New Mini Cooper E: the entry-level version under €30,000

Pre-orders for the new Mini Cooper E electric have just opened with prices still quite hefty.

It’s one of the first effects of traditional manufacturers adapting to electric: technical specifications improve and prices decrease. Slightly in the case of Mini, but it’s still noticeable.

While the previous generation remains on sale starting at €35,200 before eco bonus, the new one appears for pre-order from €34,000 (before bonus). Once the bonus is factored in, the entry price drops to €29,000… excluding options. Sadly, that’s all that makes the Mini charming, otherwise its standard aesthetic features are often dull.

Nevertheless, in terms of performance, there is improvement. While power remains unchanged at 135 kW (184 hp), the battery capacity has increased somewhat: now 40.7 kWh compared to 32.6 kWh previously. That’s about fifty real kilometers. Not a panacea either…

Officially, the range for this entry-level version symbolically exceeds 300 km (305 km homologated), compared to 233 km with the previous model. In this regard, the Fiat 500e performs better: same price (-100 euros), better equipped and more “autonomous” (331 km). Only the power is less generous at 118 horsepower.

The price war won’t happen at Mini where the prices of more powerful versions with larger batteries will then jump up to the €47,000 mark, qualifying for the eco bonus.

The new Mini Cooper E remains a costly car and likely won’t be very popular on our streets.

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