- I tested a 2020 MINI Electric - an electrified version of the MINI Cooper SE.
- My $37,750 review car had a base price of $29,900.
- The MINI Electric's range is only about 110 miles on a charge, but those are extremely fun miles.
- The MINI Electric is limited relative to other EVs on the market, but it is affordable and eligible for a full $7,500 federal tax credit.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
The roots of MINI go back to the late 1950s, when designer Alec Issigonis created a design legend - a small, stylish, front-wheel-drive car that captured the imagination and served up wonderful, spirited motoring.
In 2000, BMW revived the MINI brand, and since then, the company has been doing more of the same.
Of course, despite MINI's phenomenal brand loyalty and reputation for fun on four wheels, times change. And MINI is doing its best to change with them
So in addition to the original Cooper, there are now Clubman and Countryman SUVs, convertibles, high-performance trims, and ... an electric car.
It's called the MINI Electric, and it's an evolution of the MINI-e, which arrived back during the early phase of our current EV era, in 2010. My model-year 2020 test car was actually nameplated as a MINI Cooper SE, but with an electrified option package.
At $37,750, with about 110 miles of range, the MINI Electric is neither very expensive nor capable of long journeys. The question, then, is whether that combination has commercial appeal.
Read on to get the answer: