MINI Electric 2021 electric car owner review

Ali drives a MINI Electric (Cooper S Level 2) 22kWh 2021.

This is Ali’s first electric car, she’s owned the MINI less than a year and drives between 5,000-10,000 miles annually. The current mileage of the car is between 5,000-10,000 miles and she achieves 103 miles range from a full charge.

Why did you choose the MINI Electric?

I wanted to switch to electric because of environmental factors, less pollution and I don’t do many long journeys so I felt electric would suit my lifestyle. I wanted a Mini as I’ve had Minis in the past and I love them – the size, the style, the ease of driving and road handling. Plus they are such a fun car!

Positives

It looks cool
it’s easy to drive
has lots of gadgets and toys and is cheap to run.

Negatives

There’s nothing I don’t like about this car!

Compared to when you first bought the car, does your battery still charge at the same rate & do you still get the same range?

It still charges at the same rate and I’m getting slightly more range. I think it’s because the outside temperature is warmer and I’m not using the heater so much.

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

No faults

What are the standout technological features of the car?

The Mini infotainment system is excellent, it provides navigation, loads of customisable driver settings, different driving modes, i.e. Eco, Eco+, Mid and Sport. Eco and Eco+ turn off unnecessary toys such as air con to increase the range, Mid is the everyday setting which is the one I use the most, and Sport tightens up the suspension and increases the power so acceleration is super quick. It turns the dashboard and interior displays red as well,so looks really cool!

Tell us something people wouldn’t readily know about your MINI Electric

When you unlock the doors in the dark, the mirrors illuminate a patch on the ground with the word MINI which looks really cool!

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

Only Minis!

Home charging unit

myenergi zappi – it has 3 charging modes, I usually use Eco+f or overnight charging. It also has Eco which is a bit faster which I sometimes use if I need to charge immediately – this setting will add about 20% to the battery in about an hour which is ideal if I need to do an unexpected journey. The Eco settings are much slower and take about 3-4 hours. A Mini has a small battery so it doesn’t take as long to charge as a bigger car.

Electricity supplier & tariff

I’m with Octopus Energy on their Intelligent Go tariff, it costs 7p per kWh between 23:30 and 05:30. I plug in the car and leave it overnight, it creates a schedule and charges when the demand on the grid is at its lowest. I can set how much charge I want to add to the battery and just leave it to get on with it.

Do you use public charging networks?

Insurance

Admiral Multi-Car policy including my children’s cars. The premiums are competitive and the service is good, no negatives.

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

Difficult to answer this as I’ve only had the car a couple of months. Electric charging at home is cheaper than petrol but I’m not sure yet by how much. I used to spend about £30 per month on petrol and now I charge the car once or twice a week but not looked into how much this costs, exactly. Road tax was free but soon it will cost £195 per year. I haven’t had a service yet so don’t know cost for that.