Written by Alan Taylor-Jones Updated: 3 June 2025

Overview

As the petrol hot hatch class slowly withers, there are an increasing number of electric pocket rockets. This includes the MINI John Cooper Works Electric (to give the car its full title), a hopped up version of the three-door Cooper hatchback that shares its muscle with the MINI Aceman JCW compact SUV. Being smaller and lighter, it’s usefully quicker.

It’s only £1,500 more than a regular Cooper SE in Sport trim which seems like good value when you consider what you get. Power is up, the suspension has been tweaked for keener handling and it gets an aggressive bodykit, albeit one shared with the lesser Sport trim. Red brake callipers, John Cooper Works badging and unique alloy wheels set the JCW apart.

A sub-six second 0-62mph time puts it amongst the fastest of the single motor hot hatches. It’ll outpace an Abarth 500e, if not the 600e SUV, and is a useful bit faster than even the most powerful Alpine A290. The larger, more expensive Cupra Born VZ is quicker still, while the one-trick pony that is the MG4 XPower uses its twin motors to out-accelerate them all for an attractive price.

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But there’s more to hot hatches than straight line pace, so I’ve been hammering around the Cotswolds to see if the MINI JCW Electric serves up some fun as well. If you’re wondering how we test cars here at Parkers, there’s a handy page that explains it all.

What’s it like inside?

You’ll be even harder pushed to tell the JCW from a regular Cooper in Sport trim inside. The red chequered flag pattern on the knitted black dashboard is the same, so it’s really only the red detailing on the steering wheel’s fabric strap and boost paddle, plus more red detailing on the floor mats that signal this is a JCW.

As you’ll find all the little details in the main MINI Cooper Electric review, here are the highlights. Interior quality appears impressive thanks to fabric inserts and the super-crisp circular infotainment screen which is responsive and easy to fathom.

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You get the Level 1 option pack as standard with the JCW, bringing wireless phone charging and a head-up display. Physical controls are few and far between, and the classy metal toggles of the old car have met the bin. The plastic toggles for the drive modes, gear selector and engine start all feel a bit cheap in comparison.

Comfort

You don’t get adjustable lumbar support as standard for the front seats, and you have to pick the pricey Level 3 pack to get it. This does also bring electric adjustment with memory and massage, though. I did have some back pain after 45 minutes of driving, but that’s down to the suspension, not the seats. Side support is good in bends.

All JCWs get heated front seats and a heated steering wheel and dual-zone climate control to prevent any bickering up front. Keyless entry with folding, auto dimming door mirrors is a nice touch, as is the auto-dimming rear-view mirror.

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MINI JCW Electric boot space and practicality

Space up front is good, with seats that go a long way back and forth, and plenty of headroom. There’s only room for two in the back and it’s legroom that’s in shortest supply. If you can’t wrangle your child seat into the back, there is an Isofix mount on the front passenger’s seat.

Like the regular Cooper Electric, the JCW can fit 210 litres in the boot with the seats up, or up to 800 litres with the rear seats folded down. That’s on the small side for the class, if not Abarth 500e bad. Folding the rear seats creates a small step between the boot floor and the flat rear edge of the folded back row, which can limit and restrict how you stow away your 800 litres. The loading lip is conveniently low, however, even if the boot is relatively shallow.

There’s plenty of storage space around the front end of the cabin, including two fairly small door pockets and one large cubby strip between the two front seats. This is also where you’ll find your wireless charging bay, along with an oblong-shaped ring as your makeshift cup holders. 

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Safety

Euro NCAP gave the Electric Cooper a five star safety rating in 2025 with strong scores across the board. You get automatic emergency braking, lane departure assist, blind spot monitoring and a system that’ll warn if you’re about to open your door into the path of a bike or car as standard.

Further driver assist tech is available on the Level 3 pack including a surround view camera system. All-round parking sensors and a rear camera are standard on all JCWs.

MINI JCW Electric motors and batteries

You can’t get the smaller of the Cooper’s two battery packs in the JCW, just the 49kWh one coupled to a 258hp electric motor. That figure does come with a caveat – it takes the boost paddle to deliver the last 27hp and it’s only available for 10 seconds and a time. You get a big countdown timer on both screens which isn’t helpful if you’re following the sat nav.

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What’s it like to drive?

MINI is known for making firm cars with an emphasis on handling, but the JCW Electric is several steps too far. The suspension is unrelentingly hard, especially at low speeds around town. It bobbles around on the motorway and feels bouncy down B roads, while mid-corner bumps knock your confidence.

Smooth roads reveal keen balance and an agile feel, with steering that has reassuring weight and some feel. However, get on the power hard and you’ll experience the steering wheel twisting in your hands, something called torque steer. You’ll need a firm grip on heavily cambered roads, and the steering might not unwind as you expect it to if you accelerate out of a turning.

It’s not even like there’s a traction-boosting limited-slip differential like you’ll find in an Abarth 600e, either. Power is clearly held back at times to prevent wheelspin, which can be frustrating if you’re hammering out of a bend. This is all with the no-cost sports tyres option that prioritises grip over driving range. I’d imagine it’d be even more unruly with the efficiency-biased tyres that give the headline range figures.

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Apart from the atrocious ride, the JCW is pretty relaxed most of the time with little motor or road noise. No fake engine noise as such is offered, with a sci-fi electronic whooshing and pulsing on offer instead. Its pitch, tone and intensity changes on how you drive convincingly, so I tended to leave it on.

Switchable drive modes are standard that change the accelerator pedal’s response, weight of the steering and the displays. I tended to leave it in standard Core mode most of the time, with the odd flick to sport Go-Kart mode when I was pushing on.

Range and charging

How far you go depends an awful lot on which tyres you go for. Those that want to pose are best served by the normal efficiency biased tyres that’ll net you up to 250 miles and 4.4 miles per kWh (mpk) according to WLTP figures. Pick the sports tyres for improved grip and this tumbles to 230 miles and 4.1mpk. A spirited drive netted 3.6mpk, or sub-200 miles of range from a sport-tyred test car.

What models and trims are available?

JCW is a trim in itself and comes with the Level 1 option pack included. Level 2 adds a Harman Kardon surround sound audio system, a panoramic glass roof and darkened rear glass. Level 3 really ramps up the luxury at a cost, giving you electric memory front seats with driver’s massage, semi-autonomous driving functionality, an interior camera, augmented reality sat nav and the parking assistance plus.

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You get plenty of choice regarding the exterior styling. A red roof and mirror caps and black stripes are standard, and there are two alloy wheels designs with sports or eco tyres at no extra charge, too. Other colours are a chargeable option and gives you more choice with roof and stripe colours.

What else should I know?

MINI goes further than most with the baked in customisation options. This includes different designs for the front and rear daytime running lights and the ability to upload custom homescreen pictures. Voice control happens through a cartoon dog called Spike.

To find out if we’d recommend the MINI JCW Electric, click though to our verdict page.