BMW at Halliwell Jones.
MINI at Halliwell Jones
The Truth About the MINI Electric Range
Published 2nd March 2020
Is The MINI Electric Right For You?
The MINI Electric is the brand's first fully-electric vehicle and after much anticipation, it has finally arrived in MINI showrooms across the UK. The response from the press has been fantastic, with glowing reviews from the likes of Auto Express, Top Gear, Wired, What Car? and many more. The response from the public, however, has been mixed. As with all new vehicles, especially revolutionary models, the public love to have their say, and why shouldn't they? After all, they're the ones that will be potentially buying the cars and driving them on a daily basis. While many love the fact that the MINI Electric looks and drives like a MINI, some are still concerned about the likes of range and charging.
So, lets address those concerns.
The Big One - The Range
The most common criticism we see online is that the range (145 miles on a full charge) isn't big enough. "How am I supposed to drive to Cornwall and back?", "I would have to constantly put it on charge!" and "I do hundreds of motorway miles a day for work." are just some of the comments that we've seen. The truth is, and this may shock some people, not every vehicle is designed to suit every road user. A Porsche 911 GT3 RS is not a good family car. A For Mustang that does 14mpg is not a good commuter vehicle and a Fiat 500 would not make a good house removal vehicle. That doesn't make them bad cars, they're just not necessarily the right cars for you if you have any of those things in mind. The MINI Electric is designed for those that use a car for domestic journeys; popping to the shops for example, going out for dinner or visiting family. It's also the perfect vehicle for those that commute somewhere in the region of 26 miles per day, which is the national average in the UK.
Ask yourself, how often do you drive over 100 miles in a single trip? For the vast majority of us, the answer is very rarely. And on those rare occasions that you might, you would simply need to stop at a fast-charge station, which the MINI Electric Sat Nav will assist with, and plug it in for 30 minutes to gain 80% charge. Stopping on the motorway during a long journey is not uncommon, it is in fact highly recommended. We all need to take a natural break at some point and maybe grab a coffee. So rather than park in a regular bay, park in an electric bay (they're generally right outside the entrance), plug-in the MINI Electric, grab a drink and then hit the road again.
Explore the MINI Electric
It's a Mindset
We understand that living with a fully electric vehicle is different to living with a combustion engine vehicle, but have you seriously considered how different it would be? What's the last thing you do at night before you fall asleep? You probably put your smart phone on charge. Charging an electric car is no different, and for the vast majority of us that drive around 26 miles per day, you wouldn't even need to plug it in every night. Owning an electric vehicle simply requires a different mindset. The MINI Electric comes with charging cables and there are now 9,000 public charge points across the UK. When you actually stop and think about it, it's effortless.
The financial savings, both short-term and long-term, are huge. There's no need to pay any Vehicle Tax as the MINI Electric is exempt. Servicing will undoubtedly be cheaper and not as frequent. Cost of ownership on a daily basis is also significantly less than that of petrol or diesel vehicles. Electric vehicles run from as little as 4p per mile, as opposed to the standard 12p. So if you're worried about your electricity bill, don't be.
Looks Like a MINI. Drives like a MINI.
A huge part of what makes the MINI brand so iconic is the design and driving style. Few would disagree that the MINI Cooper 3-Door Hatch is one of the best looking small cars on the market. If you've been lucky enough to drive a MINI Cooper then you'll also know that there's not a lot out there that handles quite the same. Having driven the MINI Electric both here in the UK and in Lisbon during the launch, we can confirm that the MINI Cooper SE is every bit as fun as it's petrol counterpart! Acceleration is lightning-fast while braking and cornering is as sharp as ever.
While in Lisbon we were given the chance to get behind the wheel of the likes of the Renault Zoe and Nissan Leaf. Lets just say that if you enjoy driving and are looking to go fully-electric, there can only be one choice; the MINI Electric.
The MINI Electric is available at Halliwell Jones from only £291 per month, get in touch today to book a test drive or click the link below to see all our MINI Electric offers.
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