MINI Cooper Electric Review 2024

MINI Cooper Electric At A Glance

4/5
Honest John Overall Rating
Fun to drive, fun to look at, fun to sit in – the new MINI Cooper Electric is an EV you’ll actually want to own. It’s got a bigger battery than before, while fresh technology and an upmarket interior give it real ‘wow’ factor. Practicality is limited, though.

+Fun little electric car. Impressive tech-packed cabin. Enjoyable to drive. Greater electric range than before.

-Small boot and limited rear space. Starts to get expensive with option packs. Real-world range might still be lacking for some.

Who says electric cars are soulless? The old MINI Electric was fun to drive and packed with personality, although it never sold in huge numbers – thanks partly to its limited range that would leave you stranded on a long journey. The new model – now badged the MINI Cooper Electric – addresses that from the start. Read on for our full MINI Cooper Electric review.

The entry-level MINI Cooper E comes with a relatively small battery and 190-mile official range, but many buyers are expected to go for the MINI Cooper SE. This comes with a bigger battery pack and an official range of up to 249 miles.

Now that's the ‘head’ stuff out of the way, does the new MINI Cooper Electric appeal to the heart? Well, we think it looks brilliant, while the interior is packed with fun features.

We particularly like the circular infotainment screen in the centre of the dash, while there are various immersive MINI Experience Modes available to reflect your mood.

‘Vivid’ mode, for example, will adjust the ambient lighting to match the album cover of whatever music you’re listening to. ‘Go-Kart’, meanwhile, ramps up the sportiness.

Talking of which, the MINI Cooper Electric is a lot of fun to drive. It feels more agile than any other small electric car we’ve driven, while it’s also pretty quick, too – even the MINI Cooper E can accelerate to 62mph in 7.3 seconds. That would have made it a hot hatch not so long ago.

One limitation of the new MINI Cooper Electric is that it’s only available with three doors. Access to the rear is tricky and the boot is small even by electric hatchback standards.

That’s not an oversight, though – MINI will be hoping that buyers looking for a bit more practicality will be interested in its new MINI Aceman model instead.

Prices for the new MINI Cooper Electric start from £30,000, which is pretty competitive against the likes of the MG 4 EV, Peugeot e-208 and Smart #1.

You may want to go for one of the option packs for some of the more desirable features, and that soon starts to bump up the price – but we doubt that’ll put off many MINI Cooper Electric buyers. We think it’s just the car many MINI drivers have been waiting for.