Mini Cooper Electric long-term test

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 2742 miles List price £32,105 Price as tested £34,655 Official range 247 miles Test range 200 miles

26 April 2026 – Comfort is king

There are many parts of life in which stepping out of your comfort zone would do you a world of good – but driving a car isn’t necessarily one of them. In fact, I’d argue that being comfortable is one of the most important things when it comes to driving, and my Mini Cooper Electric does it well.

No matter how many miles you cover, there’s not much worse than an uncomfortable driver’s seat – especially if you have to sit in it every day. My commute to the office might only be a 60-mile round trip, but I’m forever grateful for the creature comforts included with my Cooper SE that make the journey more than bearable.

Because I opted for Exclusive trim, my Cooper SE comes with fancy John Cooper Works sports seats, which have integrated headrests and some extra bolstering to keep me planted when going round tight corners. They’re definitely comfortable, and I was really glad I’d opted for them on my way home from work the other day, when an incident on the motorway added another hour to my journey in standstill traffic.

If I had to nitpick, I find that the seatbelt is positioned quite far back from the seats, so I risk pulling a muscle every time I set off. A first-world problem, I know – and at first, I thought it might just be because my seat was too far forward, because my legs are rather short. But our videographer Jonty, who is taller than me, found the same thing with the passenger seat when we drove to get lunch the other day.

Plus, with my Level 2 package, I get a number of goodies that have really made a difference, including heated front seats (a must-have for cold morning commutes), a panoramic sunroof, a head-up display, wireless phone charging and a premium Harman Kardon surround sound audio system.

That’s a whole lot of kit for someone who is used to a spartan Volkswagen Up. I have to say the premium sound system is one of my favourite features in the Cooper SE. As a music fan, I think splashing out on a posh stereo is genuinely worth it if you can afford it. These Harman Kardon speakers produce a fuller, more balanced sound compared with regular car speakers that you can hear well over the slight road noise the Cooper SE produces at higher speeds.

I’ve gotten so used to these extra features that I sometimes have to remind myself to stay humble and remember where I came from – my beloved VW Up. But I definitely will have a hard time adjusting if my heated seats are ever taken away from me.

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