Helen E drives a MINI Electric Cooper S 32kWh 2022.

This is Helen’s first electric car, she’s owned the MINI Electric from new and drives 5,000-10,000 miles annually. The current mileage of the car is between 1,000-5,000 miles and she achieves 120 miles from a full charge.

Why did you choose the MINI Electric?

I was keen to reduce my carbon footprint so thought it was time I did something. I was also hearing really positive reviews of the MINI SE and did test drive it in 2020 and loved it. I have driven Minis for over 10 years so I know the cars well. I was also keen to reduce costs and after doing some maths it made sense to make the change in 2022. This wasn’t a quick or easy process as I spent time thinking it through. I spent time monitoring my miles I was doing and thinking was the range going to be enough?

One day I woke up and said this makes complete sense and I can do it. So I went back to test drive the MINI Electric while my MINI Cooper S convertible was in for a service and that was it. I certainly haven’t regretted it. I was worried about the range but I didn’t need to at all as it works perfectly. We have even driven from Warwickshire to Norfolk with the dog because we love the way the car drives.

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Positives – List 3 or more reasons why you love this electric car

• Fabulous and fun to drive
• super responsive
• build quality.

Negatives – List 3 or more things that you really don’t like about this electric car

• It doesn’t have a light on the charge point so can be difficult at night
• GOM is very pessimistic and goes up and down. I have learnt to ignore it and look at percentage and my miles per kilowatt.
• reversing camera is over sensitive.

Have you experienced any faults with the car? If so, what have they been?

I have not had any faults yet. I originally took delivery of my first Mini SE in March ’22. Unfortunately, I was in a car accident and this car was written off. My local car dealership ensured along with the insurance company that an order was placed quickly and I took delivery of a new one 10-12 weeks later. Can’t complain!

What are the standout technological features of the car?

I upgraded from a 2017 Mini Cooper S convertible and noticed a huge improvement. The screen is much clearer and I find it very easy to use. Apple CarPlay is good and works well for me and I also find this easy to navigate. The head up display is brilliant and I find this very useful. The regen braking is super responsive and love the one pedal braking which I think is superior to other electric cars I have driven. The car has excellent cameras and collision avoidance technology which does warn you, these are slightly over sensitive. The Harman Kardon system is enjoyable with great bass.

Surprise us! Tell us something people wouldn’t readily know about this electric car 

This car, as all Minis do, can get quite a lot in them if you know what you are doing. We manage to get our golden retriever in the back and he has plenty of space. We have travelled long distances with him in the back with one of the seats down and he is a happy boy as he has a great view. There are good secure points for the dog’s travel harness to attach to. As a passenger it is super comfortable.

There are benefits to the small battery as it charges so quickly. I can normally get it fully charged with my overnight cheap tariff. On the ultra fast public chargers it can charge within 30-45 minutes, if not quicker, especially if it just needs increasing to 80%. A lot of the time I am still drinking my coffee, still sorting the dog out or chatting! The storage for my charging cables is hidden away in the lower part of the boot. I can easily fit all my items in the boot. I am a community nurse and often have baby weighing scales and much more in there.

What electric car(s) are you interested in next and why?

Another electric MINI

Home charging unit – outline both positive & negative elements

I have a Wallbox Pulsar Plus tethered. I decided to have a tethered unit as I didn’t want to keep getting my cable out so that stays in the boot. I have been very happy with the unit and it works well. I did have a problem a month or so ago but that was resolved quickly. I have off street parking and normally charge between 2-3 times a week; this is naturally dependent on the miles done.

I charge overnight, 12.30am-4.30am, as I am on Octopus Go. The Wallbox is very straight-forward and I can control it from my phone if I choose to do so. I tend to use my MINI app to set the charging schedule as I found the Wallbox to be a little unreliable and sometimes it didn’t charge. This may well have been resolved now. I can’t say anything really negative about home charging. It keeps the cost down, I am charging at the time when the grid is quiet, it’s easy and I wake up to a fully charged car that is warm and ready to go. I certainly do not miss going to the petrol station

Electricity supplier & tariff – outline both positive & negative elements

I am on Octopus Go which is an electric car specific tariff. It’s easy and I’ve had no problems. I make sure that I charge my car in the cheap overnight tariff times. I am considering moving over to Intelligent Octopus. I highly recommend looking out for these sort of tariffs as it will reduce costs and also encourages us electric car owners to charge at the quieter times and greener energy usage. I have signed up for an Octopus Electric Universe account which means I can use some public chargers at a reduced rate and the cost goes onto my electricity bill. Not used it yet but I’m sure I will.

What public charging networks would you recommend to others and why?*

I don’t use public chargers a lot but for those I’ve used:

• InstaVolt – my favourite as they just work
• GRIDSERVE Hub Norwich – excellent
• Hubsta 22kWh – MINI can only get 11kWh but enough
• GeniePoint- probably the worst units as they are old.

Some of these chargers are not in the best positions, the spaces are tight, it’s often dark and can be challenging to park in and get in and out of. Don’t forget the cables are heavy too and can be difficult to manage. I’m hoping that this will get better as these companies realise they need to make chargers more accessible and easy to use. The GRIDSERVE Hubs are superb and this is hopefully where we will get too. I would recommend finding the ones you like and sticking with them. My experience has been positive though.

Insurer – outline both positive & negative elements

I have no problems insuring my electric car as I hear some people have. My premium has near enough stayed the same. I was impressed with how quickly my insurance company replaced my car after my accident and my car was written off. I did have to argue to get a temporary electric car while I waited for new one. This however, was resolved and I was given an electric car which was a relief, though it wasn’t a Mini SE.

Please itemise where you’re saving money (or not) owning & running a MINI Electric

• My insurance has stayed the same
• I am not paying road tax so that’s a saving
• I am paying £100 more a month for the car but it is a new car
• as I get an overnight tariff my cost per mile is around 2p, compared to my previous MINI petrol would have been approx. 17.5p per mile. If I say do 100 miles a week I could be saving £15 per week if not more.

Going electric for me was about saving money but also wanting to be more green. So while I’m driving around the local town and in the city when at work, I’m not polluting the environment as my previous MINI did. I also know what my electric tariff will be as it’s fixed and will not fluctuate as petrol and diesel do. I will have low servicing costs due to less parts needing replacing and/or servicing.

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