The electric Mini might not have the range, performance or high-tech goodies of the Tesla Model 3, but with a retail price starting at US$29,990 before federal and state incentives and credits, some buyers will get it cheaper than a petrol Cooper.
Arriving in showrooms in March 2020, the electric Cooper SE is priced to compete with other compacts like the Nissan Leaf and Hyundai Ioniq, but offers a bit of premium-brand shine for similar dollars. It's a city-focused car with a range between 146-168 miles (235-270 km) – more than enough for average daily use – and zippy-ish front-wheel-drive performance enabling 0-60 mph (0-98 km/h) sprints in 6.9 seconds. That's a touch quicker than the basic Leaf or Ioniq, both of which feel sprightly around town themselves.
It comes standard with a 6.5-inch display, Apple CarPlay compatibility, heated front seats, active driving assistant with forward collision warnings, a rear view camera, and DC fast charging up to 50 kW, which can fast-charge the car from 0-80% in around 35 minutes.
![Cabin follows the style of recent Mini Coopers](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/8a1b47a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1619x1080+0+0/resize/1439x960!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Farchive%2Felectric-mini-cooper-se-9.jpg)
BMW Group, which owns the Mini brand, still hasn't run up against the tax credit cap for EV sales in the USA, so buyers have access to the full US$7,500 federal tax credit. Combine that with various state incentives, and the Cooper SE can start to look very affordable. Some qualified buyers will get it well under US$20,000. At those kinds of dollars, it'll make a lot of sense.
Source: BMW / Mini