Is the First ELECTRIC Mini Cooper Worth It? | 2020 Mini Cooper SE Review & Range Test

Finally, Mini has created an all-electric Mini Cooper! With their signature Go-Kart like handling, it's a wonder it took Mini this long to take advantage of the low center of gravity characteristic of EVs. Well, in this video I take you along for a detailed in-depth review and range test to see whether or not this first-ever electric Mini Cooper is worth the money! Be sure to like and subscribe for more content! Thanks so much for watching Forrest's Auto Reviews!

[@forrestsautoreviewsofficial]

Thank you all so much for helping the channel hit 65k subscribers!!! 🎉🎊🎉 Next up, 100K!! Hope you all enjoyed the review! Stay tuned next week for the updated 2020 Acura NSX!

[@insightman]

Thank you for including your ordeal with running out of juice a matter of feet from the charging station! You are the only reviewer who went the full measure to show it is possible to push a chargeless MINI Cooper SE a short distance if necessary. What grippy tires were on your test MINI? Obviously not hard eco-tires. Most MINI Coopers have run-flat tires, but it looked like there was a puncture-repair kit in the boot, something run-flats would make superfluous.

[@forrestsautoreviewsofficial]

John E Johnson They were GoodYear Eagle F1 tires.

[@Bandit-137]

Best mini SE review hands down. Well done!

[@jordandennis2702]

Dude the mini se is so sick! As always awesome review, man love the tests and the exhibition of speed at the end lol. I would love nothing more than to own one of these but having a 2 year old (and planning more) I’ll have to wait for a countryman or clubman se. Plus I have an r56 that takes all my time and money haha. It’s such a trip to see you go so quick without any audible feedback other than the tires spinning.

[@ecliptic21]

Looks like a great car. Hoping that we will get it in South Africa soon. Currently we only have the BMW i3, Jaguar I-pace and old models of the Nissan Leaf avaiable in the country.

[@DriveAndBeDriven]

Wow, Forrest! You killed it with this MINI review!!! And I love that thumbnail!!! ⚡⚡⚡

[@AGH0804]

I just purchased a 2023 an I love it. I have 120 mile round trip commute.

[@stevenl900]

Glad you threw in some night footage of the Mini logo lights + door lights! Most videos only show the car in the daytime and I wouldn't have known the SE has those things or from test driving it. Keep it up! :)

[@BrandonToy1996]

First!!! I love your reviews Forrest!!!

[@forrestsautoreviewsofficial]

Thanks Brandon! I appreciate you watching!

[@Chrisb8s]

I have ordered one. Now the wait begins.

[@jeremiahis]

Thanks for making this video - I’ve got a 76 mile commute against traffic. Hoping to score an HOV decal and get in the car pool lane. Was so good so see the range is more than good enough in the real SoCal work driving. Put down a deposit in a 2022 which should be here in a little that (fingers crossed.) Thanks!

[@abbaby555]

Awesome review, and I really like the mini SE a lot. I think it could be a daily driver for me since I don't drive as much since I've retired.

[@TrainsFerriesFeet]

Thanks for the great review; I'm thinking about getting the Mini Electric as a bridge from when my 530e lease runs out in June 2021 until the VW Buzz comes out. My main reservation is the range because I'm a 1 car/1 person household and it would be tough for roadtrips.

[@chrisbrodbeck1961]

Best review ever, I want one! Too funny I thought you were stuck in drive. ooohhh

[@cadriver2570]

Great review! More range would kill the fun drive. No need to reinvent the Nissan Leaf. This thing delivers..

[@chrisschodin]

Thank you for the review, well done!!!

[@JianYZhong]

Excellent review, thank you!

[@tombecker4771]

Very interesting, thank you. I have the Mini SE for 2 weeks and can confirm your test information. But I don't dare to drive 200 kilometers with one load.;-) Grüsse aus Dortmund, Germany. Tom

[@tvrtkocro28]

Interior is stunning and interesting!

[@Reallyraywhat]

I’ve owned a few cars with LED headlights and Mini by far are the best.

[@kamdonko]

Forrest, a recent subscriber here, thanks for another great review. Keep up the great work. Although, I was a little disappointed that you didn't do the range test using the MID setting - rather than using the GREEN setting on the car - in fact, I don't recall you mentioned much about the MID setting or other modes at all. As a current MINI Cooper owner, who is considering getting the SE, I keep my drive setting on MID - which on the gasoline version of the car is a good compromise between fuel economy and a the desire for a more enthusiastic driving dynamics in sport mode. I also would have liked to know what differences do the MID, Green and Green+ do in terms of driving dynamics. You mentioned that Green+ limits the AC and the acceleration response, but what else does it do? Does it limit the speed? Does it increase aggressiveness of the regen when you lift off of the throttle? Does it make the throttle response more "mushy" or "muted"? Does it change the steering weight? As far as whether I like it - I think I'm a bit biased to say that I do, but I think it would have an even higher appeal to me had there been a 5-door model - just for a bit more practicality in terms of carrying people. Otherwise, this is a very compelling car. I'm curious to get your take on how this car compare to gasoline versions? How does it compare to Bolt EV or any other EVs in terms of driving dynamics? Most reviews of EVs annoyingly always qualifies their opinions about the vehicles' driving dynamics with "for an EV" - "It's a fun-to-drive car for an EV". For the rest of us who haven't been able to afford an EV, that don't really tell us much....

[@forrestsautoreviewsofficial]

My apologies! I focused mainly on the range but mid cranks up acceleration response and regen is controlled mostly by a switch in the middle of the console. Drive modes don't affect it. I drove in sport at the end which gives you the MOST acceleration response and access to all the power this battery has to offer. It will deplete range a lot faster and mid will give you a balance between green acceleration response and sport acceleration response. Steering feel felt pretty much the same through every mode: Nice resistance, and a very sporty/responsive feel.

[@davva360]

I love Minis and think electric is the answer to BMW and their mechanical issues. Not to mention how difficult they are to work on. Only issue for me is you can’t really road trip this car because the range is too short. Fine for a daily local trip car but would need something else for road trips.

[@hashiquev4422]

Nice review

[@marstotalchaos4735]

Nice review. I missed the 0 to 60. Did u mention it? Stay safe.

[@insightman]

KZbin's Tech Forum guy measured 0-60 in 6.3 seconds on his personal MINI Cooper SE. MINI says it takes 6.9 seconds.

[@forrestsautoreviewsofficial]

I did not test 0-60. It feels much quicker than 6.9 though. I was blowing past GTI’s

[@marstotalchaos4735]

@@forrestsautoreviewsofficial I would go for a Kona EV once it's available everywhere. More room, more range and faster.

[@forrestsautoreviewsofficial]

@@marstotalchaos4735 The Kona is incredible but $46K fully loaded vs this being $36K before the $7,500 tax credit, incentives, and fuel savings is very hard to overlook. I highly recommend the Kona and this Mini SE but it ultimately depends on your range needs and whether or not this will be your main commuter or your second car. It would honestly work best as a commute only car with you longer range EV or gas vehicle acting as your main source of transportation.

[@Someonesaidthis]

Will this car last longer than a normal car?

[@hakzima]

it has to lose alittlebit more weight, imagine if weights same or less than the petrol, wouldve been more fun/range.

[@dubzb6609]

Definitely needs more range imo

[@Neojhun]

Old ICE platform. It does not have the optimized space for a big battery. Really should have a 45ish Kwh on a custom chassis.

[@Chrisb8s]

It really is great for what it is.

[@TriviaChallenge]

The range predictor on the Mini E is very pessimistic.

[@nishuozenmeban]

21:00 - 22:15

[@JimBobe]

$9 for 125miles? You're better off getting a civic!!

[@larryspiller15]

Home charging would cost 3-4$, these charging stations are a little pricey.

[@JimBobe]

@@larryspiller15 Ah okay, makes sense

[@larryspiller15]

@@JimBobe yep if you ever want to find out the cost for you just look at your electricity bill and see what you pay per kWh and then you can multiply that by the total capacity of the battery is usable which in this case is 28kWh.

[@forrestsautoreviewsofficial]

It depends. These rates change state by state. Since I live in California, I’d have to compare it to California gas prices which are currently $2.70 or higher for the lowest grade fuel. That would get you about 3.3 gallons for $9. Therefore, to travel 125 miles your vehicle would have to get at least 37mpg through the entire duration of those 3.3 gallons of fuel.

[@southshore0007]

I thought the tax credit has ended maybe it goes by different car companies 🤷‍♂️

[@insightman]

There is no longer a US federal EV tax credit for Tesla and Chevrolet because those two companies have sold 200,000 electric cars. Other companies' cars still qualify.

[@forrestsautoreviewsofficial]

Correct^ Each manufacturer has their own set amount. Mini has yet to utilize theirs so it starts with this vehicle.

[@bhxu]

Poor design, my BMW i3 has more cargo space than mini. Very wasted for no storage on the front trunk, and the back just almost useless, it is the worst cargo space design for hatchback vehicle. I definitely spend little more money buy Tesla or any other EV will have much better cargo space and range.

[@afung1126]

Poor press car got abused again.

[@JimBobe]

No mini cooper is worth it, let alone an electric one

[@forrestsautoreviewsofficial]

Jim Bob Depends on what you value. All cars are worth it to someone based on their situation.

[@lorinjones3007]

I waaaaant one

[@bkrider19]

If this car can improve its range to 180 or 200 miles without increasing its price too much, it will create a fairly large market that the cheapest Tesla Model 3 is still too expensive to reach. Great review. Thanks.

[@gooniac33]

Welcome to cali my friend!! Nothing quite like it and glad you can be here now! Its so funny that I look at the length of your videos and think that there is no way I can make it all the way through.... yet I went from start to finish!! You are really good at engaging the audience! Love your videos and the music choices are always on point too!! Keep up the good work my friend!! Car looks awesome!! Electric has come a long way and this is for sure a car I could live with in the city!

[@forrestsautoreviewsofficial]

gooniac33 I appreciate that! It’s no easy task to make this long of a video interesting but I try my absolute hardest to not be boring while trying to stay informative! Thanks for watching!

[@gooniac33]

Forrest's Auto Reviews keep up the good work! Not boring even a lil bit! I couldnt put down my phone! 😂😂😂 I work as an equipment mechanic for the DOE, specializing in electrice vehicles and drove a Focus Electeic from our fleet for a month straight to see how it was to live with one. Basically I drove an entire week without needing to charge the car and that was running climate control the whole time. Results were similar to this car but the Mini would be much more fun to drive! Not to mention the shorter charge times too!! People gotta get used to the fact that you dont need to have 300miles range on tap at all times when you really only use about 1/3 of that in normal circumstances.

[@SuperLenny34]

Would love to see miles to km conversion texting on your videos. Love to watch them, greets from Norway

[@forrestsautoreviewsofficial]

Will include it next time!

[@coreyschmidt734]

Saw one in person at an auto show in February. I was impressed and I am a big fan of those wheels as well. Interestingly, this car has very similar specs to the Volkswagen Egolf. The egolf has adaptive cruise and more interior room. While they didn’t bring a 2020 model to the U. S. there are many dealers sitting on deeply discounted 2019’s. It would be great if you were able to drive one and compare it to the mini. Keep up the good work.

[@pipschannel1222]

Best review I've seen of this car so far! Really ticks all the boxes. Nice job! I'm thinking about ordering one next year. It will be my third car (next to a Miata and an old muscle car) and I live only 18km away from work where we have a lot of charging spots so I think this will be an excellent choice. Of course a Model 3 is a lot better but in this country that thing is more than twice the price of the Mini! And I personally don't care about range too much as it charges really quick. For me it's all about handling and driving experience. I find most EVs in its class, like the Leaf and the Ioniq pretty boring from that perspective so if you look at its price it must be the best EV. At least for me that is 👍

[@GreenvilleGuy]

Excellent walk around and range drives. Thank you for including the part where you had to push the car into the spot twice! Good sense of humor.

[@chrishepworth9553]

Had mine 4 weeks now love it 😊, forget about environment range & cost end of day it’s awesome drive. Once am down to 60% or less I charger it up over night back to 80/100%. Plugging her in 3 times a week, it takes me 15sec open boot plug in and done. Spend 90sec a week plugging in a car is quicker then driving to petrol station for sure. If you own Tesla stock best sell them now! Car getting a lot of attention, looks on people face basically says, ‘is that a mini electric, wow want one’ where if my C350e it was more like ‘what a w&@*%#er’

[@jeremymuther8656]

Congrats on 65K 🎉🎊

[@justinmincy3080]

Jeremy Muther 🎉🎊🎉🙌🏻

[@forrestsautoreviewsofficial]

Thanks!!

[@ksb2050]

Great review! Really enjoyed it! Hoping to buy one of these next year.

[@hughwolfe1176]

Nice review, I’ve yet to see one on the road, probably due to their low range. Wouldn’t be practical for any sort of a long distance trip, but as a local commuting vehicle it’s great… BTW, my middle name is “Forrest” and I also utilize that in my business “forrest fotography” misspelled on purpose.

[@box.10]

what do you want more range for? You had to waste the residue you had. If you had more range = bigger battery = more time to charge? You DONT want that!!!!

[@nsuinteger-au]

Was looking for a good looking electric city car for commuting and this clearly wasn't it sadly. For a car this size and all the space constraints internally I'd expect the range to be more and the tech inside is really disappointing in 2022.

[@chrisbrodbeck1961]

perreli tires, I didnt know adaptive cruise existed, I'm old ugh...I need to get out more!

[@WFO.]

Very nice review.

[@shegotgamemedia]

Great review

[@vladsaghin7644]

If you want more range you'd have to pay for it! Thanks but I'll keep the 17$k price tag instead of paying 5k more for 30-40 more miles of range (which I wouldn't even use 99% of the time)

[@forrestsautoreviewsofficial]

Vlad Saghin If you’re talking about this car it doesn’t have more range based on the trim levels. It has the same range no matter if you pay for the base model or the fully loaded model. The only upgrades are features, safety systems, and equipment.

[@vladsaghin7644]

@@forrestsautoreviewsofficial I know, but if you wanted more range, you'd have to pay for a bigger battery, thus the fictional 5k premium. And like I said, a bigger battery will only give you more range you won't actually use but who's just there to help your range anxiety. People really overestimate the range they actually need. Meanwhile, there's plenty of people out there who commute with the paltry range of the first gen LEAF which is already 8 years old

[@vladsaghin7644]

@@forrestsautoreviewsofficial it's what Hyundai did with the Ioniq in Canada. It went from a somewhat affordabme 36k car with 125 miles of range in 2019 to an unnecessarily expensive 42k car with 165 miles for the 2020 model year. If you ask me, the 40 mile bump is nowhere near worth the 6k premium

[@stephenhendricks103]

@@vladsaghin7644 You may be right for many consumers. But EV manufacturers have two sources of pressure to offer extended range. One is simply consumer perceptions and comparison to the miles available from a typical tank of gas. My neighbor who drives a 911 maintains he'll consider switching to an EV when he can count on 400 miles of range. That's probably not a "true" need but it's his expectation. The second source of the struggle to increase range for EV's is the assumption that many households expect to have only a single vehicle for ALL their needs, regardless of their frequency. The MINIe aims at a different market target; consumers who want a second or third vehicle to absorb a significant portion of the urban and suburban miles they put on their vehicles.

[@jeffreff2000]

I just wish it had adaptive cruise control. Especially since this is a commuter car.

[@insightman]

That missing feature is difficult to understand. Adaptive Cruise Control would be used more often than the more complicated parking assist feature that's part of the Iconic trim package. Why would that top trim level be missing ANY useful feature?

[@jeffreff2000]

John E Johnson I know that one missing feature is giving me pause. Obviously more range would be nice but I can live with current range because I can charge at work. But I am really looking for adaptive to ease my sometimes 2 hour commute in traffic.

[@fatimagursul2164]

Great video! thanks!

[@0u09plays3]

This is after Covid 😢

[@GSGS-1950]

The original electric Mini was the Mini-E. The electric drivetrain was supplied by AC Propulsion and the car was assembled by BMW. (AC Propulsion also supplied the drivetrain for the the original prototype Tesla Roadster.) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini_E

[@T-WorksOfficial]

I just love those rims.... kinda wanna take them and put it on my F56

[@zaviolyn]

Thank you for such a complete review. I've been driving a Mini Cooper S since 2006 and I've loved it. But I'm ready to go all electric. My husband is cheering for a Tesla Model 3 which we will test drive today. My only problem with the Mini Cooper SE is that is doesn't have 4 doors. My dog rides in the back seats. As he ages, I imagine it will get harder for him to get in.

[@joelrampersad1359]

Shaky camera footage causes headaches for viewers. Deliberately running out of power damages batteries. You should use a wipe instead of your tshirt. Cutting off your recharging without a good explanation. Paying for electricity at super high prices was unnecessary.

[@norbu72]

Thank you Forrest! Really great review and well done video. Production started on my new mini SE electric today. Your video (and a few others) really helped me with my decision. I can't wait!

[@scorpion251970]

I would like 5 door and 100 miles more. Then definitely a buy. Unless Tesla brings out their supposed compact with those factors, then it’s Tesla.

[@mrglwatson]

Like you I would get one if it just had a little more range, I’d want 150 mile range at least. I think when they bring out a 5 door version, if that has the range, then I’ll be getting one.

[@ketralnis]

Are you sure it doesn't have active cruise control? Their site lists "active driving assistant" and they seem to use that to mean active cruise control

[@mowcowbell]

Reviewers are regularly getting 120-130 miles of range, so the manufacturer's range rating was very conservative.

[@AubreyBeauford]

Lol...Forrest the part of the vid when you had to push the car up to the charger was comic genius

[@gchetail]

Awesome review! I just wish Mini would put adaptive cruise and cooled seats. I would get that mini right away.

[@juang_arango]

How is the regen capacity?

[@lilyho231]

Love the wheels!!! Kinda robotic looking!!!

[@jpmackin]

One of the best mini se reviews ive seen yet- thx bro

[@ClaireYunFarronXIII]

So cute! 🤗😱 Great review. 😎

[@lululuv1520]

it is an adorable "mini thing!"

[@TechCulture]

Amazing review! 🙌

[@justinkennedy3950]

I’ve been so excited to see this video!!!

[@evcarclubofamerica6850]

Nice review!

[@marcylong9551]

Awesome!

[@kevinchung1492]

Good review! One suggestion could you also tell us if the AC was on or not and what temperature set to? Since AC/heat affect the range on EV.

[@forrestsautoreviewsofficial]

Yes, I did mention I had the A/C on & fan speed was 2. It was about 90 degrees the day of filming so the temperature was at its coldest setting. 😀

[@kevinchung1492]

Must have miss it! My bad!

[@FrankypankyV8]

Too expensive here (the Netherlands)... EVs are nice, but boy...they can't be called affordable or cheap. Btw, lack of Balls from MINI to keep the name of the wheels

[@jean-lucgordon4899]

So you use your shirt to touch the charging handle, but then just touch the touch screen? Other than that I appreciate the review

[@DerekVuong7799]

Man, charging the EV is pricy. it cost you 10 bucks for about 90 miles around 80 percent. If 91 gas in socal was 2.50 when you posted this video then it would have been cheaper to drive the gas version of this car. Not sure if electricity cost went up after the pandemic like gas did but I thought ev charging is much cheaper.

[@68AMW]

Great presentation, well done! Personally i think these so called "Minis" are pretty "M A X I" and are ugly as sin!! What part of the word MINI is hard to understand?

[@larryspiller15]

Limiting the battery use is fine but quit trying to make it sound better then it is. IT WILL NOT CHARGE FASTER BECAUSE OF BATTERY LIMITATIONS. also it aint special, a model 3 has 78kWh and just over 74kWh is usable. Thanks for another pointless range test going less than highway speed.. sigh. If you want to test epa you should be doing 65 and if you want to do a real highway range you should be doing 70+. Hold on a sec, now your going faster, probably spoke too soon. I won't edit it out of comment as punishment

[@forrestsautoreviewsofficial]

larry Spiller Haha well thanks for being honest! I know this isn’t a unique situation with linking the battery but since these vehicles are new I always mention it. The faster charging only becomes noticeable after 80%. This was holding at least a 20kw charge rate where as a model 3 would usually be around 7kw when topping off the battery. I’d definitely still recommend a model 3 all day long but it is nice that this charges so quickly. You obviously have much less range though.

[@larryspiller15]

@@forrestsautoreviewsofficial but its not actually faster still, just think about it 80-100 is not 80-100 its 65-85 or something like that lol. 28÷32=87.5% usable. It's literally a placebo. If the model 3 took away half its battery and 50% was now shown as 100% would you claim that a perk was charging at 160kW at 95% was a benefit? No bc its not freaking 95% lol

[@forrestsautoreviewsofficial]

larry Spiller Haha makes sense! I actually never thought of it that way!