The 2025 Mini Cooper S Electric is A Bundle of Fun
The Mini Cooper S Electric is a tiny car that’s a ton of fun. Not as small as the original Mini, yet just as much fun and still one of the smallest cars that you can buy. An icon of the 60s, Mini survived many changes of ownership until it found a home with BMW. Cooper is the name synonymous with any fast Mini from the days when John Cooper built Formula One Cars and tuned Minis. This latest Cooper keeps the design cues of the original with lots of round bits and rounded corners while also being dramatically modern, with LED ring headlights and large rims and tires. It’s low, it’s lively, and it’s speedy and easy to maneuver outside. My parents definitely approved, as young adults in the 60s they owned many a Mini – and a yellow Mini is the first car I remember.
Inside the Cooper is very much updated from the original yet has lashings of legacy with a large, round display that is a pleasant relief from the standard ‘mine is bigger than yours’ rectangles that we see in a lot of electric cars. I’d go as far as saying the display on the Mini is just about the best I’ve seen. Internal materials are a mix of recycled and environmentally low impact selections that give the Cooper a modern and brisk feel. While the car is small, the passenger compartment leaves you with a pleasing sense of space. Playful touches abound, with the Mini badge turning up occasionally, a fabric swatch as part of the steering wheel, and projections that light up selectively based on the drive mode that you’re in. The interior upholstery was a pleasing blue, and while not leather, it felt appropriate. It had more of the refreshing good looks that this car exudes, and it’s definitely a bit of a TARDIS – bigger on the inside than on the outs.
I’ve been loaned this lovely little hyperactive car for a week, and I cannot get enough of it. I look for reasons to drive it. Drive modes are called experiences, with everything from Vivid to Eco. Change experience and the car does a little shimmy and reconfigures itself with new colors and a few sound effects. My favourite is the whoopin’ and hollerin’ Go-Kart mode. Although mechanically similar to some of the BMW one series from whom it receives a drivetrain control, gear, and driver assistance package, it’s got its own distinct character, the fun and zippy feel amplified by the wheels at the corners approach of the layout.
At 160KW/330Nm, the front wheel drive takes 6.7 seconds to get to 100, which doesn’t sound fast these days, but it’s actually fabulous and just right in this car. It puts a big smile on your face every time you use that electric torque. It’s got a good traction control system, and if you accelerate fast, you can hear the wheels scrabbling for grip as it propels you. For a small car, it’s a marvel. It’s a marvel of a driving experience, and it’s a pleasure as an EV because somehow everything about it is easy. This Mini’s main job is getting you around town with fun and flair – yet of course it can go further. The 50 kilowatt-hour battery, which gave me somewhat over 300 kilometers of range in my normal driving, but in the right mode will give more. The 10% to 80% fast charge time of 30 minutes means if you did have to charge away from home it wouldn’t take you long to top up.
The boot space is small, yet pack it well and you can do a week’s shopping for a family of four with this car, just tuck a few things on the parcel tray. If you buy enough for a party you can always put the seats down. You’ll want to shop more often than that because with this car, you look for excuses to go driving. It’s that much fun in any mode.
Ultimately, the Mini Cooper S Electric delivers an undeniably enjoyable experience. Its ease of use as an EV, combined with its inherently fun and zippy nature, makes it a serious compact contender, especially if you’re considering your first electric car. It’s a surprisingly practical package wrapped in charisma and fun.
