Why the all-electric MINI Cooper is a What Car? award-winner

#2 Stylish and comfortable

The all-electric MINI Cooper looks as sleek and stylish as ever with its confident low-slung stance, its iconic round LED headlights and octagonal grille, and its triangular rear lights. But it’s on the inside where MINI is really changing the game.

The interior of the all-electric MINI Cooper has been designed to hark even more back its ancestors, with a stripped-back look and a large round central touchscreen display and toggles that evoke Mini models of the 1960s. Equally, the soft-touch knitted-style trims with ambient underlighting give the cabin of the all-electric MINI Cooper a warm premium feel.

“If you’re bored of bland interior designs, you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you get inside the MINI Cooper,” What Car? said. “From behind the wheel, you could imagine it having taken over directly from the 1959 original, complete with a dinner-plate-sized single central instrument with a row of toggle switches below. However, rather than serving only as a speedometer, said instrument is now a 9.5in touchscreen that looks after infotainment and many of the car’s functions.

“There are toggle switches for the gears and driving modes and, instead of a start button, there’s a start/stop switch shaped like a key. There’s also a knitted fabric across the dashboard and on the inside of the doors – available in a variety of colours, depending on the trim level.”

The all-electric MINI Cooper is also cosseting and surprisingly practical for a small car – with 210 litres of luggage space as standard, and up to 800 litres if you drop down the 60:40 split-rear folding seats – perfect for everyday urban living, or weekends away.

“The driver’s seat, steering wheel and pedals all line up neatly with one another,” What Car? said. “The driver’s seat is comfortable, with a reasonable amount of lumbar support, and holds you in place during cornering. The MINI Cooper’s compact dimensions and nippy performance make it an urban commuter par excellence, and it’s great for two heading out on a long weekend farther afield.”

#3 Sprightly and fun to drive

You can’t have MINI without having fun, and the all-electric MINI Cooper boasts bags of pepped-up all-electric performance and sparky handling character. The entry-level MINI Cooper E boasts 184hp and 290Nm of torque, but the MINI Cooper SE really dials up the excitement with 218hp and 330Nm of torque.

“The original 1960s Mini certainly didn’t accelerate like this,” What Car? said. “Go for the entry-level MINI Cooper E and you’ll get surprisingly nippy acceleration of 0-62mph in 7.3 seconds. That’s enough to leave most rivals, including the MG4 and the Peugeot e-208, trailing way behind. The MINI Cooper SE has an even more powerful motor that slingshots it from 0-62mph in just 6.7 seconds. That’s faster than an Abarth 500e – a car billed as an electric hot-hatch.”

And don’t think that all-electric MINI Cooper will be left behind when it comes to the twisty bits. Its go-kart-feel DNA means it tackles corners as compellingly and competently as ever. “There’s more good news when it comes to handling,” What Car? said. “You’ll have plenty of fun along a twisting country road. With barely any body lean in corners, and precise, confidence-inspiring steering, the MINI Cooper raises more of a grin than its rivals. It feels light, agile and has plenty of grip, letting you corner more quickly than you would in an MG4 or a Vauxhall Corsa Electric.

“The sharp, direct steering gives you the confidence to attack turns and trust the front wheels are going to go where you aim them. The steering works well around town, too, making the MINI Cooper easy to manoeuvre in tight situations. The brakes also impress, making it easy to judge just how much pressure you need to put on the middle pedal to slow it down smoothly. That isn’t the case in a lot of rivals.”

What Car? also found praise for the all-electric MINI Cooper’s MINI Experience Modes, which change both its driving character and the look and feel of the interior. “The sportiest of these is Go-Kart Mode, and it goes a long way to imparting the sense of fun that the original 1960s Mini was known for,” What Car? said.

#4 Well-equipped, and packed with tech

When it comes to picking your perfect all-electric MINI Cooper, the line-up offers plenty of choice. After you’ve picked which of the MINI Cooper E or MINI Cooper SE electric powertrains you prefer, you can choose from three stylish trims – Classic, Exclusive or Sport – and a selection of packs.

“All versions of the MINI Cooper come with LED headlights, a heated steering wheel, cruise control and automatic climate control as standard,” What Car? explained. “Going for the Exclusive or Sport trim gives you a wider paint colour palette, bigger wheels and some more eye-catching interior materials. After that, you just need to decide how much kit you want.

“If you’re buying the MINI Cooper E, we’d recommend upgrading to the Level 1 pack. It’s standard on the MINI Cooper SE, and brings customisable front and rear light signatures, keyless entry, power-folding door mirrors, wireless phone charging, heated front seats and the head-up display. If that’s not enough, there are Level 2 and Level 3 packs, which add more creature comforts.”

#5 Good long-term value

Last – but certainly not least – one of the measures that What Car? place on every car is value-for-money and keeping your running costs low. The original 1960s Mini was always designed to be a car of the people, and the new all-electric MINI Cooper has the same ambition of bringing the joy of electric driving to even more people.

In addition to the lower running costs you can expect with any electric car from cost-effective home charging on lower-cost overnight electric rates, What Car? says that the all-electric MINI Cooper should hold its value better than many of its rivals when it comes to depreciation – and that should help keep your monthly payments low if you opt for a PCP finance agreement.

Equally, the all-electric MINI Cooper makes real sense for fleet managers and company car drivers with its 2% benefit-in-kind (BIK) rate. Finally, MINI as a brand scores highly for reliability, finishing in an impressive third place out of 32 brands in the 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey, with only Lexus and Toyota above it.