This is the first electric Mini that you can now walk into a dealership in Ireland and put a deposit on for when deliveries start later this year. Sp,e Mini dealerships are currently offering a test drive of this new electric Mini version so you can see for yourself if the Mini electric is what you should be adding to your shopping list. It looks like a regular Cooper S, although if you look closely there are some subtle differences, for example the grille is different with yellow detailing which is bespoke for the Mini electric, although you can deselect it if you want.
Along the side you’ll see that the car has actually been jacked up slightly to provide greater ground clearance for the battery pack. It’s all been well hidden with some design tricks as the wheel arch trims have been extended so there’s not an ugly gap between the top of the tire and the wheel arch.
The alloys are also unique to this electric version, although if you’re not a fan, more conventional wheel designs are on offer. Under the filler cap where you would normally find the fuel tank, you’ll find the charge port. If you plug in at home using a 7 kw charger, a full charge from 0 to 100% will take 4.2 hours.
Inside feels just like any other mini which means you get lots of soft touch materials on top of the dashboard and on the door sills. The indicator stalks feel solid and weighty and overall it feels quite a bit more upmarket than it does in a Renault Zoe, with a difference of only €968 starting price between the two.
With the Mini you also get the best infotainment system in any small car electric or otherwise. It’s really easy to use, has Apple Carplay smartphone mirroring as standard and you can upgrade to an 8.8″ screen from the standard 6.5″ by adding the navigation plus pack. There are one or two differences between the electric and standard Mini, one of which is the digital display behind the steering wheel, which will join the rest of the Mini range, but for the moment it’s exclusive to the electric model.
On the dash it gives information such as the remaining range, charge level of the battery, as well as speed. You also get an electronic parking brake, in a standard Mini you have a conventional pull up handbrake and the yellow highlights that go around the outside of the car also continue through to the interior. The Mini is actually roomy in the front with the seat sliding a long way back.
The Mini electric is only available in three door, there won’t be a five-door version. Getting in the back is a bit of a struggle and headroom is not particularly great. Partly this is because the electric battery is under the rear seat. Legroom is roughly the same as a standard Mini
According to the official figures the Electric Mini can achieve 233 km on a full charge, for reference the Renault Zoe can do 386 km. If you take into consideration that those are estimated ranges and are usually pretty tough to achieve in real-world driving then realistically there is probably a range of around 160 km.
The Mini Electric will do 0-100 km/h in 7.3 seconds, is €120 to Tax and starts at €27,958 with the SEAI Grant of €5,000 and VRT Relief of €4,750.