Those living with the Electric Mini

No problems.
Used locally, typically 12-20 miles per day.
Range in pleasant weather is around 160 miles locally, 125 on the highway.
Drops 20% in freezing weather, haven’t experienced colder than that.
Drops very little in hot Texas weather.

Have done a couple of 400 mile round trips, the 30 min charge from 10-80% is fine but if you do a couple in quick succession with highway driving in between in hot weather it takes about 10kw off the charging rate.
If DC chargers are further than 70-80 miles apart it’s really inconvenient as you need to keep charging past 80% and that’s your slow, essentially doubling your stop time if chargers are too far apart. But that’s not what the car is for.
It’s a local use car for which it’s great, and you can do a day trip somewhere across the state if you have patience and do a little planning. If you do that kind of trip very infrequently it’s fine, if you do it regularly it’s not suited.
I’m m not convinced that in the US the car is a good buy now as base model is $34k, there are no federal tax credits and newer cara with double the range (bolt) are available for maybe $15k less if you include credits, if you can get used 4 year old Tesla model 3’s for 30-35k which are eligible for $4k rebate.
So it’s now a car you buy with your heart vs your head.

 

I went from a 2022 Tesla Model Y Performance to a 2023 Mini SE and couldn't be happier. Day to day? Flawless and fun. It can easily fit six people in it comfortably - just not all at once. Kidding aside, the boot is larger than it seems. Range is an issue for some however, though I have yet to find the range a problem for me. That said, Texas can be challenging. Outside Dallas, Fort Worth, Denton, etc. the charging stations are few and far between. Any limitations in range I blame on the charging infrastructure more than the car. I don't want to pay for more than a 30KWh battery since that capacity is adequate for 98% of my driving. Your use case may be different. I have a trip to Wichita coming up and charging could be a real issue. There are sections that require planning and potentially a diversion for planned charging. My average driving distance is about 30 miles a day and I get over 4.1 m/kWh without trying. If you consistently do any sort of cross country driving though I wouldn't even consider an EV.

 

A few point on this, for what it's worth:

• The SE cost is equivalent to the ICE model, so you're paying for the quality of MINI. Anyone who's driven a MINI knows what that means, especially compared to other lower-cost EVs (Leaf, Bolt).
• It's incredibly difficult to find available cars, new or used.
• The price drop of Teslas does change the equation some, and getting a used EV can be a good option (but see previous point). It does depend on whether or not all these different makes suits one's interests.

 

Mostly great. But two days ago, the high here in Chicago was 5º F. Preconditioned and preheated while plugged in (in a garage around freezing), and left with a 100% charge. I drove a 27-mile round trip and a later 4-mile round trip and had under 60% charge left. Yikes. Heat at 68 for me, 62 for the empty passenger side, and steering wheel and seat heat off. Clear, dry roads, speeds no higher than 55 mph, no traffic, gentle on the accelerator. Also, the max of the "go-meter," normally 100%, started at 90%, fell to 80% quickly, and was at 70% for the rest of the time. I guess protecting the batteries in the cold.

The summer, or at least the warm fall when I took delivery, would have left me with 70% charge, or more. But today, when it is 25º, I wasn't willing to take it on a 75-80 mile round trip.

 

Lowest efficiency is 1.8mi/kWh in the winter during arctic temperatures and 5.5mi/kWh in the summer. Don't really care about max range because it serves as the city car.

There are certainly other EVs that can provide more value/range, but none are as fun to drive as the MINI.

 

Plus, thanks to Bimmercode, you can customize the car's behavior more to your liking. Every day, I'm happy Bimmercode could unlock the SE's secret AM radio for me so I can listen to my local sports station. Lots of owners of other makes wish they had access to a program like Bimmercode.

 

A couple of people here (a small percentage) have had issues with their SE, but those seem to happen within the first couple of months of ownership. I've now had my SE for almost exactly 2.5 years and have had only one issue even after 52,000 miles. The single problem I had was the paint rubbing issue which my dealer fixed under warranty.

I drive about 85 miles per day commuting mostly by freeway, which means I have to do a full charge daily. I'm also in my 3rd winter, and I usually get around 150 miles range in the summer and more like 100-110 miles range in the winter. I drive in mid mode most of the time and use my cruise control as much as possible.

This morning's commute was a bit on the cold side, -16 ºF when I started out. In this weather I drive in green mode with heat set to 64 ºF both sides, and driver seat warmer on.

***********************************
Feb 3, 2023 at 09:26 ** -10.336°F ** Wind: 2.088 mph from SE ** Humidity: 0.66% ** Driven: 40.2 Mi ** Start-Batt: 100% ** End-Batt: 58% ** Mi / kWh: 3.31 ** GOM Reading: 46 Mi ** Range Left: 55.48 Mi ** Total Range (From 100% charge): 95.68 Mi ** Total Range (From 100% charge): 95.659 Mi ​

Getting 3.31 mi/kWh in -10 ºF temperature is really spectacular in my mind, and even though I'll have to charge today to make it home, I think the SE is a great all-season performer.

 

Awesome! I've gotta try green mode today, even though it's up to +2º F today!

 

I was getting 130 miles of range per charge over the summer and get about 105 miles per charge over what has been a relatively mild winter (usually in the mid-30's when I am driving).

All kinds of fun things about the car but there are a few issues. One is that when switching from reverse to drive it can sometimes take a little more time to respond. You get used to instant acceleration when pushing the go pedal, but when I back out and the hit the accelerator it comes on slower than I would like. Another is how loud it can be when someone closes the hatch. You really have to baby it if you don't want to deafen anyone in the car. Finally there is the issue of coming standard with summer tires. Not a problem if you live somewhere that you can use them all year round, but I would have like the option to purchase with all-seasons like most MINIs.

 

I agree with all your other cons, but not this one. I'd never experienced summer performance tires before and if MINI had offered all-seasons, I would have chosen that option. Fortunately, MINI's choice saved me from my conservative self--I really enjoy the fabulous grip from the summer performance Hankooks they put on my SE.

However, when I read others on this forum (eg. @Carsten Haase), who have opted for even stickier tires, my conservative notions resurface, "Why would anyone need anything better than these Hankooks?" Of course, the answer is that I can't push myself to corner fast enough to break loose the Hankooks, but others (eg. @Carsten Haase) can and they need stickier tires.

 

I'm loving mine.
It is primarily a commuter car and daily driver. I do around 40 miles a day commuting.
I've done a few longer trips, the longest being 700 mile round trip. Andy sums up DC charging well there. It seems that every time I look at plugshare, I find a new DC charger has popped up somewhere.
If you don't have plugshare, you need it.

Since DC chargers seem to have reliability issues, I plan trips to have an alternative charger within range. Even if it is a L2. That has already turned a potential disaster into a minor inconvenience. My backup that time was another DC charger, so only detour time lost It can limit each leg length, though.

Charging at home makes life easy. If I had to rely on public chargers for commuting, I wouldn't want to be doing my mileage. I have a L2 in my carport and a backup 20A 240v outlet in case that has an issue.
L1 charging is tedious. 3.2% an our from a 15A outlet If you do less than 100 miles a week, you may find it ok. I have a Tesla UMC 2 with a j1772 as my portable EVSE. I leave it and a mess of adaptor cables under the boot floor. There have been a few times I've needed it due to unplanned events.

And when the cops aren't around, it's really fun car
I've taken mine to a few autocross events. The stock Hankooks weren't overly happy with that. It was great otherwise. I also love the Hankooks for daily use, though. I have some sticky boots on the way for monthly cone dodging abuse.

I'm glad that I bought mine when I did. Decent price, $7500 tax concession. When we get the J01 here, it may be taxed to hell. When it gets here, I may trade.

As a daily commuter, there are likely few better cars, so long as you don't need to stop mid-commute for a charge. In summer, a long trip can be 150miles per charge are around 70mph. This drops significantly depending on battery temperature. Those who get to store their Minis in heated garages get better winter mileage than my draughty carport. I am comfortable doing 70 miles between charges in temps a little above zero.

 

I absolutely love my SE. I would not trade it for any other vehicle. The size is perfect for up to two people and the boot is larger than you think. If you fold the rear seat the storage is very large. In the summer I have gotten over 180 miles of range a couple times. It varies a lot based on temperature, preheating, wind, hills, traffic, but it almost always beats the EPA range. In winter I get around EPA, but can be less in extreme cold. Power output will drop in extreme cold but it’s still quicker than many ICE cars. I like that it is preserving the battery when it does this. I’ve had a couple very minor issues but the dealer has been great in getting the car back to me the same day.

 

180?

 

Brace for it.

 

Yep! Average I’d say I average 125-140 in the summer but longer is possible in good conditions.

Driven: 70.6 Mi
Start-Batt: 100%
End-Batt: 62%
Mi/kWh: 6.43
Total Range (From 100% charge): 185.81 Mi
Total Range (From 100% charge): 185.827 Mi
You ESTIMATED RANGE REMAINING: 115.21 Mi

And

Driven: 142 Mi
Start-Batt: 100%
End-Batt: 22%
Mi / kWh: 6.3
Range Left: 40.06 Mi
Total Range (From 100% charge): 182.06 Mi
Total Range (From 100% charge): 182.07 Mi

 

Wow. I think that’s the longest calculated range I’ve seen documented. That’s like 60+% more than EPA.

 

That’s certainly not the norm and is with mountain driving in a mix of equal up and down. My point to the OP is to not worry one bit about range. Even in the winter when you are looking at 100 miles it’s not hard to live with this car. Even if you want to go farther distances, since the battery is small DC fast charging is pretty quick and painless.

 

Agreed. Yesterday I got what I think will be perhaps my worst calculated range ever, in -18.5°F, 30 miles of driving with a couple hours of stationary heating, used 71%. But the initial leg, before wasting electrons staying comfy, still only calculated a 72 mile range!

 

I've found bimmercoding the heater recirc to stay where I put it helps with mileage in cold weather. Coming back from Atlanta, I plugged up and caught some zeds with climate on and recirc off. I forgot to change it back and the next leg was significantly worse than the very similar previous recirc leg. I think temps were around 40. There is always some air passing through the car. Enough that I find it rarely fogs when I'm driving.