The MINI SE is an entertaining battery-electric city car

Words by Mark Ewing

The MINI SE is a conventional petrol-powered car converted to battery-electric, based on the existing architecture of familiar MINI hatchbacks. An electric motor replaces the gas engine, batteries mounted along the keel and where the petrol tank once was and delivers 95 to perhaps 110 miles of range on a charge—far less than half, potentially even one-third the range of the much larger 4-door Tesla Model 3. 

The MINI SE is a conventional petrol-powered car converted to battery-electric, based on the existing architecture of familiar MINI hatchbacks. An electric motor replaces the gas engine, batteries mounted along the keel and where the petrol tank once was and delivers 95 to perhaps 110 miles of range on a charge—far less than half, potentially even one-third the range of the much larger 4-door Tesla Model 3. 

Because it is in reality a 2+2, best for two adults and has limited range, it’s easy to dismiss the MINI SE as a city car for prosperous people, a runabout only used when public transport or walking cannot do the job. But there is more to it. As one expects with BMW, the MINI SE is entertaining to drive. On the lower-speed hill canyons of my native California, it had me howling with laughter, so easy was it to throw around, to slip and slide. It should be just as delightful on the narrow hedgerow lanes of England, Scotland and Wales. It engages physics in an exciting way at relatively low speeds.

Beyond the market of dazzling urbanites, and beyond the families who will love having it for short forays to market and post office and doctor’s appointments, MINI has created a splendid learner’s car for families who favor the brand. Though it could serve delivering a child to school, a safety seat in the back will be tight. To limit weight and gain range, BMW engineered as a 2-door, and 4-doors work so much better with children. 

An adaptation, an interim step and not a vehicle designed from the ground up as a battery-electric vehicle, the MINI SE has a relatively small battery pack. With limited range, it fits a narrow set of circumstances. A second or third car in a family, for weekly tasks around town. And a car used occasionally in a large city when public transport won’t work. 

Combine electric torque, low center of gravity, a well-honed chassis and relatively hard range-enhancing tires that limit cornering grip and the MINI SE awakens the Inner Hooligan. MINI markets SE as a Green car for urban hipsters, and it will serve the needs of that constituent group. In my native California, the MINI SE serves very well on the quaintly narrow streets around my beach pad. 

The Merry Bavarians reached beyond mantras of sustainability to create an electric car that’s so much more than a mindless shuttle. Unlike supercars and hypercars that need a track to be fully exploited, the MINI SE can be wrung out at speeds below 50, 40, even 30 mph. The police won’t know you’re misbehaving.

Because US roads are relatively newer and much broader, the MINI SE works in any or our urban centers, even Manhattan. If a gas-powered MINI works in London or other UK cities, the SE will serve. MINIs are popular in California beach towns for ease of street parking, and for typically tight garages and overnight street parking. They are also a cut above other compact vehicles, with design and brand cachet. 

In the United States, a LEV2 charger costs about £2360. Using a LEV2 at 7.4 kw per hour, a depleted battery can be completely recharged in about 5 hours (20% per hour). At fast-charging stations (50 kw/hour) a recharge can be completed in about 36 minutes.

The US federal government offers a number of incentives for green car ownership. My native California does, too. This can pull the actual price of a MINI SE down from $29,900 (£23,600) to as little as $17,900 (£14,110), which is a great deal for a car so thoroughly engineered and nicely appointed. If your life fits the MINI SE’s capabilities, it will prove a much-loved member of the family.