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 small car like a Mini Cooper, given its retro charm and agile handling, but practicality is traditionally not one of them. My Mini Cooper Electric is no exception; it doesn’t offer the capacious legroom of a chunky family SUV, nor does it house an enormous luggage space under its bootlid. But, having run my Cooper SE now for a few months, I’ve found that it offers enough practicality for my needs.

I recently put my Cooper SE’s spaciousness to the test with a trip up to Leeds with some friends, and on the way back, I took my friend Lily back 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 a couple more overnight bags and some clothes, and we had a hefty load to cart back down South.

Now, the Cooper SE’s 210 litres of boot space is one of the smallest in the electric car class, so I was worried about squeezing it all in. For comparison, the rival MG4 has 153 more litres in its boot, and we fit five carry-on suitcases in there in our tests. However, years of playing Tetris in my youth paid off, and we managed to pile all our luggage into the Cooper without issue.

That being 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 squeeze him in the boot of my Cooper SE would be ambitious, to say the least. My car is definitely not among the best cars for dogs (sorry Reggie).

Usually, it’s just me and maybe one other passenger in the car, which is great because the front seats slide a long way back so there’s plenty of legroom. The same can’t quite be said for the back, though, and any time I do carry more than one passenger they draw straws to see who's sitting in the back.

The Cooper SE only has three doors, which means rear passengers have to clamber awkwardly through a small opening behind the front seats to get in. Once you’re in there, you’ll find that leg room is very tight. I’m only short, at 1.58m (5ft2in), so it’s not so bad for me, but my taller friends struggled on our long journey up to Leeds.

But while there are certainly more practical options out there, small cars can be good little workhorses if one fits into your lifestyle. For me, the Cooper SE’s limited practicality is easily outweighed by how enjoyable it is to drive, and how easily it slots into parking spaces.

Read more on our long-term Mini Cooper Electric >>

Read about more long-term test cars >>

Buy a new car with What Car?

Like the sound of the Mini Cooper Electric?

If so, check out our New Car Deals pages to see how much you could save on a Mini Cooper Electric.

We’ve got the biggest selection of discounted new cars available in the UK.