Despite its familiarity As for looks, the new Mini Cooper has just undergone its biggest update of this century. The ionic headlights, white roof and city-friendly dimensions remain the same as during the two decades that BMW has been at the helm of the Mini brand. But beneath that familiar skin, there’s something entirely new.
For starters, the 2024 Mini Cooper sits on a new electric platform. It has better range and straight-line performance than its predecessor, plus an all-new interior that features more tech and more space, even though the exterior is slightly shorter (but a bit wider) than before.
This new platform arises from a partnership between BMW and Engine of the Great Wallthe Chinese firm whose portfolio of electric vehicle brands includes Ora, creator of the nondescript and unrelated 03 (formerly Funky Cat). The new electric Cooper is built in China, with additional production set to begin in Oxford, England, in 2026. Only then could the car come to North America, no longer falling victim to import tariffs imposed on Chinese-made EVs.
As well as a new platform, there’s some new nomenclature that will get you through the motions: all versions of the smallest Mini are now called “Cooper.” This includes the electric Cooper E and higher-performance Cooper SE, both reviewed here, but also the internal-combustion Cooper C and Cooper S, which are available in either three- or five-door configuration.
While also “new,” those internal combustion engine versions sit on the previous platform and are more redesigned than completely new. If the Cooper is too small for you, there’s the equally new (and electric-only) Mini Acemanor if you need even more space, there is the top-of-the-range model. Mini Countrymanwhich is offered with both gas and electric propulsion.
All clear? Good. Actually, no, one more thing: Mini doesn’t make a John Cooper Works version of its electric hatchback – at least not yet. So while the SE we tested here was loaded with JCW kit, all of this is available in the options catalogue and doesn’t change anything about the car’s performance. It does add a lot to the price, of course, but we’ll come back to that later.
Mini Extra Miles
WIRED tested both the standard Cooper E and the quicker Cooper SE. The base car is powered by a 135 kW (181 hp), 290 Nm (214 lb-ft) motor driving the front axle. Mini claims a 0-62 mph time of 7.3 seconds, a top speed of 105 mph, and a range of up to 189 miles (305 km) from the 36.6 kWh battery, using the WLTP standard. It also claims an electric consumption of 4.4 mph (7.1 km/h). To put that into context, the previous generation Mini EV claimed a range of around 140 miles (225 km) from its 28.9 kWh pack.