Express & Star

Mini’s new electric Cooper arrives with bold look and 250-mile range

Distinctive-looking model will cost from £30,000 in the UK.

Published
Mini Cooper Electric - (EMBARGO: 01/09/2023 10:01 BST)

The fifth-generation Mini Cooper has arrived, bringing with it a range of up to 250 miles from a single charge.

With customer deliveries set to commence in spring 2024, the new Mini Cooper – which is priced from £30,000 – retains the three-door layout of its predecessor but brings a fresh new design, particularly at the rear of the vehicle.

It features flush door handles for the first time, while around the back the eye-catching Union Jack lights of the previous model have been ditched in favour of triangle-shape units. A prominent black gloss plastic section links the rear lights and wears the model badging, too. Unlike previous versions, it’ll be known as ‘Cooper’ rather than ‘Hatch’, too.

Mini Cooper Electric - (EMBARGO: 01/09/2023 10:01 BST)
The rear of the car is where the most design changes have taken place

Inside, the Mini Cooper debuts the first OLED screen to be used inside a car. It’s 240mm in diameter and uses Mini’s Operating System 9. The upper half of the display gives car-related information such as speed and range, while the lower area is where you’ll access features such as media and navigation. Swipe movements can bring up a ‘tool belt’ of often-used functions and the climate control settings are permanently displayed on the left- and right-hand-side of the screen for the passenger and driver respectively.

It’ll be available in three specifications – Classic, Exclusive and Sport – with entry-level versions gaining synthetic leather seats and a coloured textile band on the dashboard. Exclusive models benefit from sports seats and a houndstooth pattern on the textile instrument panel, while Sport adds in black synthetic leather with red stitching and a front grille and logo finished in high-gloss black.

Mini Cooper Electric - (EMBARGO: 01/09/2023 10:01 BST)
Inside, there’s a huge circular OLED screen

Two new powertrains will be available on the electric Mini Cooper. In entry-level Cooper E models, a 40.7kWh battery provides up to 190 miles of range, while an 181bhp electric motor enables a 0-60mph time of 7.1 seconds.

The range-topping Cooper SE, meanwhile, incorporates a larger 54.2kWh battery which can help the Mini achieve a range of up to 250 miles – significantly more than the 145 miles you’ll get from the current car. A more powerful 218bhp electric motor shaves the 0-60mph time to 6.5 seconds, too.

The Mini can charge at speeds of up to 95kW, too, meaning a 10 to 80 per cent charge could be undertaken in 30 minutes.

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