2020 MINI Electric real-world review; flawed but fun.. 

Slightly old, but I thought I'd give a perspective from someone who has owned one of these for about 4 months. The WLTP range is actually spot on when you drive as a commuter. If you barrel down back roads or take on all comers at the traffic lights, your range will suffer. You can still have fun by using the handling to maintain speed round corners without needing to stamp on it on the exit. An occasional full throttle blast won't decrease range noticeably, so fun can still be had. My average since new (I've never reset the trip computer) is 12.4kWh/100km, which translates to about 233km range, or 144miles. You can easily get 250km (155miles) with a bit less enthusiasm and I've seen 270 (170 miles) once, with boring follow the car in front driving. If range is not a problem for the day, then don't spare the horses and you can have an absolute ball. Such a fun car to drive.

Sounds like the front tires will have less range than the battery!

The price: it’s at par with a Cooper S. Same performance, same equipment, same price. HUD: you can adjust it. I have it in mine and I LOVE it ! Driving experience: I was driving it around with a HUGE SMILE on my face... all the time. It’s a car you really fall for. Now, the whole range discussion: it’s meant as a city to Megacity vehicle. The range is more than enough !

Would be great to get your thoughts on the Honda E when they start appearing.

Thanks Harry, nice to hear an honest review that confirms thoughts on price and range.

Nice review - honest and authentic, hence why you got the Influencer award this week - Congratulations!

Another fantastic review, very interesting and informative. Harrys face when he turns off traction control and pulls away - priceless :) its what these reviews are all about :)

When harry uploads a vid i can push like before i even watch. Confidence

I have owned the CooperSE for two years, and I find the range is not an issue in any way - as long as you only want it as a second car / runaround. I think Mini got it exactly right, because most people don’t do 100 miles a week, and certainly not per day. It will do most journeys for most people most of the time, with half the weight penalty and half the charging time. Perfect. I also think you unfairly dismiss the HUD: it is perfect for sat nav, as you don’t need to study the central screen to work out how it is telling you to navigate a complicated junction. Keep up the good work. Best wishes.

You made a nice fresh feeling video with unique filming. Thank you.

I'm not even really in to Mini's but I would watch anything Harry decides to review. Love his dialogue and expertise on cars along with his British accent. I'm from the states and we love that over here. Great channel wonderful "ole chap".

Just now getting to see Harry's latest video. My Sunday is complete.

Another great video Harry, no theatrics like many other youtube presenters , clear and factual information .1st class

Sounds nice. Tempted. Not at all worried about the range, since we have another car for longer trips. My commute is 20 miles each way, so no worries. People obsess about range with electric cars far too much.

The most likeable man in the world! His enthusiasm is contagious.

I love the giggling after each screech of the tyres followed by an "apology"

Smiling at wheel spins 😁 excellent Harry

Brilliant review Harry. Your a natural. A joy to watch.

Good review, as always. I came here because I've been thinking of purchasing an electric MINI when my beloved 2005 R50 is ready for retirement (which may never happen). But I've never understood why reviewers insist on doing a rear seat fit tests on Minis, but rarely bother with cars like the 911, Evora or Camaro (which also have very small rear seats). Like those cars, the Mini should be thought of as a two-person car with extra storage space behind the front seats. Many people don't realize it, but MINIs (the petrol versions, at least) are fantastic touring cars for two.

Only Harry could make a car I have zero interest in interesting, a rare skill 👍

I've got an early, non range extended i3, and it has a 22kW battery of which just 18.5 are actually useable. It does, at best 80 miles, and in the depths of winter, just 60 miles.. And, well, it's BRILLIANT! I litterally couldn't care that it only does 60 miles, i work 12 miles away from home, i shop 4 miles away, the gym is 2 miles away, the post off just 800 yards. It cost pennies to run, is brilliant fun to drive, clocks 60 in under 7 sec (weighs just 1150 kg thanks to the carbon construction and small battery) and of course, it's always charged, because i just plug it in when i get home, so ask you self this, do you ACTUALLY need a car with more than 100 miles range? Do you drive a transit van all year round becaus eonce last year you needed to pick up a sofa? of course not, you hire one when you need it, which is what we do for longer trips. With the money we save frankly we could hire a helicopter for our long trips and still be better off!!! So yes, some people do need longer range, but i bet the vast majority could easily live with a car with a 100 mile daily range...........

I believe the reason the battery pack is so small is that when they were developing the floorpan/chassis for the 3rd Gen MINI Hatch, they had planned all along to offer a BEV variant but then decided against it quite late in the design stage, so they settled to build the 3rd Gen MINI as an ICE only. As the small electric car market has changed so quickly, they decided they'd offer a BEV, but they've had to do their best to fit all the battery pack into a car that was built for ICE only. Every other small BEV on sale, to my knowledge, has been designed with BEV in mind from Day One, hence their larger packs and therefore range.

Thanks, Harry! And thanks for help getting Ian Tyrrell's channel running, too!

Thanks Harry. I drove 77 miles in one today using 58% of the charge. It was in Green+ mode. 25 miles of that on the M4 at 65mph. That looks to me like a total range of 132 miles. But finding places to charge it when out and about looks pretty tough, so it feels like it would be confined to a 50 mile tether from home at best. Going to be a great car when I move to the Isle of Wight.

Excellent review, thanks Harry

Nice review Harry as always, Theyre surprisingly good fun to drive (petroleum or Electric)

The HUD is brilliant, driving in London with the speed limit constantly changing, having the actual speed and limit indicated in the HUD is a points saver, also directions(GPS) duplicated on the HUD is also excellent. This is my 3rd Mini S and this one though I agree re price, same as GP, that was a hard one at the time, but now there is no going back, lazy in London, sport mode on country lanes superb. Love it!.

Great review Harry. Thank you.

Nice video Harry. Great to see Burford there. I recall going to Insurer classic car meetings at The Bull in Burford back in the day. Don't know if said pub is still there. Some great biking roads around there too. Keep up the great content.

this is the refreshing difference with harry! unlike the clarksons of this world, a man who realises that for normal people, on normal roads, a little torque steer isn't a bad thing, in the right way. and the same with predictable controllable understeer in certain types of car. not every car needs 500bhp and 4wd to be playful and fun!

Thoroughly enjoyable as ever, really looking forward to a real world Harry review of the Honda E !

Perfect timing for my lunch break.. Cheers Harry

Sounds sooo cool! Love that electric sound...

Nice to see Harry having fun screaming tires.

This review has restored my confidence that electric cars can be fun to drive and put a smile on your face as it did on Harry's. So this is a very important car in that regard. Crazy price at the moment although this car is for well heeled fachionable city slickers and driving enthusiasts. Very low range but remember practicality is boring!

Thanks Harry, a great review -Thanks

The dash lay out is very early 00's I had a 51 plate and it's very similar. Needs updating in my opinion... never the less v cool little car and very well reviewed Harry! Good work and looking forward to the next one.

excellent video thanks Harry

Love the honesty and balanced view. I was considering one but had reservations about range and price. I used to own a Clio 182 and thought this was the closest EV to that which I wanted. I’ll hold off for now.

Harry is an absolute legend.

Great review. I just ordered one with the iconic trim. Yea, it's a splurge but it's FUN! I love that it looks like a normal mini and the ones I see coming for late next year are BORING! It's going to be a long 6 months while they make my new baby! For us city folks who put fewer than 3k miles a year on our car it's a great choice.

Harry, Harry, Harry..... Why have you only got 357K subscribers? Absolutely unbelievable. Excellent content every time - Congrats!

Coco, I've never heard you be so vehement about a part of a car ( mini H.U.D) in all my years of watching your videos 😤😤😤 still it's nice to see "somebody" who reviews cars on RU-vid say what they think and not be worried about upsetting a car manufacturer (BMW) , can we see some more of this from other car "reviewers" who are reading this, it's nice to see someone with a big pair of kerknackers in this pc world of ours, a bit of British spirit, a dying breed 😰😰😰😰

Have ordered one; it’s a second car so long range isn’t a must, got the bottom of the range which is actually well equipped and the price is very competitive.

Really enjoyed this! I think they should offer you a trial slot on Top Gear to bring back a sensible useful review with a bit of fun!

Harry give the mini back with the front tyres on the tread wear indicators💪

Great review and loving it

This is the first electric car id want.Of course id keep an S class for road trips but for city its perfect.The price is fine too.Its a premium car.I love the weight compared to other electric cars not bothered about the range as toy for the city its perfect.Drive it in sport keep it on the charger..

Have you tried the BMW i3S.... rear wheel drive + 150 mile range...great fun. Don’t forget that you were testing the mini in very warm weather that will enhance the range.

Great video, very professional.

If you can get one at the right price, these are perfect for leasing. Terrible ownership proposition, but the same is true of all electric vehicles. They have a finite life and tech is improving constantly.

When Harry says it’s a bit of a shocker 😯

I like it! Its growing on me!

I love the heads up display in my Mini but only once it’s been adjusted for hight and side to side. ( just like the mirrors) It looks like a number of reviews have not found this😀

My 1st car was an Austin Mini 850cc 1978S. Unreliable Sold it for a Ford Escort 1.3L mk2 1980V. 33 year's later & 30+ car's later I don't think I would buy a BMW Mini EV or Diesel or Petrol. Nice review.

How nice to have a presenter who doesn`t shout and scream like an ADHD children`s TV presenter,nor wave his hands around like a demented teenage rapper,nor try to be a comedian.....Bravo Harry`s Garage.

This car would have been a great alternative to a Nissan LEAF 5 years ago but I think that it already looks out of date in terms of tech, capability and styling.

yeah i've got a problem with the 90 miles bit.

The new electric mini, the price is a shocker. Nice one Harry

Increased energy density of the small battery will be key to the future viability of the Mini SE in my opinion. I wanted to buy one last week but it's relatively short range stopped me in my tracks and I opted for a petrol S version instead.

Harry your a hooligan 😀making those tyres scream on your eau rouge.

R53 owner here, a Mini as well but a very different beast

loved the commentary on a much awaited mini, but will up move from my Cooper to this, still not sure........................

'Fun' and 'electric' in the same sentence. TC off when entering ULEZ then. A green hooligan. Well done Mini. Just for the rich list though, to keep those working chargers free of a queue. Great review thank you H.

Love small cars. This looks fun, range not so good but i could live with it. Waiting for the Honda e review. Well done Harry.

The same 205/45R17 looked huge on my old red/black R50

Another great and informative review ...now please can we have a review of the Fiesta ST?

Great review, my heart has fancied one for a while, but my head says the range is no better than my wife’s 5 year old Renault Zoe.

Looks really good fun but will be hanging on to the JCW for a little longer.

Really liked this, Harry. I’m running one for Auto Express/DrivingElectric and agree with all your sentiments. I’m regularly seeing 110 miles in normal and 135-odd in Green+ but like you say, air-con essential at this time of year!

Worth every penny, we get 140 miles comfortably in the summer (less when you push on of course) Fun factor is worth the price alone, what a car, we love ours.

One of the very few good electric car reviews

I've done a couple of London-Lands End-London day trips in my Mini Cooper Electric, (it really is great around town too, especially when that town is Penzance and yer live in London), MOST people would do London to Lands End, via the M4, M5 and A30, NO go via the M3, A303, A30 to just outside of Exeter, then cut across Dartmooor on a couple of B roads, rejoin the A30 at Lifton, as yer can charge up at Strawberry Fields Farm Shop at Lifton, its just over 80 miles from there to Lands End and there is a Gridserve charger at Lands End too.

I am definitely going to get one if they do a Clubman version with a bigger battery.

I wonder how it compares to a Mk1 Leaf - Harry's describing this MIni in the exact same way I would describe my experience with the Leaf. Feels like a hot hatch, schreeching tyres away from a standstill, great fun to drive on a B road. Seems to be similar range as well!

I've seen other reviewers who have had the car for a few months get 130 miles out of a full charge and get 0-60 in 6.3 seconds. I'm getting one for my wife as she loved it and does a 20 mile commute and rarely drives anywhere over 25 miles away and if she did she will stop and charge it back up in 30 minutes the services whilst she has a coffee and a big stinky shit

Great honest review as always and with such a low range not for me. Harry, you need to ask Mrs M to give you a haircut!

Life does work in interesting ways. I first watched this video a year ago for something to do and, well, I watch most anything Harry….. I noted that it seemed like an interesting car and similarly scoffed as Harry did at the rather pathetic range and high price. Well here I am a year later and I’ve got one sitting in my driveway - same colour, not quite the same spec as I don’t have the head up display and it seems like my car has different seat facings. Mine seem to be a black perforated leatherette - super comfortable I would add. We’ve had the car exactly a week and are really enjoying it as a second car used for the cut and thrust of daily commuting. Out of town voyages with the family and piles of crap is not what this car is going to be successful at. Although I do note that the rapidly growing network of fast chargers means that trips of two and three times this car’s range are possible with some planning. By the time I’ve travelled 200 km I’m ready to stretch my legs and have a coffee anyway while we let the juice flow for 30 minutes. Everything Harry says about driving this thing is true. It is a huge amount of fun, feels quite quick, and relies on one of the only things that BMW seem to do well anymore - driving dynamics. Oh, and the seats. The seats are quite simply the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of stuffing my backside into, although I’m definitely not snacking in the same bracket as Harry… And God knows the reliably and cost to fix of BMW ICE motors can be a horror show, so these blessings are huge. We actually started out to get something much different and it was only because in our part of the world you can’t seem to get a new EV for love or money these days that we have this. Our local Toyota dealer told me a RAV4 hybrid wouldn’t arrive with my name on it till 2025 so I resorted to just trolling auto trader to see what other EVs might pop up. I would have seriously considered a Nissan Leaf or whatever Hyundai and Kia are offering these days. Basic transportation appliance-level expectations but there was nothing new that we could have in under a year it seemed. There were however 3 electric Minis listed within 500 km of me. One new, two used. Two were sold before I could get anyone on the phone and the one I’ve got now I needed to essentially buy sight unseen if I had any hope of securing it. So we took the risk knowing it had no real back seat and short range, and even though it was a year old with 10,000 km on it we paid practically new base SE MSRP for this almost top line model. That’s how crazy the market is right now. But… After a week both my wife and I are smitten with the thing. Our 65 km round-trip commute for work is well within its range and the first time I charged it up after full work day plus evening errands my charger app told me it cost a whopping $1.83 in off-peak late night rates. A charge from almost dead flat costs under $4... THAT’S what I’m after. I think BMW said 80% of these cars are bought as second vehicles which is probably why that particularly sad range is not as much of an issue as the spec sheet seems to imply. I also agree as Harry says we’re not making a massive statement by driving it. Sure, not pouring pollutants into the air feels good, (although the environmental damage mining the lithium for these batteries can’t be discounted). But really, my mission was to save money bypassing gas pumps without looking like I’m driving a space ship. This car fits the bill perfectly with the unexpected bonus of being hugely fun to drive and really very attractive. Only time will tell if it can stand up to the harsh Canadian landscape and climate but as I make dinner and glance out at it in the street, admiring the blunt, buff lines and solid stance it strikes me it’s rather like a bulldog pup - scrappy - all attitude and ready to take on the world…even if it’s not quite up to all that.

That`s a great review, Harry. Not only do we have a Africa Twin in common but also EV`s. My wife and I bought ourselves a Hyundai Kona which is a great car to ride but also has a neat range of 300-320 mls. No range anxiety here...

Great video Harry, Mini going electric definitely suits it so much better!

Good review. Im been a mini owner had a R53 CS for 10 years and loved it. Let it go and bought a 2017 CS. Looking to trade in for a Mini E but was worried about how it would be compromised by the battery. Your review has helped me to decide to wait until BMW do the right thing and design a change. Can you do a review of the Honda E? Sorry if that's offensive suggestion.

Nice review and very helpful - hoping that they bring out a 5 door with a bit more range and that will be of interest when we look to replace current 5 Door Cooper S ICE!

your attempt at getting in the backseat is a lot more graceful than doug demuro's demonstrations.

I’m a huge mini fan and have had an f56 Cooper and am now on a f56 Cooper S. I’d have loved to of considered an electric one but with 90 miles range there’s just no way it would work for me! Really good to see that it’s still a fun car though. I’m sure they will crack it with better range in time!

I’ve driven loads of mini’s & they’ve all been fun to drive. This looked a right laugh. Any chances you’re getting a Honda E any time soon Harry

I am saving for one

Thanks for the review Harry, Electric or at least Electric Mini not for me but thanks for sharing!! The Price is a bloody joke, much better options out there!!

I'll wait for a long range version, doesn't quite get to my longest journey. Sounds like it'll get through front tyres quicker than my petrol Cooper S and that likes to have a scrabble from the line

@0:27 Classic Harry's Garage - Mini, Range Rover, GT40, Turbo R and a 550.....

Just bought one. Love Minis (our 6th), this car is fun and ideal for 90% of our driving and is gonna be cheaper to run and better for the environment than the petrol S. If you drive it normally, you can get over 130 miles on a full charge but its got performance too. Look forward to taking delivery in a few months!

Mini are such a fun drive

A fun second car.

Very nice.

Loving your videos as always, but the first thing I noticed was how low the views were compared to many of your other tests! What that suggests to me, considering the lovely weather at time of test, is that realistically people are somewhat inert to electric cars. Almost psychically, you mentioned torque steer just after I thought, chrikey, I bet that's a bit hairy pulling out of a junction if it's all available immediately....😂

16:52 *The Range 99 Miles - easy change to KM and magically increases to 160 !*

Great review! Must say tho would rather have my r53 just a proper drivers car!

The smaller battery clearly hurts the range, but they've gone for it to keep the weight down and preserve (as much as possible) the Mini dynamics. 1365kg is a lot for mini, but pretty decent for an EV, even a small one.

Loved it...and love Mini’s too! Drove a Mini One D recently and even that was fun. But since I’m driving a long range Tesla Model 3 there’s just no way I’d pay that much for a car with a 90 mile range. It’s waaaayyy too little. The 310 mile range in the Tesla is just enough and I look forward to 500 miles by which point it’s no longer a concern at all.

10:01 Harry BURP 😅👍🏻🍺

Nice rotation out of the corners. Fun car for non-petrolheads I guess.