Mini Plant Oxford tour

Minis are made at three plants in the UK. Engines are made at Plant Hams Hall, the body pressings and sub-assembly is done at Plant Swindon and it all comes together at Plant Oxford where the body shell production, final assembly and painting takes place. Up to 1,000 cars roll off the production line at Plant Oxford every day and it is the only one of these plants where you can take a guided tour.

A visit is highly recommended if you own a Mini or if you simply love seeing how things are made. It is also worth a visit if you’re spending a few days in Oxford and can’t stomach the thought of visiting yet another college.

What to see on the factory tour

Visitors to Plant Oxford start off at the Visitor Centre, which has a small exhibition about the history of the Mini.

It is a very well structured tour that shows the entire production process from start to finish. First, you see robots building the body of the car and then you get to see the individual components being added to the car before watching the finished cars roll off the production line.

Visiting Mini Plant Oxford

Mini Plant Oxford is in Cowley, around 5.2km (3¼ miles) southeast of Oxford city centre. Tours depart from the Mini Visitor Centre on Horspath Road just off the Eastern By-Pass Road.

The Visitor Centre has an exhibition space as well as a gift shop that sells Mini-themed merchandise.

It is best to pre-book your tour as group sizes are limited to a maximum of 15 people on each tour. It is best to book at least six to eight weeks in advance if there is a specific date that you want to visit.

There is the option of either the basic tour or the family tour. The basic tour should suit most people; however, the family tour is more suitable if you have children as the production process is explained in a more age-appropriate way on this tour.

Children younger than 14 cannot take the tour and children aged 14–17 must be accompanied by an adult at a ratio of two children to each adult.

Although you can take photos in the museum area of the visitor centre it is not possible to take photos (or video) in the factory and you’re required to place your phones and cameras in a locker prior to taking the tour.

The plant tour is now wheelchair accessible, however, you will need your own transport as the tour moves between different buildings on the plant and the shuttle bus is not wheelchair accessible.

Tours run for 90 minutes but you should allow a little longer for the entire experience. It is recommended that you get there around 15 minutes before the start of your tour and allow time to look at the museum inside the visitor centre after the tour.