Mini Cooper Electric long-term test: report 2
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 1338 List price £32,105 Price as tested £34,655 Official range 247 miles Test range 217 miles
19 January 2026 – Headed North for the winter
Being my first electric car (EV), the Mini Cooper Electric has been a huge learning curve for me. In fact, the Cooper SE is only the second car I’ve ever owned, so I thought it important to face my fears and take my electric car out of its (and my) comfort zone. It just so happened that I had organised a trip to Leeds for a party, which turned out to be the perfect opportunity to test my Cooper SE to its limits.
Having gone to university in Leeds, I was familiar with the journey. My Volkswagen Up would make the trek a few times per year, and could manage it on just half a tank of petrol. However, I knew it wasn’t going to be quite so easy in the Cooper SE.
Getting up to Leeds and back is a 360-mile round trip, and my Cooper SE has an official maximum range of 247 miles. You don’t need to be a mathematician to know that some public charging would be required – and the cold weather didn’t help much either.
Luckily I knew there were a number of public charging spots at service stations along the M1. On the way, I stopped at Donington Park services with around 18 miles to play with – but was very stressed to find all the ultra-rapid chargers in use. I spent ten minutes panicking a little and driving round the car park until a charging bay became free and I zipped in there before anyone else could nab it.
Half an hour later and I was on the road again with 80% charge. By the time I had parked up in Leeds, I had about 60 miles of range remaining, but that was a problem for tomorrow.
By the time morning had arrived, I knew that before breakfast and coffee I needed to give my car some electricity, and found a convenient Tesla Supercharger just outside of Leeds.
My mates and I made it home with no issues, although I did find that the cold weather ate away at my Cooper SE’s range more than I expected. It’ll be interesting to see how the car fares on a similar trip during the warmer months.
So, my EV fears haven’t completely disappeared, but they’re a lot better than before, with one successful long trip under my belt. Hopefully it's the first of many.
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