What is the greatest British car of all time? Is it the Range Rover or the Land Rover? The Jaguar E-type maybe, or the McLaren F1 perhaps? According to a recent survey by Autocar, the Mini is in fact the most popular car ever to have hailed from the UK.

The Mini was revolutionary both in the way it looked and the impressive capacity it offered. For a vehicle that was less than 10 feet long, its ability to accommodate four adults and offer ample boot space was a source of wonder. It first hit Britain’s tarmac way back in 1959, but didn’t initially stir the public’s interest. It wasn’t until the great and good of stage and screen began embracing the Mini that the general public started buying them in great numbers.

While the car itself was never very profitable, it changed the way cars were designed forever. It demonstrated just how compact a car could get, and paved the way for the numerous small city cars we see today.

The inner workings of the original Mini were so simple that few owners have had to think about breakdown insurance when driving one. It was this reliability, combined with fuel economy and cheeky good looks that made the Mini such a star.

The Autocar survey was carried out in response to news that Britain’s car output is expected to exceed 2 million by 2015. The current record was set in 1972 when 1.92 million cars were produced in the UK.