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Ten Second Review

The fun-to-drive MINI formula is alive and well in this, the fourth BMW interpretation of the brand's iconic small hatch. Though petrol power continues, here we focus on the EV variant, now with a dedicated platform that improves packaging and allows for the bigger battery required for greater driving range. But the looks and the drive experience will both feel satisfyingly familiar.

Background

EV-powered MINI models have actually been with us for an awful long time now - MINI E prototypes were first produced as long ago as 2008. But, curiously, twelve long years followed before the brand actually put a battery-powered model into production - the R56-era MINI Electric of 2020. Which was particularly strange as the BMW part of this Munich conglomerate had launched a car in this segment (the i3) in 2016. Despite its lengthy development period, MINI's first R56 design was a bit of a bodge job, basically an electric version of the F56 combustion model. But with its successor, this J01 design, things are very different. Ostensibly, there are two versions of the current-era MINI Hatch, but the combustion F66 model we've already tested for you is really just an overhauled version of its predecessor with fresh panelwork and a new interior. It's this J01-era EV design that really is the completely all-new model MINI promised, its underpinnings and drivetrain developed by Spotlight Automotive, a joint venture between BMW and Chinese giant Great Wall Motor. Unlike the combustion Cooper Hatch, it's Chinese-built (alongside its five-door counterpart the identically-engineered Aceman crossover), and all variants now carry a 'Cooper' badge. More importantly, all versions considerably improve on the pitiful EV driving range that characterised the brand's first generation EV Hatch model. And there are now two battery options and it's even possible to now have your Cooper Electric in fiery John Cooper Works hot hatch form. You can find out more about that model - and rivals to this more ordinary version - by downloading the Car & Driving app.

Driving Experience

Speed might be the first thing you'll notice here but what was more important for BMW to achieve with this J01-era MINI Cooper Electric was a dramatic increase in drive range. The main reason folk didn't buy the original R56-era Electric Hatch model was that it often struggled to break the three-figure mileage barrier between charges if you drove it hard. That car didn't have a larger battery because it couldn't accommodate one and even if it had been able to, all that bulk would have ruined the brand's trademark agile 'MINI-ness'. So sorting that issue was a huge challenge with this replacement car - so great a feat in fact that the Munich engineers had to join forces with Chinese conglomerate Great Wall Motor to do it. Endless work was done on an all-new Spotlight Automotive platform to allow this car to shrug off the considerable extra bulk of two new batteries much heavier than the original model's little 35.6kWh unit. Either a 40.7kWh pack for the base Cooper Electric E, which powers a 182bhp motor and provides for a range of up to 185 miles. Or a 54.2kWh battery for the top Cooper Electric SE we're trying here, which powers a 215bhp motor and provides for a range of up to 247 miles, a previously unheard-of figure for an electric MINI. The bigger battery is also used by the top John Cooper Works version, which gets a few software tweaks to its motor, boosting output to 258hp yet manages up to 251 miles. So: range is much better; but at what cost to MINI-like agility? After all, the elephant in the room - or, more accurately in this case, beneath the floor - here is kerb weight. Which is up from a relatively featherweight 1,312kg in the first generation model to 1,540kg in the Cooper E and a porky 1,615kg in this Cooper SE. If you've come straight to this car from the old R56-era model, you'll feel the effect of that extra bulk at speed through tighter turns - though not quite as much as you might expect to. The engineers have had to engineer the suspension very carefully to achieve that result (it's slightly softer in this heavier SE variant) and they don't want owners playing around with the end result, which is doubtless why (unlike with the combustion version of this car) you can't have adaptive suspension - which is always a bit of an issue with a firm-riding MINI. Fortunately, you can just about live with the pre-determined passive damping settings for suburban work and on your favourite secondary back-double route, they're well chosen to preserve most of the kart-style handling MINI wants to still be famous for.

Design and Build

Like the previous R56-era MINI Hatch Electric, this J01-era car is intentionally visually almost identical to its combustion counterpart - apart from tiny changes at the front and rear. And, also as before, you can't have it with five-doors - though in time, there will be a Convertible version. From the side, it looks exactly like an F66-era combustion Cooper 3-Door, that silhouette instantly recognisable with its flush glazing, 'floating' contrast-coloured roof and blacked-out window pillars. We mentioned that there were minor EV visual differences; the most obvious one is the blanking plate below the bonnet line at the front, replacing the little grille you get on an F66 combustion model. Apart from that though, you have to be pretty eagle-eyed to spot the EV differences over the fossil-fuelled version - and you'd never guess that the two models are so utterly different beneath the skin. It's even more difficult to pick up EV model changes inside where, as with every MINI, the cabin's centrepiece remains a familiar large circular central display - 9.5-inches in size. With this generation design though, it's not accompanied by a little instrument dial, which you don't really need because most models now get a head-up display. Otherwise, there's nothing to view through the re-designed steering wheel except the new textile-trimmed dashboard panel, which stretches away from you towards the rather upright windscreen, changes in colour according to trim and suits the whole trendy MINI vibe. The minimalist fascia is largely shorn of buttons and the drive selector has been relocated to a position in a row of toggle switches beneath the central screen. You sit quite low, which adds to the promised 'sporty' feel. There's a strange mixture of both vertical and horizontal fascia vents; and nice little fashion touches like a contrast-coloured tab in front of the passenger, the fabric lower steering wheel spoke and a branded MINI box between the seats. Once you cram yourself into the back, there's less space for heads and legs than virtually any rival you can think of - but then, that's always been the case with a 3-Door MINI. And this rear bench is restricted to two people. The back rest angle is quite comfortable though. And there's fractionally more knee room that was offered by the previous generation EV model. Out back, there's a 210-litre boot, extendable to 800-litres.

Market and Model

At the time of this review, prices for this EV model were starting at around £27,000 for the 40.7kWh Cooper Electric E; it was around £30,000 for the 54.2kWh Cooper Electric SE. And at the top of the range is the John Cooper Works Electric version, which as we filmed was priced at around £35,000. Overall, think in terms of needing around £1,500 above what you'd pay for an equivalent combustion MINI hatch model. And around £2,000 less than you'd pay for an equivalent version of the car that shares identical engineering with this Cooper Electric, the MINI Aceman small crossover, which you'd choose if you wanted the extra practicality of five doors. In the core of the line-up, what you get in terms of standard kit depends on your choice between the three mainstream trim levels - 'Classic', 'Exclusive' and 'Sport', before you get to the John Cooper Works model which has its own stand-alone spec at the very top of the range. Standard equipment across the line-up includes LED headlights, LED tail lamps, auto headlamps and wipers, rear parking sensors, a rear view camera, cruise control and 'MINI Experience' drive modes. Plus an eDrive exterior sound and a heat pump to maintain driving range in cold temperatures. Alloy wheels are standard too, with 16-inch rims with 'Classic' trim, 17-inch alloys with this 'Exclusive' spec and big 18-inch rims on the top 'Sport' and John Cooper Works version. Whatever variant you select, within the asking price, you can choose to have the roof in body colour or in black, 'Chili Red' or 'Glazed White'. Inside, all models get MINI's big round OLED fascia screen, ambient lighting, 2-zone automatic climate control, a heated steering wheel and a MINI Navigation system. Upholstery is usually in a cloth and Vescin leatherette combination, available in either black or grey. As for safety kit, well at a minimum, all Cooper Electric models come with the contents of MINI's 'Driving Assistant' Pack. This includes Forward Collision Warning with brake intervention, Lane Keep Assist, Blind Spot Detection, Rear Collision Prevention and Vehicle Exit Warning. There's driver monitoring too and thankfully, unlike some rival systems, it's not too intrusive.

Cost of Ownership

We gave you the battery range figures in our 'Driving' section; in more detail, they're officially quoted at 179-185 miles from the Electric E model's 40.7kWh battery (only 36.6kWh of which is actually usable); 239-247 miles from the Electric SE variant's 54.2kWh battery (49.2kWh of which is usable) and 226-251 miles for the JCW version. Depending on variant, MINI reckons that this Cooper Electric should manage an efficiency showing somewhere between 3.8 and 4.3 miles-per-kWh. What about charging? We didn't expect much here because the base Cooper E can only charge at an almost unacceptably feeble rate of 75kW; even the bigger-battery Cooper SE only manages a maximum of 95kW. To give you some class perspective, a Volkswagen ID.3 can manage 135kW or more. MINI needs to urgently work on this. Even so, on all models a 10-80% DC public charge can still be completed in either 28 minutes (for the E) or 30 minutes (for the SE and JCW); you'll probably be able to live with that. For AC charging at home, full battery replenishment for a Cooper E using a typical 7.4kW wallbox needs just under 6 hours; it'd be just under 8 hours for the SE variant. If your property can sustain an 11kW wallbox with a three-phase supply, you can reduce those times to four hours and 30 minutes - or five hours and 15 minutes respectively. What else? As we filmed, EV Benefit-in-Kind taxation for the 2025/2026 tax year was set at 3%. And as you probably know, Electric Vehicles are no longer exempt from VED road tax and now have to pay the London Congestion charge, though they are still exempt from charges in the London ULEZ zone. As expected, there's the normal mediocre three year unlimited mileage warranty. And the battery has its own 8 year or 100,000 mile warranty

Summary

If you can avoid the carping conclusion that this is the MINI Electric we really ought to have had from the very beginning, there's lots to like about the company's second generation EV small hatch. The brand hasn't attempted to broaden this model's customer demographic by making the car bigger, or the ride less unyielding. But dedicated MINI Hatch followers will probably rejoice to see that. Better a MINI that knows its market. And if you fit that product remit but wished the original model had a longer operating range and a bit more technology, you're well served here. You could argue this to be the most characterful MINI model BMW has yet made; it's certainly a refreshing antidote to many of the other rather vanilla EV offerings in this segment. And a properly modern interpretation of the Issigonis original.