, Mini Coopers aren’t the most fuel-efficient cars in the subcompact category. Moreover, owners need to bear high fuel costs. However, you would be making an informed decision if you purchase one of these aristocratic cars, right? A car from BMW inherently comes with high associated costs. Considering the performance, mileage, and safety features, purchasing a Mini Cooper is worth it. Make sure to purchase a Mini Cooper only when you are ready to fork out extra for premium gas.