Used Mini Cooper Electric 2024-present review

According to philosopher Alfred North Whitehead, the “art of progress” is to “preserve order amid change and to preserve change amid order”. You could say the Mini Cooper Electric is a car that does exactly that.

How? Well, the second-generation Cooper Electric was a big step forward from its predecessor, the Mini Electric, yet it retains those instantly recognisable Mini traits. Yes, we’re talking round headlights, a circular speedometer and nimble handling, but they’re delivered in a thoroughly modern way.

Motors and batteries: The most notable area of progress with this second-generation car is, arguably, with the car’s underpinnings, because these were all new and designed solely for an electric car. The old Mini Electric was based on the old petrol-powered Mini hatch and its range was heavily compromised as a result. This generation bears no relation to its petrol counterpart, despite looking very similar.

The entry-level E has a 181bhp electric motor that drives the front wheels, giving it a 0-62mph time of 7.3sec – enough to leave a Peugeot e-208 or Renault 5 for dust. The SE gets an even punchier 215bhp motor that slingshots it from 0-62mph in just 6.7sec. The hot hatchback John Cooper Works (JCW) Electric version tops the range, with a 255bhp motor (if you use its boost mode). It cuts the 0-62mph time down to 5.9 seconds – faster than the Abarth 500e.

Then there’s the all-important question of range. The E has a small 36.6kWh (usable capacity) battery that can officially manage up to 185 miles, which is usefully farther than the old Mini Electric (145 miles) and similar to the entry-level Renault 5 (193 miles). It is, however, still quite a bit less than the 50kWh e-208 (217 miles) and entry-level MG4 (218 miles).

The SE and JCW have a bigger 49.2kWh battery, which gives them a range of 247 and 250 miles, respectively. This makes it more competitive with rivals, including the 51kWh e-208 (248 miles) and Renault 5 Comfort (253 miles).

Ride and handling: Every Cooper Electric has a stiff suspension set-up. That’s good for cornering, where the car feels agile with an impressive level of grip (as you’d expect from a Mini), but it does come at the cost of ride quality. The car is so tightly sprung that you bounce around in your seat over heavily undulating roads. You’ll also feel imperfections and potholes far more than you would in an e-208, which is noticeably more comfortable.

Regardless, the sharp, direct steering in every version allows you to place the car accurately on the road, making it one of the more enjoyable small electric cars to drive. The brakes are nice and progressive, too, which allows you to stop smoothly. The e-208 has a spongier brake pedal by comparison.

Interior and practicality: The driving position in the Cooper Electric is fundamentally good, with the seat, steering wheel and pedals all lining up neatly with one another. The driver's seat is comfortable and holds you in place when cornering, but adjustable lumbar support is only fitted to cars with the Level 3 pack.

The dashboard design is typical Mini, but with a modern twist. A 9.4in circular display sits proudly in the centre of the dashboard, much like the speedometer of the 1959 original, but in this instance, the display’s main purpose is a colour infotainment touchscreen as opposed to speed. While it looks very sharp and it responds quickly to inputs, it’s actually not very easy to use. There’s a lot of information crammed into a small space, and there are too many submenus to dive into, so you really have to focus on it while driving, which is distracting. There are also minimal physical buttons for the climate controls, which doesn’t help with matters. The system in the Renault 5 is far superior to use in almost every respect.

Unusually, the Cooper Electric doesn’t have a digital driver’s display for showing your speed and trip information. Instead, all versions other than the entry-level E (unless you have the Level 1 pack fitted) have a glass head-up display that folds out of the upper dashboard on start-up. The set-up works surprisingly well, putting key information – including your speed and navigation directions – directly into your line of sight.

As for interior materials, there’s a pleasant knitted fabric on the dashboard and doors, which varies in colour depending on the trim level. Other than that, most of the materials consist of hard and scratchy plastics. The e-208 feels more plush inside overall.

Arguably, practicality has never been a Mini strength, but if you’re sitting in either of the front seats, you shouldn’t have any trouble with leg or head room. Instead, it’s those in the back who will find those factors very tight indeed. Getting in and out isn’t easy, either, because it’s a three-door-only (unlike the petrol Cooper, which has a five-door option). The MG4 and Volvo EX30 are better for carrying rear-seat passengers.

And the boot? Well, unsurprisingly, this isn’t very big, either. It has just 210 litres of capacity, which means the Cooper Electric has one of the smallest boots of any electric car. By comparison, an e-208 can hold 311 litres and an MG4 363 litres.

Like most of its rivals, the Cooper Electric has 60/40 split-folding rear seat backs. It also has a height-adjustable boot floor.

Trims and equipment: The Cooper Electric’s trim levels are quite confusing because, other than the three Classic, Exclusive and Sport styling trims, there are Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 option packs that can be added to each. The SE and JCW versions come with the Level 1 pack as standard.

Classic is the entry-level trim and is quite basic stylistically. Going for Exclusive or Sport changes that, giving you more colour options, bigger wheels and some more eye-catching interior trim. Sport trim also changes the exterior styling to match the more aggressive JCW (which gets Sport as standard).

Other than that, all versions of the Cooper Electric come with LED headlights, a heated steering wheel, cruise control and automatic climate control as standard.

In terms of the packs, Level 1 comes with customisable front and rear light signatures, keyless entry, power-folding door mirrors, wireless phone-charging, heated front seats and the head-up display, while Level 2 adds a Harmon Kardon sound system and a panoramic sunroof. Level 3 adds electrically adjustable front seats with memory and massage functions, as well as an interior selfie camera and a 360-degree reversing camera.

"I love the look of the Cooper Electric's interior, but I did find the infotainment system to be confusing and overly complicated. I also wish there was a row of physical climate controls below the screen." – George Hill, Used Cars Writer

If you're interested in finding a used Cooper Electric, or any of the other electric cars mentioned here, head over to the Used Car Buying pages to find lots of cars listed for sale at a great price.

Prices for a used Mini Cooper Electric start from around £21,000, which gets you a 2024 E Classic with very low mileage. Some examples at that price point have just 2000 miles on the clock.

SE cars are a bit more expensive, but not much. Prices for these start from around £24,000 for a 2024 Classic model with very low mileage. For an Exclusive or Sport trim car, in either E or SE forms, expect to pay upwards of £26,000.

To keep up to date with used Cooper Electric prices, use our free valuation tool to make sure you are getting the best deal.

Check the value of a used Mini Cooper Electric with What Car? Valuations

Find used Mini cars for sale

Charging

The E has a maximum charging speed of 70kW from a CCS charging point. This means a 10-80% top-up will take around half an hour in ideal conditions, which is similar to what the MG4, e-208 and Vauxhall Corsa Electric can manage.

For the SE and JCW versions, these have a maximum charging speed of 95kW. While they still take around half an hour to charge from 10-80%, you’ll be adding more miles during that time than you would in the E because of the bigger battery.

Insurance and servicing

Insurance groups for the Cooper Electric range from group 20 for the E to group 30 for the JCW. This means it will be cheaper to insure than all versions of the e-208, but similar to equivalent versions of the Corsa Electric and Renault 5.

For servicing, Mini offers a £10 per month service plan, which includes cover for two consecutive services. Mini recommends the first service after three years from the date of the car’s first registration, then every two years or 30,000 miles after that.

Warranty

From new, every Cooper Electric comes with a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty. That’s better than Renault’s three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, but less than MG’s seven-year, 80,000-mile cover.

Safety

The Cooper Electric was given a five-star safety rating by Euro NCAP in 2025. All versions come with lots of safety kit as standard, with features such as lane-keep assistance and blind-spot monitoring.

Reliability

The Cooper Electric is too new to have featured in the What Car? Reliability Survey, and because it’s based on new underpinnings, we can’t comment on the reliability of any of its relatives.

In our brand rankings, Mini did very well, placing first out of 31 contenders in the car brand reliability league table. That’s impressive and it should inspire confidence.

Find out more about used Mini Cooper Electric reliability, including updates as owner data becomes available, on our dedicated reliability page.

Motor and battery

For the longer range, stronger performance and quicker charging speed, we’d recommend going for the SE over the regular E. It also doesn’t cost a whole lot more on the used market.

Specification

Classic trim is a popular choice and, when combined with SE, it gives you the Level 1 pack fitted as standard. This gives you access to useful features, such as the head-up display.

Our favourite Mini Cooper Electric: SE Classic

The Peugeot e-208 is a very well-priced used electric car with a comfortable ride and a plush interior. It’s also more practical than the Cooper Electric, with five doors and a bigger boot. It’s not as much fun to drive, though.

The MG4 is another good option. It’s more spacious than the Cooper Electric and e-208, so it’s great for carrying people in the back. It’s also available with more battery options, including an Extended Range version. Just be wary of its poor reliability record.

The VW ID 3 is a great used buy. It has a comfortable ride, a vast interior and a very tempting price tag. Iffy interior quality and a fiddly infotainment system are its main ailments.

We would steer you towards the Renault 5, but prices for these are still holding steady. There aren’t many available on the used market yet, either.

Find a used Mini Cooper Electric for sale with What Car? Used Car deals >>

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here