2024 Mini Cooper EV review: the tiny Tesla antidote that’s super fun to drive

August 4, 2024August 3, 2024 Toby Hagon 1841 Views Cooper, Mini

It’s the Chinese-made Mini with lashings of loveable British charm and innovative modern materials blended with the latest tech (and the occasional Mini quirk).

Welcome to the new Mini, one that leverages the BMW-owned brand’s German engineering nous while digging deep into the fun-and-funky persona of the brand known for its small cars.

And the Cooper is as small as it gets, albeit refreshingly practical for singles and couples that won’t often use the tight back seats (it’s only a four-seater).

It’s the entry point to the Mini range, although in EV guise it’s a very different beast to the almost identical one sitting alongside it in the dealership, powered by petrol.

That’s because the second generation of the electric Mini shares very little with the petrol-powered alternative.

Sure, the two look alike, but beneath the skin they’re very different machines.

That’s because the EV we’ve tested here was designed from the outset as an electric vehicle, rather than adapted from an ICE platform, as the original Mini Electric was.

2024 Mini Cooper EV price and equipment

The Mini Cooper E – the entry-level electric Mini – is priced from $53,990 plus on-road costs.

It uses a single electric motor making 135kW and 290Nm to drive the front wheels. In the floor is a modest 41kWh battery pack for 305km of WLTP range.

The car we tested was the more powerful Cooper SE that’s expected to account for the majority of sales.

It makes 160kW and 330Nm and comes with a 54kWh battery pack, enough to go up to 402km between charges, according to the WLTP cycle.

The SE also has a higher DC charge rate – 95kW versus 75kW for the Cooper E – although it takes slightly longer to charge from 10 to 80 percent due to the bigger battery; the E takes 28 minutes, the SE 30 minutes.

An AC charge from a 7.4kW wallbox takes about six hours for the E and eight hours for the SE.

Like other Minis the Cooper SE is available with various themes and packs that step up the equipment levels and allow the choice of finishes and materials.

The SE gets the Favoured treatment, which adds a 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, surround view camera, panoramic sunroof, adaptive cruise control and electrically adjustable and massaging front seats with heating.

But it’s the finishes and trims that help the Mini stand out from garden variety EVs.

Patterned material across the dash teams with soft metal touches and knitted finishes on the doors to add some serious spice.

The random material strap on the dash – it matches the small handle to open the (even smaller) covered centre console is a nice touch; but it’s a pity that the centre console flips open towards the passenger side (or the driver’s side in Europe), making it far less useful for the driver. And it’s replicated with another strap masquerading as a spoke on the steering wheel.

Throw in some stitching, bronze/gold finishes and a panoramic sunroof and it’s a seriously special small car space.

Sure, Minis cost more than a Mazda or Kia, but a few minutes in the latest model is enough to reinforce the thoughtfulness and attention to detail.

Remember, too, that the car is built in China (it comes out of a GWM factory), which these days knows how to match it with the best when it comes to build quality.

While it works well for singles and couples, the Mini Cooper SE doesn’t have loads of space in the back, where rear legroom is tight.

And the boot is compact, albeit with a 60/40 split-fold function to take bulkier items.

2024 Mini Cooper EV: what we think

The new electric Mini Cooper is a very different machine to the original, mainly because of its bespoke EV architecture.

It’s also a very different beast to the petrol-powered model that broadly looks the same but is a fair bit cheaper.

Our SE was making 160kW and 330Nm channelled through a single electric motor driving the front wheels.

It’s ample for brisk take-offs and an effortless, always-on-tap pull that’s perfectly in line with the fun-to-drive Mini positioning.

The claimed 0-100km/h time is 6.7 seconds; not as quick as some, but plenty for zipping around and having a bit of fun when the time is right.

We drove it in the wet, at which point those front tyres are often overwhelmed by the grunt they have to deal with.

But the electronics are nicely calibrated to keep things in check – and keep the wheels pointing in the direction you’re asking them to – while still allowing for brisk forward progress.

The thick rim on the steering wheel won’t suit all hands and is an interesting addition for a car that markets itself on its diminutive size.

But there’s at least some tactility to it, something reinforced with the directness of its operation.

Play around with the Experiences – Mini speak for drive modes – and you can add weight to the steering feel while radically changing the layout of the crisp central display screen.

Those modes also alter the sounds that accompany acceleration and braking.

Vivid, for example, is EV silent, whereas Go Kart has faux turbo whooshes and futuristic exhaust flutters with the backdrop of something that sounds like it’s from the Jetsons.

The 240mm (9.5-inch) circular touchscreen is also a terrific addition to the centre of the dash that further plays to the Mini heritage.

As well as a crisp, vibrant display it has some interesting additions. One of the most unusual is the DJ mode, which, when stopped, turns the screen into a spinning image of a record and allows you to use your fingers to stop and start the tunes with a DJ-like edge.

2024 Mini Cooper EV: Verdict

Gimmicks aside, though, there’s no shortage of talent with the Mini Cooper EV.

At its heart is a fun-to-drive EV hatch that may not muscle up to the Teslas and Polestars on space and driving range, but makes up for it with design flair and individuality.

Throw in innovative and funky finishes and the Mini EV mounts a solid case for those who want something out of the ordinary.

Score: 4/5

2024 Mini Cooper SE specifications
Price: From $58,990 plus on-road costs
Basics: EV, 4 seats, 2 doors, coupe/hatch, FWD
Range: 402km
Battery capacity: 54kWh
Battery warranty: 8 years/160,000km
Energy consumption: 15.1kWh/100km
Motors: 1 front 160kW/330Nm
AC charging: 11kW, Type 2 plug
DC charging: 95kW, CCS combo plug
0-100km/h: 6.7 seconds