Considering purchase of 2023 Mini SE w 14K miles

A

Atomic

New Member
Recently did a test drive and loved the ride and torque. Im not computer illiterate but an EV would be big change for me. Recently retired so range isn't an issue.
What should I know/be looking for, going in to this purchase?
 
I suggest you watch "Harry's Garage" review on Youtube. I watched many a YT review and got very bored with repeated spec numbers, but Harry's was what persuaded me as he liked the driving dynamics.

Your biggest consideration will be where to charge it. Do you have a level 2 charger (220V, 6-7kW) at home or close by? I've only ever used L2 on mine at almost 14k miles too.
We should have, or soon to be getting, access to the Tesla network, which will require an adapter.

Summer range was up to 4.6miles/kW (daughter doing 10 mile commute on suburban roads) while it's down to 2.7miles/kW with mostly local short trips in our somewhat frigid New England winter.

Mind me asking what the specs and price is? I did an analysis late last year and the SE is holding up quite well compared to other EVs with most in the $16-24k range.

cheers
MacMini34
 
MacMini34 said:
I suggest you watch "Harry's Garage" review on Youtube. I watched many a YT review and got very bored with repeated spec numbers, but Harry's was what persuaded me as he liked the driving dynamics.

Your biggest consideration will be where to charge it. Do you have a level 2 charger (220V, 6-7kW) at home or close by? I've only ever used L2 on mine at almost 14k miles too.
We should have, or soon to be getting, access to the Tesla network, which will require an adapter.

Summer range was up to 4.6miles/kW (daughter doing 10 mile commute on suburban roads) while it's down to 2.7miles/kW with mostly local short trips in our somewhat frigid New England winter.

Mind me asking what the specs and price is? I did an analysis late last year and the SE is holding up quite well compared to other EVs with most in the $16-24k range.

cheers
MacMini34
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Thanks Macmini, I will check that review. They just built a new level 2 charging station down the road. But, I was thinking of 120V house extension cord charge as I normally don't drive more than 15 miles a day. What's up with the tesla adapter? Is it out yet? And I don't understand miles/kW..
Specs: 2023 Mini Cooper SE from dealer.
15k miles $20k. Looked and drove flawless
Cheers mate!
 
Atomic said:
What's up with the tesla adapter?
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MINI doesn't appear to be able to establish a Tesla Supercharger connection for the MINI Cooper SE through an adapter.

That said, I consider my MINI Cooper SE the best-built and most fun car I've driven in the last 60 years (and that's how long I've been driving).
 
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Level 1 (120 V) charging will be adequate if you're only doing about 15 miles a day. You can leave it charging overnight. When I first got my SE I only had Level 1 charging and drove 85 miles a day. I couldn't recover that with Level 1 overnight, so I'd have to go to a public charger once or twice a week. Having Level 2 at home was a game changer, but then I use about 80% charge every day. You should be fine with Level 1 charging.
 
I would also make sure the used Mini SE you are looking at includes the OEM EVSE. If it doesn't, try and get some compensation from the dealer.

We have a 2023 Mini Cooper SE and have not had any issues with it.
 
I had retired just before purchasing our 2022 SE and relied on Level-1 charging for six months. I purchased a Lectron portable EV charger due to its longer (and more flexible) cord. Its smaller plug also permitted me to plug into an exterior 120V outlet with a weather protection cover. I later installed a Grizzl-e (United Chargers) Level-2 for nearly all of our charging needs. It now also serves our 2025 Countryman SE All4. The 2022 SE has been a great car for in-town driving and relatively short excursions, especially on twisty roads!

A quick thought, check the condition of the tires on the SE that you are considering. Original? Are they suitable for winter (if you live in a colder area)?
 
Atomic said:
Thanks Macmini, I will check that review. They just built a new level 2 charging station down the road. But, I was thinking of 120V house extension cord charge as I normally don't drive more than 15 miles a day. What's up with the tesla adapter? Is it out yet? And I don't understand miles/kW..
Specs: 2023 Mini Cooper SE from dealer.
15k miles $20k. Looked and drove flawless
Cheers mate!
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Hi Atomic,

I recommend becoming familiar with miles/kW has it's a simple way of understanding EV efficiency, which is both weather and driving style dependent. The SE has 28.9kW available in its battery so at 2.7miles/kW this winter I could go a max of 78 miles. In summer at 4.6miles/kW I could go a max of 132 miles. Not that I would drive until the battery was empty unless I could absolutely plan on hitting a charging station (there is probably a small buffer in the battery, but I'm unwillingly to find out). EVs get their best efficiency with suburban driving where speeds aren't too high. Highway speeds of ~70mph require more energy and reduce efficiency, but I did go 80 miles last April (better weather) and still had 30 miles showing on the gauge, so about 4.1miles/kW. I have a friend with a Chevy Bolt and he claims better than 5miles/kW on his commute but I think a lot of it is downhill so he can coast!

BMW was supposed to get Tesla access at the beginning of 2025, button announcement was made at the end of 2025. It wasn't clear whether that included MINI (and Rolls Royce?)

Quite a change from a Charger! And yes I think the dealer will write you a cheque those chargers hold their value quite well.

cheers
MacMini34
 
I'll throw my experience thus far. I have had mine for 1 year now, and jumped in not totally familiar with EV life.
I exist on L1 charging at home, with the BMW/Mini charger. I only charge to 80% per the manual, and can get by, as also being
retired and not needing to travel long distances. I simply take the percent needed to achieve 80%, divide by three, and that is the hours needed to charge. Maybe every other month on average I do have access to an L2 charger while parked using our light rail transportation. Then I will charge to 100% to cell balance. As stated earlier, freeway driving really hurts range. It is not exactly aerodynamic:). Drag racing between red lights, as I refer to it here, it when it does the best. They are really nice cars, though not as much fun to drive as my other Mini, an R56. The real downside is the range being so limited, as it would be really comfortable to take longer distances. I have only used DC charging a couple of times, and have found, at least where I live, to be totally unreliable either not being in service, or available. I fear that this will only be the case going forward here in the US. You will love the electric platform. Ultra smooth/quiet, and probably about 3 cents/mile cost wise. This is a layman's perspective, as I am, by no means, as smart as others here on this site.
 
Busdriver said:
I only charge to 80%
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It's weird that MINI added that caveat in the SE's Owners Manual for the car's later years even though they continued using the same battery pack. If they really meant you should charge to 80%, why didn't they include a software option to make that easy?

I charge my 2021 SE to 100% every time, knowing that other forum members (at least one with over 100K miles) have experienced no problems doing that.
 
You'll be fine w/ 120V charging if you only drive 15mi a day; I estimate you'll recoup that range after about 4 hours of charging.

Just some other random thoughts:
  • At 14k miles, I wouldn't expect much battery degredation, but you can check the battery health with an OBD2 dongle
  • During summer the range will be a little better, and during winter the range will be less. A safe estimate is to assume 1% = 1 mi
  • Going from 10-80% on a DC fast charger takes around 30 min (max charging speed is 50 kW)
  • Adapters aren't required but are nice to have
    • As of Jan 2026, the Mini Cooper SE is not compatible with Tesla superchargers (with the exception of those advertised as Magic Dock). This doesn't mean a NACS-to-CCS adapter is pointless to have, as other charging providers are starting to equip their DC fast chargers with NACS cables, but it's probably something you can wait on.
    • A NACS-to-J1772 (aka Tesla-to-J1772) adapter will potentially let you use level 1 or level 2 EVSEs that have a Tesla plug (i.e Tesla destination chargers, assuming they're configured to allow non-Teslas)
    • A NACS-to-CCS adapter can't be used for AC charging (at least the safe ones don't)
  • Expect more frequent tire replacement compared to your ICE vehicle due to the instant torque and regen braking. Other than that, from my experience (my SE is just shy of 29k miles), maintenance should pretty minimal.
  • Car registration and insurance premiums might be a little higher for EVs; might be worth checking first.
 
Atomic said:
Thanks! What's a dongle exactly?
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There are many available Bluetooth (and wired) dongles that plug into your car's OBDII diagnostic port under the dash. This is the one I bought on Amazon:

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