Battery: 32.6kWh
Miles per kWh: 5.02
E-Rating™: A+
Max charge rate: 49 kW
Range: 145 miles
Range
MINI is refusing to enter the contest to have the longest range in the electric car arena. The official figures suggest you’ll be able to go between 124 and 144 miles before you need to charge the batteries, depending on the weather and the type of roads you’re driving on. That’s fewer than all of the key rivals, with the exception of the new Honda e.
Having less range might rule the MINI out as a choice for some motorists, but before you dismiss it completely it’s worth thinking about your usage. If you only do a few miles a day and can charge easily at home or work, then the MINI’s 100+ miles might be all you ever need.
Battery
At just 32.6kWh, the MINI Electric’s battery is a third of the size of a Tesla Model S’s and almost half of a top-spec Nissan Leaf’s. We can’t help but be a little disappointed at this apparent stinginess, but there are some advantages to having a smaller battery. Firstly, it’s physically more compact, which means the boot and passenger space are uncompromised by the conversion to electric power. A smaller battery isn’t as heavy either, so the MINI drives in the way you’d expect and doesn’t carry around the weight of extra battery capacity which might only be needed occasionally. But the biggest bonus is cost; adding capacity is expensive and the MINI Electric’s relatively short range means it is reasonably priced.
Charging
Charging the MINI Electric is pretty simple – just plug in to the slot where you’d find the filler cap on a petrol MINI. It is supplied with both home and public charging cables, charging using Type 2 and CCS Combo 2 plugs.
The car will accept the newer 11kW AC chargers for home or public points, which can knock about an hour off the time it takes to get a 100% charge. That can be really useful if you are using one while shopping for example, or want to take advantage of the cheapest electricity rates at night time and need to get power into the battery quickly.
If you need to get a rapid charge the MINI can only accept a rate of 50kW rather than the faster charges which are now being offered. However, the battery is comparatively small so it takes less time to ‘fill’ than rivals with bigger powerpacks.
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