The Mini Electric (Mini Cooper SE) is the long-awaited EV addition to Mini’s diverse line-up of stylish and engaging city cars in Australia. The Mini EV has a claimed range of 233km but will see a real-world range of 185km.
Despite the switch to electric power, the Mini Electric has not strayed from the brand’s well-known offerings of stylish, comfortable and genuinely fun-to-drive cars. The approach taken has been evolutionary. The design language of the Mini Electric is almost identical to the Internal Combustion equivalents — besides a smoothed-over front grille, new wheel design and yellow accents. But all of these visual differentiators can be replaced to make the Mini Electric look more conventional if one wishes.
The Mini Electric is priced at $59,900 drive away, which makes it more expensive than the larger Nissan Leaf. But it’s considerably cheaper than the BMW i3s which is arguably the closest competitor in terms of image, especially in the absence of the Honda e in the Australian market.
However, the Mini Electric’s range is one of the lowest in the market. 185km of real-world running is significantly less than the cheaper Nissan Leaf (230km) and makes the Mini Electric suited to city-dwellers or those who have access to a second car.
Despite this, the Mini Electric still has a lot going for it and could be one of the most dynamically-engaging EVs available in the market today. With several drive modes to choose from, as well as two steps of regenerative braking, the Mini Electric does offer the driver plenty of ways in which to conserve and harvest energy. Recharge times are kept brisk too, with a fast-charge time of just 29 minutes, or via wall-box at 3 hours and 15 minutes.
The Mini Electric also comes with a 3-year/unlimited km warranty, and a further 8-year/100,000km warranty for the battery, providing some peace of mind for many kilometres of electric motoring.
