Hot hatched: Mini John Cooper Works E PROtotype previews quickest-ever electric hot to rival the Abarth 500e and Alpine A290

The white hot 2025 Mini John Cooper Works E PROtotype electric hot hatch has been teased – and it’s shaping up to be one of the fastest pocket rockets ever unleashed.

The lightly camouflaged Mini JCW Works E PROtoype was shown ahead of its launch at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this week where it will be unleashed for a run up one of the world’s most famous hill climbs.

Based on the recently launched battery-powered MINI Cooper SE, the British car-maker has yet to announce a huge boost over the 160kW/330Nm of torque that the Cooper SE musters.

A safe bet is the more extreme MINI John Cooper Works E PROtotype, will adopt the larger more powerful e-motor from the BMW i4 eDrive40 M Sport that produces 250kW and 430Nm of torque.

Another rumour could see it produce even more power courtesy of a dual-motor powertrain but it’s not known if the MINI JCW E’s Great Wall Motors-derived platform is able to accommodate a second e-motor. If it can expect power upwards of 300kW.

That could make it one of the quickest hot hatches ever, regardless of its powertrain.

Whichever its powertrain, a 0-100km/h of less than 5.0 seconds is almost certain and will mark a huge improvement over the Cooper SE’s 6.7-second 0-100km/h dash.

What won’t be easy to overcome is weight. In its standard state the Cooper SE tips the scales at more than 1700kg, suggesting the JCW E will be even heavier, unless Mini’s go-faster division has introduced kilo-cutting measures like a carbon-fibre roof.

Whatever’s the case, the JCW E will feature a substantial chassis overall with a wider front and rear track and wide arches that will package broader tyres, while the larger wheels will hide a set of bigger brakes.

If the JCW E remains front-drive it might bag a sophisticated limited-slip differential and the car-maker’s next-gen torque vectoring to help get all the grunt to the ground.

From the teaser we can see Mini’s new electric hot hatch boast’s an overhauled aero that includes a revised front bumper, side skirts, subtle tailgate spoiler and rear diffuser that have all been designed to boost downforce without introducing range-sapping drag.

Speaking of which, if the JCW E shares the Cooper SE’s 54.2kWh lithium-ion battery expect it to cover less than 400km between charges.

Instead of a full reveal at Goodwood it’s thought the BMW-owned brand will keep the camoflage on until a later date when it will fully reveal the Mini John Cooper Works E PROtotype.