Mini Cooper Electric long-term test: report 1
Can Mini's smallest electric car be the perfect answer for someone who lives in the city? We're living with one to find out...
The car Mini Cooper SE Exclusive Run by Eleanor Cooper, news writer
Why it’s here To find out if this cutesy small electric car is more than just a pretty face
Needs to Absorb the stress of morning stop-start commutes, shrug off pangs of range anxiety and slot into small parking spaces with ease
Mileage 700 List price £32,105 Price as tested £34,655 Official range 247 miles Test range 247 miles Options fitted Level 2 package (£2000) and 18in Night Flash Spoke 2-tone wheels (£550)
30 December 2025 – Cooper2
When I first drove my Mini Cooper Electric, it was a reminder of just how much cars have changed over the past decade. You see, since I passed my driving test six years ago, I’ve only ever owned one vehicle: a 2016 Volkswagen Up. And while this has served me well, it makes do with a tiny 59bhp engine and a mobile phone holder for an infotainment system.
By contrast, my new Mini has more than three times the power (215bhp) and a circular, 9.54in touchscreen that features swish graphics and comes packed with functionality.
Specifically, I’ve gone for a Mini Cooper SE, which means it sits at the mid-point in the electric Cooper line-up in terms of power and price, and has the bigger of the two battery options available: one with a 49.2kWh usable capacity that delivers an official range of 247 miles. That’s more than enough for my 60-mile round trip to work, but I’ll be interested to find out how the car handles a longer journey – such as the 360-mile trek to Leeds and back I have pencilled in for a few weeks' time.
On that trip, I’ll definitely need to stop to top-up the battery at some point. And, thanks to the Cooper SE’s peak charging rate of 95kW, a 10-80% refill should in theory be possible in around half an hour. There are rivals out there that can charge faster, such as the MG 4 EV or Peugeot e-208, but the SE does improve on the 75kW rate of the cheaper Mini Cooper E.
It’s also worth noting that I’ve gone for Exclusive trim, which is a couple of steps above entry-level Classic and costs an extra £2200. Extra kit includes a heated sports steering wheel and John Cooper Works sports seats, plus it gives you a wider range of paint colours to choose from, of which I’ve plumped for British Racing Green (yours for an additional £550).
On top of that, I’ve opted for the 18in Night Flash Spoke 2-tone alloy wheels (£550) and the Level 2 equipment pack (£2000), which adds a panoramic glass sunroof, heated front seats, adaptive LED headlightss, wireless smartphone charging, a head-up display and a posh Harman Kardon sound system.
Of course, most new cars nowadays – including my Mini – come with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring. But for me it’s quite the upgrade on the archaic auxiliary cord I was using in my Up. And being able to play music, use Google Maps and charge my phone at the same time has proved nothing short of life-changing.
The same can’t be said of the materials used inside the latest Mini, but they do still look smart and hard-wearing. And having almost everything covered in knitted fabric is quite a step up on the, err, Up, with its bare metal.
It’s not just superficial quality that we’re talking about, either. Mini was the second best performing brand in the 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey (having finished top in 2024). And while the current car was too new to be included, its predecessor earned a 94.2% dependability rating, helping to allay the fears I had in going from petrol power (which I’m used to) to electric (which I’m not).
In my first few weeks of ownership, the Mini has mostly been tasked with urban journeys, but I’ve still been impressed with the instant pull of its electric motor and the way the directness of the steering gives it a darty feel.
Less helpfully, when I used it to get to Heathrow ahead of a work trip out of the country, I had to pack light because the boot measures in at just 210 litres. That’s actually smaller than the one in my Up.
I’ve also had my first public charging experience already, which went pretty smoothly. I’m lucky enough to live in a part of the country that has decent public EV infrastructure – which is just as well because I’m currently still in the process of securing a home charger for my driveway.
Overall, then, life with my Mini is going well. But it will be interesting to see if that’s another thing that changes dramatically over time, or if the positive feelings endure.
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