Mini Cooper Electric review

The Mini Cooper Electric and Greggs vegan sausage roll have more in common than you might think: they’re both guilt-free versions of an extremely popular British classic. 

Now, while the recipe of the vegan sausage roll has remained unchanged since it was first launched, the electric version of the Mini hatchback has just been completely reinvented for a new generation. 

The biggest change is the introduction of all-new underpinnings, which have been designed specifically for an electric car by Mini and Chinese firm Great Wall Motors. The previous-generation Mini Electric was based on the petrol version’s underpinnings.

A petrol-powered 2024 Mini Cooper is on its way too, but while it will look almost identical to the Cooper Electric, it's actually a face-lifted version of its predecessor.

There are two versions of the new electric Mini to choose from. The Cooper Electric E produces 181bhp from a front-mounted electric motor, while the SE produces 215bhp from the same set-up. The E has a 40.7kWh (total capacity) battery, while the SE gets a bigger, 54.2kWh battery.

Below are our first impressions of the Mini Cooper Electric compared with its rivals, which include the Fiat 500 Electric, MG4, Peugeot e-208 and Volvo EX30.

While we’ve seen, sat in and pushed buttons, we’ve not yet driven the car, which is why there’s no overall star rating. Still, you can find new Mini Cooper deals on our New Car Deals pages.

We’ve had a chance to sit inside the new Mini Cooper Electric, and can confirm that build quality feels rock solid throughout, with an appealing mix of materials. We’re told that petrol-powered versions will be virtually identical.

The interior follows a minimalist design, with a circular 9.4in touchscreen as its centrepiece and an all-new infotainment system.

Unlike the previous-generation electric Mini, there is no rotary dial for navigating the infotainment – you have to prod the touchscreen or give voice commands. That's likely to make the system more distracting to use while driving.

It’s also a shame that you now need to use the screen to adjust the climate control – although at least the settings are always displayed, rather than hidden behind a menu. Overall, the Renault Megane E-Tech has a more intuitive interior.

As part of the minimalist approach, there’s no driver display in the Mini Cooper Electric. Instead, there’s an optional head-up display that shows your speed and other information. In cars without a head-up display, you'll have to check those on the touchscreen.

Mini has also moved the gear selector, turn-key starter button, drive mode toggle and volume knob to a dedicated panel below the screen, which means there’s now more storage space in the centre console.

The new Mini Cooper Electric has an impressive amount of leg room up front, and that’s largely helped by the fact the front seats slide quite far back. There’s also plenty of head room, so drivers of all heights should be able to get comfortable.

In the back seats, rear space is similar to the outgoing Mini Electric, so it’s pretty cramped. If you’re over 6ft tall, you’ll find your head touches the ceiling and your knees will almost certainly be pushed up against the front seats.

While the petrol-powered Cooper will be available with three or five doors, the electric version is three-door only, and it’s quite difficult to get in and out of the back seats, especially if you're tall.

The Cooper Electric's boot – with 200 litres of storage volume – is one of the smallest in the electric car class. For comparison, the MG4 can hold 363 litres, while the Peugeot e-208 can hold 311 litres.

The rear seats fold down in a 60/40 configuration, which is something the vast majority of electric cars offer. When the back seats are folded, the storage capacity grows to 800 litres. That will make it much more practical if you need to carry larger items, but it’s still not as much as the MG4 can hold (1177 litres).

With a starting price of around £30,000, the Mini Cooper Electric is more expensive to buy outright than the MG4, but slightly cheaper than the Peugeot e-208, Renault Megane E-Tech and Volvo EX30. It's expected to hold its value strongly against depreciation.

Officially, the Cooper Electric E can travel 188 miles on a full battery charge, while the Cooper Electric SE can travel 249 miles. For comparison, the MG4 SE can travel 218 miles officially, while the MG4 Long Range model can travel 281 miles.

There are three trim levels to choose from: Classic, Exclusive and Sport.

Classic is the entry-level trim and offers LED headlights, a heated steering wheel, a reversing camera, sat-nav and a front central armrest as standard.

Cooper SE Classics are slightly better equipped than equivalent Cooper Es. They gain customisable front and rear light signatures, wireless phone-charging, a head-up display and heated front seats.

Next up the range is Exclusive trim, which adds a central storage box for the centre console, silver exterior trim and a decorative dashboard strap.

Top-spec Sport trim comes with a sports steering wheel, gearshift paddles, sport brakes, gloss-black exterior trim and more aggressive-looking bumpers.

In terms of reliability, Mini finished in a solid third place out of 32 car manufacturers in the 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey (only Lexus and Toyota did better).

The Cooper Electric has yet to be tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP. However, it does come with adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring as standard. Lane-keep assist and a speed-limit warning system are optional as part of the Driving Assistance Plus package.