Mini tire sizes

We cover 4 Mini models across 7 factory fitments, spanning model years 2002 to 2024. The size that turns up most often on a Mini is 195/55R16, followed by 205/45R17 and 225/40R17. Wheel diameters run from 16 to 17 inches, so the trim and wheel package matter as much as the model year.

Mini approves specific tires. MINI uses BMW's star marking, since MINI is a BMW brand. A starred tire is approved for that MINI. Run-flats are common from the factory on MINI, so check whether the tire you are replacing says RSC or ZP before you order a standard one.

Pick your model below to see the size for every year and trim, what it costs from budget to premium, and which tires are worth buying in that size. If you already know your size, search by size instead, and if you are not sure where to find it, our guide on reading a tire size shows exactly where the placard sits.

MINI is BMW's small-car brand, relaunched for the United States in 2002 with the modern Cooper and now selling somewhere in the region of 25,000 to 30,000 vehicles a year here, a fraction of its early-2000s peak. The range is the Cooper hardtop and convertible, the Clubman and the Countryman, with electric versions alongside. Its identity is go-kart handling and heavy personalization.

For tires, MINI is a BMW product in a small package, which means BMW's approval code and BMW's fondness for run-flats on wheels that are unusually large for the car's size.

Tires on a Mini

MINI uses BMW's star marking, because MINI is a BMW brand, and a starred tire is the one approved for that car. Run-flats are common from the factory, so the first thing to check before ordering is whether the tire you are replacing says RSC, ZP or another run-flat code, because a conventional tire in the same size is a different product with a different ride and no get-home capability. Fitments are square across the range, so four identical tires and normal rotation.

The sizes are small but the wheels are not: a base Cooper runs 195/55R16, a Cooper S 205/45R17 or 225/40R17, and a Countryman 225/55R17, which on a car this short gives a very stiff ride and very little sidewall to absorb a pothole. Wheel diameters have grown from 16 inch on the 2002 cars to 17 and 18 inch as standard on sportier trims. MINI's short wheelbase and stiff suspension make it unusually sensitive to tire choice, and owners moving from run-flats to conventional tires report the biggest single ride improvement of any brand on this site.

Winter tires are genuinely worth having, because the car is light, front-driven and on wide tires for its weight.

The models that matter

The Cooper is the volume model, on 195/55R16 in base form. The Cooper S runs 205/45R17 on current cars, 225/40R17 on the 2007 to 2013 generation and 205/50R16 on the original 2002 to 2006 cars. The Clubman uses 195/55R16 on base trims and the Countryman 225/55R17.

What owners find out later

Run-flats let MINI delete the spare, so most cars have no spare wheel and no jack, and a sidewall cut on any tire, run-flat or not, ends the trip. The 17 and 18 inch fitments on a car with a 98 inch wheelbase make the ride notably harsh, and a 16 inch winter package often improves the car year-round rather than just in snow. MINI wheels are frequently 4x100 on older cars and 5x112 on newer ones, so wheels do not interchange across generations even when the tire size does.

Direct TPMS sensors on most models mean a second set of wheels needs its own.