The 1956 Suez Crisis resulted in petrol rationing, which gave birth to MINI. In 1957, Sir Leonard Lord of the Morris Company assigned his chief engineer the task of designing a tiny, fuel-efficient model that could seat four people. MINI was first introduced in 1959, and it was manufactured by British Motor Corporation in England until 2000. However, in 2000, BMW purchased MINI.

The Mark I, the first production vehicle, rolled off the assembly line in 1959. Before becoming its own brand in 1969, the car was sold under the BMC marques of Morris (as the Mini-Minor) and Austin (as the Seven). In 1961, the Austin Mini Cooper and Morris Mini Cooper made their debuts. In 1963, the more powerful Mini Cooper S made its debut. In 1967, Mark II was introduced with a reworked front grille and a wider back window. In 1969, manufacture of the Mark III began, with a redesigned body shell.

The redesigned Mark IV Mini was introduced in 1977. It was equipped with double column stalks for indicators and wipers, as well as larger foot pedals. Reversing lights were added to rear light clusters starting in 1977. The mark V was released in 1984, with a newer engine and larger brake discs. Following that, the Mark VI was produced in 1990 and lasted until 1996, when the MINI's final form, the Mark VII, was released.

In 2012, the brand made its debut in India. The Mini Cooper SE is the company's newest model in India, with a 32.6kWh battery pack and a range of roughly 233 kilometres.