MINI Cooper Review & Prices

The new petrol-powered Mini Cooper hatchback is a bit like keeping your vinyl collection and a record player in the age of Spotify. Sure, technological advancement towards electric cars is great and all, but sometimes you just want something simple and fun.

It’s worth noting now that, while this version of the Mini Cooper looks a lot like the new Mini Cooper Electric both inside and out, they’re very different. While the new electric model is based on an all-new platform, the petrol-powered version is essentially a very heavy facelift of the previous model launched in 2013 - with exterior styling and interior fittings intended to be as close to the electric model’s as possible.

As with the last car, the Mini hatch is a premium small car - making it a posher and slightly pricier alternative to cars such as the Audi A1 or Peugeot 208. Being such a fashion-led model means it’s also in contention with cars such as the Fiat 500 or Mazda MX-5.

One thing you shouldn’t expect with any Mini Cooper is for it to be particularly practical. Though a five-door model is on the way, the standard three-door has a tiny 210-litre boot and back seats that are more for show (or additional luggage space). Certainly, four adults will struggle to fit into the Cooper, and it’s not much fun trying to fit a bulky child seat back there either.

Consider the Cooper a runabout for one or two people and the interior’s more than adequate - in fact, it’s a truly lovely place to sit. The standout feature is Mini’s new circular infotainment screen, which is super high-res and looks amazing. It’s not always quite as easy to use as the best small car touchscreens, but the aesthetics make up for it.

The rest of the interior is great too - it’s dominated by fabric panels which, though they’re not necessarily the most expensive, keep the inside of the Mini Cooper looking and feeling much more interesting than alternatives with their sea of black plastic.

You can choose between two engines - a 1.5-litre three-cylinder and a 2.0-litre four-cylinder, both petrol-powered. With 156hp and 204hp respectively they both offer peppy performance, making most other small cars on sale feel a bit slow. However, neither is available with a manual gearbox, which does sort of spoil the Mini’s ‘hot hatchback on a budget’ feel.

Some of the purity of the driving experience has been lost, too. The Mini has loads of grip in the corners and the quick steering means it’s quite fun to fling around, but it’s very firm over bumps and feels quite artificial. Older Minis had a more authentic ‘go-kart’ feeling, helped by lower weight and lighter controls.

But if you’re looking for a small car with a posh interior, a stylish exterior and plenty of character, the Mini Cooper could be for you. Find out how much you could save through Carwow’s Mini Cooper deals, or browse the latest used Mini Cooper models. You can also check out other used Minis, and if you want to sell your car online, Carwow can help with that, too.

The Mini Cooper is a posh hatchback, so don’t expect any bargains. That said, by plumping for petrol power rather than electric, you can save yourself a whopping £7,000 if you go for the basic Mini Cooper C in Classic specification, compared to the 190-mile range version of the basic Mini Cooper E. That saving buys a lot of petrol and pays for a lot of road tax. A Cooper S is, of course, more expensive but again you’re saving around £7,000 compared to the longer-range (250 miles) Cooper SE.

Compared with, say, a Skoda Fabia or Renault Clio, both of which are much more practical, the Mini looks very pricey. But the Mini is a premium small car with powerful engines, and if you look at it next to the Audi A1, BMW 1 Series or Fiat 500 Electric it looks much more reasonable.

Standard specification for a 1.5-litre Cooper C includes the big round digital screen, blind spot monitoring, and a heated steering wheel. Most of the additional equipment is tied to the options packs rather than the engine or trim level, allowing you to customise to your heart’s content - though the higher-end options can be pricey.

Fun to poot about town and surprisingly good on the motorway - but older Minis were more fun on a twisting B-road

In town

The Mini’s tiny dimensions make it a dead cert for around-town manoeuvrability. It’s light and darty, with good visibility out the front and a tight turning circle. All models have an automatic gearbox, too, so there’s no clutch pedal to worry about in heavy traffic - and though it can be a little dimwitted if you ask for a quick burst of acceleration, say at a roundabout, it’s mostly fairly well-behaved.

With firm suspension you do feel the bumps around town, but it’s not uncomfortable thanks to excellent and supportive seats. With loads of low-down power from both engines, it’s quite good fun to nip into small gaps in traffic and to zip about roundabouts.

On the motorway

The suspension doesn’t settle down too much at speed, and so you do feel the bumps, expansion joints and poor surfaces - but again, thanks to the excellent seats, this isn’t too much of a hardship. What’s nicer is that while the Mini is a small car, both engines are relatively powerful, so unlike some alternatives you don’t feel like getting up to speed on a sliproad or overtaking is a challenge.

It’s not too noisy, either, and the driver aids work quite well - the adaptive cruise control isn’t too hyperactive and the lane-keeping keeps you in place without too much tugging at the wheel. However, a Skoda Fabia or Audi A1 is more relaxing for a long journey, thanks to their softer suspension.

On a twisty road

This should be where a Mini excels, and previous models certainly have - the brand touts its signature ‘go-kart feeling’. However, in this latest model, it feels slightly more artificial. Keen drivers will resent the lack of a manual gearbox, but even more annoying is that you don’t even get paddle shifters on the steering column to change the automatic gearbox unless you opt for a top-spec ‘Sport’ model.

There’s lots of grip in the corners but there’s not much feedback through the steering wheel - and the wheel itself is incredibly fat, and quite hard to grip if you have smaller hands. It’s quite heavy for a small car, and so it doesn’t offer as much fun as a proper small hot hatchback - like a Hyundai i20 N - or a more basic, low-powered hatch.

Front seats are big and comfy - none of the rest of the car is

Life in the Mini Cooper is alright if you’re sat in one of the front seats. You get plenty of room, and loads of adjustment for drivers of all sizes in both the seat and the steering wheel.

There’s also a reasonable amount of storage. The door bins will fit a good-sized drink bottle, there’s a pair of cupholders in the middle and a clever upright wireless charging pad which keeps your phone within easy reach but covers the screen - so you can’t get too distracted. There’s also a covered box in the centre console, which looks a little like a jewellery case - it’s not removable, despite appearances, but provides a good spot for things like keys.

Space in the back seats

The three-door Mini Cooper is not a car you want to put your friends in the back of. First, access is difficult - the doors open wide, but the big front seats don’t move that far forward and with the low roofline you need to be quite athletic to crawl into the rear seats. Once you’re back there, there’s very little headroom and even less legroom - if a six-foot driver is in place, you can only fit someone very short behind them.

Rear passengers don’t get opening rear windows, and there’s only two seats back there - not that you’d really want to squeeze three passengers in. There are easy-to-access ISOFIX points for both seats, but it’s quite difficult to squeeze a child seat in through the doors and there’s not really enough space for a bulky, rear-facing seat.

Boot space

With just 210 litres of space on offer the Mini Cooper’s boot is pretty small. Compare that to the 335-litre Audi A1 or 330-litre Skoda Fabia and it’s decidedly pokey. It does have the 180-litre Fiat 500 beat, but that’s not really saying much.

In practice, you’d be lucky to fit more than a couple of carry-on suitcases into the Cooper’s boot - a weekly shop for a couple is a tight squeeze. Fold the seats down and you do get more room, but the seats don’t lie very flat and the boot lid is pretty small - so you’re not going to have much room for a big trip to your local flat-pack furniture store.

Brilliantly stylish and easier to use than you might expect - but not without compromise

The interior is the Mini’s standout feature. It’s dominated by a huge, totally circular touchscreen display - the first of its kind in a car - which controls almost everything, as well as displaying your driver information at the top.

Physical controls are limited to the steering wheel and column stalks as well as a small lozenge-shaped panel below the screen which contains a retro twist-to-start switch, a drive mode selector, gear selector and volume dial.

That touchscreen is pretty easy to use given its unconventional shape. The menus largely make sense though there are a lot of functions, so it might take you a little while to work out exactly where everything is. The climate controls are relegated to the lower edges - they’re a bit fiddly to press on the move. At the top you’ll find your speed and other driver information, though if you don’t like turning your head to look then a head-up display is a pretty reasonably-priced optional extra.

Quality is great throughout and Mini’s not shied away from unconventional materials - the doors and dash top are covered in a woven fabric which not only looks great but provides a nice change from the sea of black plastic you’d find in an Audi A1. We’re not sure quite how well it’ll hold up to the rigours of life on the road, though.

Highlights include the optional Harman Kardon sound system, which sounds brilliant. A lowlight is the implementation of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity - these display in a little box in the middle of the screen, which feels like a square peg in a round hole and does rather spoil the aesthetic.

Neither engine option provides incredible efficiency, but they won’t break the bank either. Expect fuel economy in the low-to-mid 40s on a long, gentle motorway run - official figures are close to that. Of course, make the most of the performance, particularly in the 2.0-litre Cooper S, and you’ll see economy tumble.

CO2 emissions, meanwhile, are 133g/km for the Cooper C and 140g/km for the Cooper S, meaning neither makes a particularly good company car - you’d want a hybrid Toyota Yaris for that, or better still an electric car.

The Cooper attracts a reasonable first-year tax bill, and unless you go absolutely crazy with the options list you probably won’t push the list price above the £40,000 threshold for the higher rate of road tax.

Not many Minis go through crash testing - the last to do so was the Countryman back in 2017. The Cooper hatch was last tested in 2014, and that’s the model that this new car is heavily based on - it scored four stars then. However, that’s unlikely to be representative of the new model, which has numerous safety systems fitted as well as many changes under the skin.

All cars get the usual suite of safety aids including speed limit assist, lane-keeping assist, autonomous emergency braking and the like. A reversing camera is standard, and you can add a useful head-up display that lets you keep your eyes on the road more of the time as a not-very-expensive option. It can be a pain trying to turn some of these safety systems off, as you have to do it through the touchscreen, but they do at least have their own dedicated menu where you can fire a few out at the same time.

Mini posted a pretty unimpressive 20th place in the 2024 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, a long way behind some other manufacturers of posh small cars. However, that’s not quite the whole story, as the Mini hatch - the previous-generation of this model - ranked as the fifth best car to own overall. Owners praised its running costs and driving dynamics but were less enamoured with the space on offer - funny that!

Servicing costs and reliability weren’t ranked as highly but it still scored a respectable tenth place for the latter. Hopefully the new model will continue this trend. Warranty cover is a fairly standard three years or 60,000 miles.