Mini Cooper Electric long-term test: report 5

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 1825 miles List price £32,105 Price as tested £34,655 Official range 247 miles Test range 180 miles

14 March 2026 – Mini in every sense of the word

There are a number of reasons why you might buy a Mini Cooper Electric – including its retro charm and agile handling – but practicality is unlikely to be on the list.

My car doesn’t, for example, offer a huge amount of rear leg room, and its boot isn’t surprisingly capacious. But, you know what: I’ve found that it offers enough practicality for my needs, even on those occasions when I think I might be asking a bit too much of it.

Recently, for example, I went on a trip up to Leeds to see some old university friends, and on the way back, I gave my friend Lily a lift down to her flat in Surrey. She'd been staying in Manchester for a few weeks, which meant she had a good amount of luggage with her. Add in my overnight bags, and we had a hefty load to cart back down South.

Now, my Cooper SE’s 210-litre boot is one of the smallest in the electric car class, so I was worried about squeezing it all in. However, years of playing Tetris in my youth paid off, and it ultimately wasn’t a problem.

That said, there is definitely a limit on what you can fit in there. Take my dog Reggie; he’s a rather stocky English Labrador, and trying to carry him in the boot would be ambitious, to say the least. My car is definitely not among the best cars for dogs (sorry Reggie).

I’m also grateful that it’s usually just me, and maybe one passenger, in the car. You see, the front seats slide back a long way to ensure they offer plenty of leg room, but this doesn’t leave room for anyone much taller than me (I’m (5ft 2in) in the back.

It also doesn’t help that the Cooper SE has only three doors, so rear passengers have to clamber awkwardly through a small opening behind the front seats to get in. But while there are certainly more practical options out there, this car is still spacious enough to fit into my lifestyle.

Besides, for me, any shortcomings in this area are more than outweighed by how enjoyable my Mini is to drive, and how easily it slots into parking spaces.

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