Mini Cooper S vs Mini Cooper SE – is petrol or electric best?
In electric form, the latest Mini is a big improvement on its predecessor – but is it better than the petrol model? We took both versions on a road trip to find out...
Remakes are rarely more popular than the originals, but the ‘new’ Mini (including Clubman and Countryman) has now outsold the car it was inspired by. Yes, the BMW version, first launched in 2001, surpassed the sales tally of the Alec Issigonis classic a couple of years ago.
There have been several generations of the BMW Mini in the 23 years since the German brand took over, of course, but the basic design of the three-door hatchback has only evolved slightly during that time. Indeed, we wouldn’t blame you if you struggled to tell one generation from the other.
Is it the same deal with the new, fourth generation, which has just gone on sale? Well, yes and no. As expected, the looks haven’t changed much, but, somewhat confusingly, there are now two completely different Mini hatchbacks: one powered by petrol and the other by a battery.
The differences
When we say ‘completely different’, we aren’t just referring to their methods of propulsion. Let’s start with the petrol Mini, which is, in effect, a heavily updated version of the third-generation car it replaces. It sits on the same underpinnings as before and even has the same engine line-up, although the interior is entirely new, as we’ll explain later.
Go for the entry-level model (named Cooper C) and you’ll get a 1.5-litre petrol engine with a healthy 154bhp. Here, though, we’re testing the more powerful Cooper S, which has a 201bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine. Fans of manual gearboxes won’t be happy, because all petrol Mini hatches now come with a seven-speed automatic as standard.
While the previous Mini Electric (2020-2024) was essentially just a petrol version with the engine ripped out and an electric motor and battery crowbarred in, this latest version sits on entirely new underpinnings that are completely unrelated to those of the petrol car, as the result of a partnership between BMW and Chinese manufacturer Great Wall Motor.
As with the petrol model, the electric Mini is available with a choice of two power outputs. You can opt for the Cooper E, which has a 181bhp electric motor and a 36.6kWh (usable capacity) battery, or the Cooper SE that we’ve lined up here. Not only does it have a more powerful, 215bhp motor, but it also gets a larger, 49.2kWh battery.
Oh, and if you’re wondering what’s the easiest way to tell the two apart, the electric version misses out on black plastic wheelarch extensions and has flush door handles.
Day one
Our Mini adventure began on a chilly morning in Twickenham, London. The Cooper SE was fully charged, just as it would most likely be for any owner with a long journey ahead, and the Cooper S had its tank brimmed so we could accurately work out its fuel consumption at the end of the trip.
First stop would be the Mini factory in Oxford, where the new petrol model is already rolling off the production line. We weren’t going there for a tour or a museum visit; it was just a convenient waypoint for some photography that would require motorway driving to get there – and that’s something the Cooper SE proved surprisingly good at.
Its more supple suspension helps it absorb ripples and expansion joints that the firmer Cooper S struggles to subdue. Ride comfort has never been a Mini strength, and the new Cooper SE is still far from a luxury limo, but at a steady 70mph it’s noticeably calmer and more agreeable than its petrol counterpart.
It’s quieter, too – although, on 18in alloy wheels, there’s still plenty of tyre noise in both cars. If you’re looking for a really hushed small hatchback, you’d be better off with an Audi A1 on smaller wheels, or a Peugeot e-208 if you want to go fully electric.
Practicality has never been a Mini strength, either – and it still isn’t. Both versions have only two rear seats with limited knee room. Put simply, a six-footer wouldn’t fancy a long trip in the back, and there are countless more practical cars you could buy for the same (or less) money. Surprisingly, though, despite both of our Minis being fitted with sunroofs (standard if you go for the Level 2 equipment pack or above), the electric version has significantly more rear head room.
It’s the other way around when it comes to boot space. On paper, the two cars have an identical 210 litres of luggage room below their parcel shelves, but you can’t drop the height-adjustable boot floor in the electric version anywhere near as low because of the Harman Kardon sound system subwoofer that lurks underneath. If you don’t want this, you’ll need to avoid the Level 2 and 3 equipment packages.
By contrast, the Harman Kardon sound system upgrade in the Cooper S doesn’t impact boot space and, of course, there aren’t any charging cables to carry around. So, while both cars have pretty tiny boots in the grand scheme of things, the petrol option is the better choice for carrying luggage.
Where next? Well, visiting the birthplace of the new electric Mini wasn’t really feasible, because it’s currently made almost 6000 miles away in Zhangjiagang, China – although production is due to start at Oxford in 2026. So, as a nod to the car’s origin, we decided to head to Birmingham’s Chinese Quarter. Britain’s second- biggest city would also be an ideal environment in which to check out our Minis’ urban driving manners.
Once again, it was the Cooper SE that stood out. Its ride is less choppy along beaten-up back streets, it has a tighter turning circle and the immediacy of its acceleration makes it feel nippier than the Cooper S – even though the official 0-62mph times for both cars are very similar.
By the end of the day, our Minis had racked up 152 miles, and while the fuel gauge in the Cooper S was still showing three-quarters full, the Cooper SE had a predicted remaining range of 56 miles. An overnight charge at our hotel would have been the ideal remedy – but like so many of Britain’s hotels, ours had no charging points in the car park. So, instead, we decided to stop for a quick top-up on the way out of Birmingham in the morning.
Day two
That decision initially looked like a bad one, because the charging point we had our eye on was cordoned off. Not because it was broken or some heinous crime had been committed, but because the parking bays in front of it were being painted a fetching shade of blue.
Fortunately, a quick look at the phone app ZapMap showed another charging location a couple of miles away in a McDonald’s car park. We had better luck with this one and added 24.8kWh (roughly a 25-75% top-up) in 23 minutes – enough to (hopefully) get us back to London via some country roads. The only complaint was the eye-watering 85p per kWh we were charged by Instavolt, which owns the charging points at that location.
Anyway, one of the main reasons you might want a Mini is because you think it will put a big smile on your face when you drive it, so we plugged a village called Fritwell into our sat-navs and headed for some twistier Oxfordshire country roads. In theory, the electric Cooper SE should be at a big disadvantage in such an environment, because its battery makes it rather porky; it weighs 320kg more than the Cooper S.
And, sure enough, that extra flab isn’t completely disguised; the body of the softer and heavier Cooper SE does bounce around more when you tackle dips and crests, and there’s a bit more body lean through corners, too. Then again, the firmer petrol Cooper S is more easily knocked off line by mid-corner bumps, and there’s a distinct lack of connection to its front wheels through its quick steering. In short, it’s a car that flatters to deceive; it feels agile and sporty when driven moderately quickly, but it’s less impressive when you push it hard.
The Cooper SE, on the other hand, has sweeter steering and is more rewarding to drive quickly – even though there is some ‘torque steer’. This is a phenomenon that causes the steering wheel to tug left or right in your hands when you put your foot down hard, particularly on the way out of corners.
After some much-needed lunch, the final motorway leg on the M40 towards London gave us a chance to ponder our Minis’ interiors – and in many respects they’re the same. The design is completely new and features knitted fabric on the dashboard and insides of the doors, plus there’s a range of colour schemes, depending on the trim you choose. In short, both Minis have a vibe inside that’s far more interesting than most small cars’, even if some of the materials don’t feel as plush as those in the previous Mini.
Both cars also get the same 9.4in circular touchscreen infotainment system in the middle of the dashboard, with colourful graphics and plenty of features. Unfortunately, the interface isn’t especially easy to use; it looks pretty, but there are too many small icons. It’s also frustrating that you have to use it (or the patchy voice control feature) to adjust the air temperature; Mini has done away with the physical controls that featured previously.
The main difference between the two Minis is that you can sit noticeably lower down in the Cooper S. The Cooper SE has its battery under the floor, preventing the seat from dropping as low – although the pedals, steering wheel and seat actually line up slightly better than in the Cooper S. Mind you, it’s annoying that you have to go for the most expensive, Level 3 equipment package if you want adjustable lumbar support in either car.
The money
Our journey finished at Beaconsfield Services on the M40, where we could brim the tank of the petrol Mini and fully charge the electric version to work out how much the whole trip cost. The final few miles in the Cooper SE were slightly fraught, but it got there with an indicated four miles of charge left.
Disappointingly, the Cooper S averaged just 30.5mpg across the 279-mile journey. At motorway services fuel prices, that came to £71.67, but based on the average price of a litre of petrol across the UK at the time of writing, the cost would have come down to £60.46.
The cost of the trip in the electric Cooper SE came to £62.55. It used a total of 87.4kWh at an average efficiency of 3.5 miles per kWh, although that was charging exclusively using the (very expensive) public charging network. If we assume the final charge was at home at the energy price cap (22.4p per kWh), the total cost drops to £33.63. And if you were signed up to a cheap (7p per kWh) overnight tariff, the total would drop even more, to just £25.03.
So, it’s clear the electric Cooper SE can be significantly cheaper to run, but then it is a lot more expensive to buy outright. For the sake of a fair comparison, let’s assume our two Minis were specified in equivalent forms: Sport trim with the Level 2 pack. The Cooper SE would be priced at £40,000 – almost £7000 more than the Cooper S.
The electric Mini costs more on PCP finance, too, but not by so much. Over three years, with a £4000 deposit and an annual limit of 10,000 miles, you’ll pay £2785 more for the Cooper SE, or £4480 if you choose to buy it outright at the end of the agreement.
Tot up all the costs you’re likely to face during three years/36,000 miles (insurance, servicing, fuel and depreciation after an outright purchase) and the gap narrows dramatically. In fact, if you were to charge the Cooper SE exclusively on an overnight tariff, it would actually work out slightly cheaper.
If you’re a company car driver paying benefit-in-kind tax, the electric version is a no-brainer. Assuming you’re in the 40% bracket, you’ll pay just £27 in tax each month, compared with £360 for the Cooper S.
Our verdict
There are reasons to buy a three-door Mini hatchback and reasons not to – but let’s assume you’ve already decided that you want to get your hands on one.
We think the electric version is a fundamentally better car, and while you might initially baulk at its higher asking price, it’s significantly cheaper to run and might even work out cheaper overall in the long run if you’re canny about when and where you plug it in to charge.
Then again, there’s no escaping the fact that the Cooper SE – like most fully electric cars – won’t suit everyone. If you can't plug in at home, for example, or you regularly do long journeys, it loses a lot of its appeal.
The Cooper S offers the same retro styling and eye-catching interior design, so it’s unlikely to disappoint, although we do think the cheaper Cooper C makes more sense if you’re buying a petrol version.
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Specifications: Mini Cooper SE Sport (Level 2)
List price £40,000
Engine Electric motor, 49.2kWh (usable) battery
Power 215bhp
Torque 243lb ft
Gearbox 1-spd automatic
0-62mph 6.7sec
Top speed 106mph
Official range 241 miles
CO2, tax band 0g/km, 2%
What Car? rating 4 stars out of 5
Mini Cooper SE review >>
Specifications: Mini Cooper S Sport (Level 2)
List price £33,050
Engine 4cyl, 1998cc, turbo, petrol
Power 201bhp at 5000-6000rpm
Torque 221lb ft at 1450-4500rpm
Gearbox 7-spd automatic
0-62mph 6.6sec
Top speed 150mph
Official economy 44.1mpg
CO2, tax band 144g/km, 33%
What Car? rating 3 stars out of 5
