Building and Driving Mini Electric - The most important Mini ever ! 

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I own this car - I've had it about a week now. Its fantastic - its simply the best car I've ever owned. Everyone goes on (and on) about the range. Well I can tell you, that most people who live in a city will never do more than 100 miles in a day. I'm getting a projected 140 out of mine - which is more than enough for a daily driver. People forget that you drive an EV differently - you drive then plugin at night. They are thinking like a petrol head - drive until its empty. Or like I used to think - how many days can I go before filling up for 50 quid a pop (3 days in my case).... Thats the wrong way to think. Put it this way - who fills their petrol car EVERY DAY? No one. But thats how you drive an EV - you plug it in at night - every night. So you have a full "tank" every morning .... for just pennies. Its only those few and far between long trips you need the range. But thats not what the mini-e is for - If you need the range for regular long trips, then the mini wont be for you. My work commute is 50 miles each way. I have trips to shops, the kids homes, and the beach once in a while. 100 miles is more than enough range for me - and the Mini gives me 40 more in reserve. Job done.

Hi there, a friend of mine has one of these, she was good enough to let me drive it ,and I have to say it was fantastic, I did find the braking a bit odd, but you get used to it the range is small but as mini say for commuting to and from the shops and back to work it will be absolutely fine and the Sunday blast along B Roads..cheers Phil form Newark

*I work there, we build 1000 cars everyday! Standard, Electric & GP model* 😉

Your excitement was infectious, a great review and wonderful to see you in the plant where I started my engineering apprenticeship as a 15 year old in 1966!

Cameras in the factory is amazing, I am an NVQ assessor and went to see an apprentice who was doing some work there and was not allowed to take my iPhone or iPad in the factory you are one lucky guy

Brilliant test, the weather makes no difference your enthusiasm is compensation. A concise relevant test, you nailed it, the low centre of gravity and 50/50 weight may give the EV mini an advantage over the ICE mini and thats a tough comparison. My experience of a Tesla P85 92,000 uk miles over 6 years says your right, 120 miles is enough range for this type of car, people are now stopping the range panic "I must have 400 miles" and 90% of current mini users who could fit a charge point for overnight charging are going to notice no real difference other than never needing to fill up ever again and an extra £20 to £40 in their pocket every week . All credit to mini, as an engineer in auto 35 years I appreciate the factory tour. Its looking good for this EV, BMW married their i3 knowledge with the mini brand / handling and the sales timing is right.

Great review - love the enthusiasm and credibility that you’ve driven so many minis. We own a mini one and I also lease a Leaf. So I can agree wholeheartedly with your analysis ie: this is a brilliant SECOND car. My Leaf does 150 miles at best and honestly that’s not quite enough for a primary family car. But if you are well off enough to afford this as the second everyday car for running about, ferrying the kids around etc, it looks perfect.

Good morning Mr Ped. Great video and review of the Mini E. Love your style - informative, relaxed, enthusiastic, honest. Look forward to seeing you in the GP3 sir.

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Great video. OK the range isn't great but good point that is more than enough for the most people most of the time. It's fantastic it's cheaper than the petrol model. I wish more reviewers would let people know its cheaper to run, maintain, tax, etc. Depending on, what your old petrol/diesel was, your new EV, your mileage & where you charge the saving could be in the €1000's every year when you switch

I’ve been working on several automotive production lines the last 30+ years and this is absolutely stunning to use the same production line for all models... Hands up for this engineering 😎😎😎 but still I’m into petrol until the battery technology (range / cost / recycling / materials) will evolve some more.

Hi Pete, first and foremost this was an amazing production, more like a quality TV production than a RU-vid clip - absolutely fantastic. How you haven’t been approached for your own TV show is beyond me. The filming in the factory was brilliant, this was the one part I didn’t think they allow and all credit to BMW Mini for for this. The eMini seems to be a great contender and hope becomes the leader of the pack. Was keen for your impressions being Mini mad! Shame the battery technology is still only permitting the 100 mile range mark as did hope it would have been more. Will be interesting to see in 5 years time what develops. Fantastic car, love it just not buying one yet. Sorry for the long read but the clip was that good I couldn’t help but comment! Take care!

I am a keen follower of yours, and re watched this today. I ordered one around the time of your video, and have had it now about 4 months. At the time, I didn't realise how much praise you were giving the little thing. I agree with everything you say about it - it is the most fun car I have ever owned. It is my 4th mini (2 old, 2 new) and I absolutely love it. One thing to note is that the range is actually almost spot on. I am averaging about 144 miles per charge (if I were to drive till empty) since the day I picked it up. Some days I use more when I am having a bit of fun, and some days I use less when I play follow the leader in traffic. The best I saw was 270km (about 170 miles). Easily enough for a daily driver. I know this is an older video, but I thought it was worth the comment. Keep up the good work!

Here in Colorado we have a lot of Sunshine, so that translates to solar charging. I think it's a win win, no smog, and free charging on the solar panels. Good stuff keep going love the Mini!

The more I see of the Mini Electric, the more I want one as a second car for my commute (about 50 miles each way)! Thanks for the peek inside the Oxford factory, and how Mini lowers the cost of manufacturing this brilliant new car!

We loved watching this and seeing how much you loved the new Mini Electric was great. Planning to do a factory visit as soon as we can !

Had a test drive in a Mini Electric today after watching your RU-vid review. Amazing. Really enjoyed the instant response and the agile handling. I've enjoyed it so much that I'm thinking of getting one - chilli red, black roof and mirror caps, and 17" Cosmos Spokes in Black.

Many thanks Petrol Ped. Great review as always!

So glad Mini has kept the same interior & dash as the normal Mini.

Glad to see a Mini nut giving it the thumbs up, I test drive next week and my order is due end of April.

How does the Mini E cope with our amazing uk roads Pete? 3 years ago, the roads probably weren't as bad, as they are now. I have a BRG 3 dr, 1.5 manual at the moment. But its not very comfortable on the 17" alloys with standard tyres( not runflats). I am a Mini fan, so hoping the electric Mini will be my next buy. Really enjoyed your video. Especially at the start, where we get to see a cut away car, showing the position of the batteries etc👌

you know, I hear what you are saying about making it a bit more edgey, I also can see that building it on the same assembly line brings down costs and this car (for me with incentives) is 1/2 the price of the cheapest Tesla model 3. I own a Tesla model Y but need a second car. I know that 80% of my drives are less than 100 miles. and I have a car that can already do much more than that if needed.. so this car will be perfect for 80% of the drives in our house. if we need to haul more people or stuff or even tow something.. the Model Y is it.. if we need to pop down to the grocery store or to home depot or to pick up my son at school. the Mini is perfect. it's a fine edge.. keep it inexpensive or make it edgy.. or make it edgy and lose some of that quirky Mini charm.. I sort of love the toggle switches (coming from a Tesla with zero switches) again.. this would be a difficult car as the Only car in the household.. when we bought ours, we were told that the majority of people are buying this as their third car.. a car to share with a new driver, or again.. for quick trips and for just driving fun

I have just started to look into Electric cars, this mini being the first. I must say I am impressed, great review, the beaming smile on your face is just how I would want a car to appeal to me on that first test drive. So we'll done.

Good afternoon sir. Really cool video thanks. Informative and fun, just how life should be. It’s good to see that Mini haven’t lost their feel.

Great video very interesting. Filming in the factory amazing!

I like the digital display, can't wait for them to be fitted to all the new minis

I’m not sure why I didn’t see this video a year ago. I’ve seen countless EV reviews (RU-vid seems to be full of them now). A lot of them have been quite negative about the Mini electric “it’s not a ground up EV” “The range isn’t enough etc” All of that completely misses the point of this car. It’s a Mini. A lot of EVs are pig ugly & it seems most EV testers spend their time with a half misted up windscreen driving at 45mph to see how much range they can get. For those of us who are spirited drivers that would have us chewing our own fingers off. Pete is so enthusiastic about this car & we know how he loves driving Minis. That means it’s good. Makes me want to go & book an extended test drive in one now. 👍

There was a lad on the radio (LBC) yesterday - after the government announcement about banning new petrol and diesel cars from 2030. He was an electrical engineer and he said it has been widely discussed amongst his peers that the UK power infrastructure in domestic areas is not physically able to support electric car charging on the scale that will be required. The cabling to houses and street lighting (a suggestion has been made for street lights to have charging built in) cannot possibly cope with the demand and is already struggling and needs constant repair. It is estimated that the countrywide upgrade would cost £trillion and couldn't be done by 2030. Mates and I already discussed this (being a persecuted diesel car driver!!) and noted that filling up my car at the local Sainsburys takes about 2 minutes start to finish and they have 18 pumps and you STILL have to queue Fri-Sun. How are they going to have enough chargers when it takes hours for each car? Motorways will be littered with cars that were trying to find an available charging point. It will be like a scene from Mad Max where people are killing each other for fuel (or Duracells!)

You almost have me sold Pete !! I do like it as a second vehicle 🚗...great insight once again 👏👍🏻🇨🇦

I've got a level 2 ....black roof mirror and wheels....coming in May. Loved the video.. I'm SOOO looking forwards to getting it. Especially seeing how much you enjoyed driving it. Thanks! Forgot to say its GREEN lol

Fantastic. My favorite video review for the Mini SE. Your review was just what I was looking for. I owned a 2012 Cooper S for six years and loved it. I had always thought a mini would make an outstanding electric car. I'm not concerned about range as we have a plug-in hybrid for long trips. I'm just looking for a fun to drive, sporty electric car for work and around town. Mini SE - perfect! It was great to listen to you because you obviously know Minis and I could easily identify with your descriptions of driving the car. Mini may owe you a commission because my new SE just started production today. Cheers!

Very impressive. Great video. Think my Dad should be shocked to see what’s now being built in the factory he worked. Don’t think he’d recognise the place.

I'm impressed......!!!

My goodness just the most exciting video!!!! Thanks so much for sharing this with us all, you are a star sir 😁

Very interesting video to watch. Really enjoyed that 1. It’s great to see how the process works 👍🏻

I'm surprised for such a small car that it weighs so much. I hope a more dedicated electric mini can lighten it up in the future and helping the range at the same time.

As always awesomely put together, and what a epic little car 🚗. Nice one Pete I’m hooked big time. Awesome, god speed and drive carefully 💋

Another great video , I’ve done the factory tour 5 times , it’s fantastic I could watch the robots work all day with there precision, it’s funny I think its the first car video I’ve watched where you can’t hear the engine but you can hear the rain . What a corker

Excellent video Peter. Great to see inside the factory and looks very interesting. I’ve been so excited to see the first reviews of the Mini Electric and with your review I’m not disappointed. I think it looks great and am really impressed with the price. If I had to have an electric car it would certainly be the Mini Electric ⚡️

Great video as always. Your enthusiasm certainly really came through and presented the Mini E as a viable 'second car'. Certainly in my case as a second car I think it would fit the bill exactly. With reference to your comments about the interior, I think that maybe they steered away from too much change to ensure that the price point could be maintained which is probably a sensible decision and also as you say its still very much a Mini. Very much looking forward to more content from you - maybe a video about actually living with it in the real world would be good. Keep up the fantastic work that you do!

Great video, glad you enjoyed making it, glad it’s cheaper than its combustion engine twin 👍🏻 still not for me just yet !!

Could you engineer a tow behind accessory battery pack! I havent managed it yet however it's going to happen. It's in the works for my next project! The interior for me is stellar, I dont like the blandness of the Tesla. However that could just be what I'm used too. I generally dont like a large screen pumping out light while im driving so for me the Mini is perfect. I drive a lot at night so it's a huge deal when considering driving comfort. Loads more to add but I have to do some engineering first so I'll pick it back up later, cheers keep up the good work!

Excellent video, my wife and I have ordered a clubman cooper s and take delivery in March.

Enjoyed this video, thanks! I’ve ordered a 2022 Mini SE yesterday!

Fab video. I could have attended this on the 27th as I got an invite I'm so sad I could not go. Though I decided to go for an i3S instead of the mini, the mini is looking like a great car. I love the i3S, it's superb, very different from a mini, and I think it has the same motor. Super nippy, I take so many cars by surprise at the lights. 😉 One day I will have the mini but as my only car I needed a little more range. In fact my i3S is the older model and has the same capacity battery as the mini but it has the range extender to soothe the anxiety. Had it 3 weeks and done 800 really great miles so far only used 3-4 litres of fuel in the range extender and even then I didn't strictly have to. I just used it to hold charge for convenience. So perhaps I didn't need it after all and the mini would have been fine... Oh well. Lot of plus points for me on the i3S, but mini will always be special to me.

The most important MINI ever is Project Binky.

Great First Drive Review. MINI will sell lots of Electric Versions

Great video inside plant... Henry Ford would be proud... 😂

You get me at “like for like - it is cheaper than the S” 👍👍👍

Fantastic video - another excellent piece of work Pete

It almost seems like 1959 when my Dad saw the first Morris Mini Minor at Bristol Motor Company and filled with enthusiasm ordered a crimson Deluxe with grey/red seats for £524 complete. I still have the invoice. Sadly my Mum could not understand the tiny wheels and in the end we didn’t get it but it did when I bought my 1961 Austin Se7en in 1966. Your film seemed to take me back those 60 years...I configured one a few days ago...Level three in red with a white roof...we are supposed to be buying a house next week but it has been a tortuous job and might still fail...if it does..I’m getting that Mini for my wife...🙂🙂🙂 Safe driving Peter...one day it will stop raining..fingers crossed.😀😀😀😀

Great video Ped, very good price for the mini 👍👍👍

It’s a great option for a city car. But the range will be a major factor for anyone buying an electric car. As the charging points are appearing everywhere, buying an electric car is a logic choice these days.

Great review mate. My Mrs has a 65 plate petrol cooper. She does just under10k a year so we will be very interested in one of these when we upgrade 😀

Great review thank you so much

Even on a wet day the drive is good, your grin says it all. I watched Carpervert's review earlier for his comparison with its main competition. Sacrificing some range for performance. First time a mini has got my interest.

Just discovered your channel and subscribed, brilliant content love it. Thanks.

Great video as usual Pete. Would be good to see a side by side review with a similar priced cooper S. Range would be fine for me on most trips. I understand it has heated/cooled batteries which should help in Scottish winters but as someone else mentioned heating, wipers and lights draw more current. Perhaps if I put a v8 in my Landy I can offset the carbon footprint with an electric mini 😀

Great review and what a fabulous car

A very interesting video. Mini is changing my thoughts, but mainly because of a longer range compared to the first cars ( Leaf here in NZ is about 100km/60 miles on a good day )

Confession time - I didn’t watch this video when it first appeared because electric cars didn’t interest me. Having just gone solar + battery at home and with the Civic at over 100,000 miles, we’re now looking at turning to the dark side! Very informative video. Much there to chew over. Don’t worry, the Caterham’s staying 😻.

Just found you!!! Great delivery 👍 I’m an EV fan film more.

"it's been a horrible day (raining and windy)"... Is it a surprise :-)

The first electric minis were specially prepared for the film - The Italian Job - to allow them to drive through the underground station.

All because of you sir Pete the mini brand keeps growing on me! But the range of the ev mini is a bit small for me. I live in a very rural area away from town and I’d need something with at least a 250 range. My wife and I went through 205 miles just yesterday. But amazing video

A great review as ever, that road was more like being on the log flume at Blackpool fairground 😁Would I buy one yes it would be on the list ⛽️🚴‍♂️👍🧽

Hey Peter, I might be bringing one of these to this October's Autosolo, I think it could do quite well! 😁👍

Range will be an issue for some, when the Renault Zoe does nearly double, I think mini have shot themselves in the foot.

Hi Petrol Ped! Great video..again. I am an owner of a Tesla Model 3 Performance and a Cooper S. Love both cars, but can't wait to see the Cooper S E to arrive Downunder. I have really enjoyed your reviews, so thanks for your perspective. Cheers!

Interesting... Nice presentation

As you know I work there,glad you enjoyed it. As far as I am aware we are the only car manufacturer in Europe that builds ICE and EV cars under the same roof.

Great review. Funny about that “1st car” / “2nd car” thing. We are in Australia, a country not noted for its adoption of EVs. Our 2012 Nissan Leaf, now with a real world range of only about 100 kms, is our everyday commuter, doing 60kms a day. Therefore, because it is our most driven vehicle (ie daily driver) it is actually our 1st car. Our 2nd car, a diesel Pug, sits glowering in the garage until we need it for a long distance trip. 👍

Great video

Interesting. Need a test drive

Great Video thanks! I just ordered one last week! Greetings from Switzerland

Superb vid, great review!

Great review. Thanks. First EV I've liked. Fair price too. If it had double the range, I might order one.

Really enjoyed this review, and wow loved the behind the scenes in the factory footage. Overall I can’t think of any negatives to your outstanding review, nothing but positive praise. (See what I did there) 😂

Just watching this video again. You’ll perhaps know this already Pete, but you are now of course a proper influencer/journo. I’ve always liked the Mini admittedly, but my recent interest has only been made more positive by your coverage in various films. So ordering a JCW as we have, and now watching this again in order to see where it’s shortly to be made, is really cool 👍👍👍 Cheers.

Very impressive, its the first EV that I want to buy,

Great video Pete on the Mini E. You did make a good point that this car would be great as a 2nd car. But really, what percentage of your viewers are going to be able to afford upwards of £30k for one car, let alone £30k as a 2nd car? I do love that new screen though for the dials. Looks really clear on that matt black background. I'm sure that sooner or later, Mini will introduce it across the range. As for the interior of the Mini E, I think they've done the right thing. They've kept it as a Mini. Something that Mini drivers already know and love. But... Maybe a few new "E" improvements wouldn't have gone amiss. Providing they keep it to a similar format as they currently have. My only real criticism of this Mini are it's rather meger range of 115* miles and the 0 to 60 time of 7.3 seconds. However, kudos to Mini for not over inflating the price for this Mini E and keeping it comparable to the Cooper S. Shame about the weather :-((... * Figures from ev-database.uk/car/1163/Mini-Electric

Charlbury to Burford Road! The Oxfordshire Nurburgring! Amazing Road!

Very intresting and informative vid peter

Another electrifying video! 👍👍. Definitely a car I would consider for sometime in the future. Range is one of my concerns about ev cars but it might get better as the technology gets improved. Just can't believe the price.!!!( Thought it would have been about 5 to 10k more as it's a new model. )

love the superb videos keep up the great content

Great content again. I am not a Mini fan but I do drive my daughters 2015 Cooper S and it is a fun little cart. However, I think I may go and get a test drive based on your review. Cheers.

Great video again Pete as always. Just been down to look at the electric Mini in the showroom, great looking car. Would be interesting if they do the same with the clubman.

Definitely liking this and what a great review! Agree with the interior comments, I wish they'd just gone a bit different as I'm starting to get a bit bored with the same dash, etc but at least the speedo is digital now. I'm not sure the range is ideal for my needs but would suit 80% of our driving.

another good review. Excellent channel

What a shockingly great mini 😁

May I will to sell a classic.... looks really good, well presented, well done,

Documentary film making and car reviews. Pete, you’re doing good stuff here dude!

Love it, I think maybe not my next car but the one after that will be electric. But must say hats off to mini I think they have nailed it for the people who are on the fence in terms of looks styling and finish. The range not a big issue. My daily commute is about 25 miles round trip so I could nearlly do the whole week and not charge. I'll enjoy my cooper s for a couple of years then we will see what the market is like but I agree mini should sell these like hot cakes

Great car nuff said

one day possibly - great video love your passion

Great vid Pete, wonder what the guys at Lohen could do to it 😂👍

Originally I was very disappointed with Mini for not building it from the ground up, but the fact that they are able to produce and sell it for less than the petrol version makes me very excited. Disappointed in the 0-60 still, it could easily beat the John Cooper Works if they truly wanted to sell it.

Great review as normal. When the range is a real world 200+ and it's a Clubman, I'm in 🙂

What a great video, thanks for uploading. As a die hard petrol head, I have to say I'm very tempted to go down the electric car route for my daily driver.