EV Owner Review – 2020 Mini Cooper SE First Edition
Want to know what it’s really like to own an electric car? We ask owners who’ve been living with one for their honest opinions: good, bad or ugly.
Brisbane software engineer Jeff Shaw snared the very first customer delivery Mini Cooper SE, and 7,500km later is as smitten with his choice as on day of first collection. Here are his thoughts after almost a year of ownership.
Name: Jeff Shaw.
Age: 50-ish.
Profession: Software engineer.
Location: Brisbane.
Your EV: 2020 Mini Cooper SE First Edition.
Owned since new? Yes
Other cars you own: Honda Jazz.
Why did you choose an electric car? I’ve been wanting one for a long time. I was just waiting for the right one for me.
Why a MINI Electric: EVs are about more than just acceleration, efficiency and not polluting. A car should be fun to drive, and the MINI ticks all the boxes. Short of a Taycan, it’s the most fun EV you can get in Australia.
How’s the transition to an EV been? Easy really, I just don’t go to the petrol station any more. The toughest part is when I have to drive an ICE car. I’ve been spoiled.
What range do you get? From the day I got the car, I have been getting an average of 234km range (spot on WLTP). High speed highway driving can bring that down closer to 200km, and mainly city driving heads north of 250km. The most I’ve ever achieved was 270km.
What’s your average energy consumption? Since new it’s at 12.3kWh/100km. Best single charge has been 10.5kWh/100km and the worst single charge 14.5kWh/100km.
What’s the drive experience like? Amazing. I refuse to say it handles like a go-kart. Damn, I just said it. It is by far the best driving experience I have had. The handling is sublime, the seats are comfortable and provide excellent support around corners. The acceleration is addictive and the quietness equally so. It just feels special, even at slow speeds.
The positives? I know it sounds like a cop out, but really, everything. Well, except…
The negatives? The GOM (Guess ‘O’ Meter). The indicated range is woefully inaccurate, which is quite poor for a low range EV. I have never seen a range indicated greater than 180km. My longest time between charges was 270km, and I normally don’t charge until some time after 200km – still with 20-odd percent left. You would think it would learn.
What do you use it for? Day to day driving, commuting to work, shopping. Basically all our normal driving.
What’s the furthest you’ve driven it? Brisbane to Noosa for the EV Expo (about 140km).
Do you suffer range anxiety? No. Around town it is more than enough for the week. I can granny charge overnight and be full the next day, or a 10-minute splash and dash from a 50kW charger nets me almost 30%, or about 70km. An empty to 100% on the DC is about an hour, and 0-80% is around 30 minutes, so there is no range anxiety whatsoever.
How do you charge it? At home on a 10A (2.4kW) charger. Due to the small battery, that is all you need. I occasionally take it to the fast charger, especially on the weekends if I am getting a bit low and have a trip planned.
Do you have solar at your property? Yes.
What are the running costs? So low, I really haven’t bothered to keep track. If I only charged at home overnight (off peak), then about $7 per week. I get more back for my solar than the off peak rate, so it is cheaper to charge overnight, and theoretically free as I make more from the solar than the car takes.
What’s the current mileage and battery health? 7500km, still 100% health.
Any problems with it? I had to fill up the windscreen washer fluid. Seriously though, except the GOM, everything is still perfect.
Did you buy it to save money? No, but it is doing a good job of it.
What changes would you like to see as an EV owner? More charging stations. On longer trips, you need to think about charging in any EV. This isn’t the same as range anxiety, it is just a fact. If chargers were everywhere, then you wouldn’t even have to worry about that.
Would you go back to an ICE car? No.
