2025 Mini Cooper JCW Electric review: Australian first drive

The Mini John Cooper Works (JCW) hot hatch has gone electric.

A flagship, high-performance variant has been added to the electric Mini three-door range for its new generation, with more power, sharper handling and sportier styling.

Whereas the latest petrol Mini Cooper is a heavy update of the outgoing model, the electric version is all-new, built in China on a ground-up platform developed in partnership with GWM.

Can it live up to the JCW badge without a petrol engine under the bonnet?

Drive was invited to have a quick drive of the new electric car – officially badged Mini JCW E, but which we’ll refer to as the Mini Cooper JCW E in this review as it is part of the new Mini Cooper range – in closed conditions, ahead of a more comprehensive test on public roads.

A single variant of the electric Cooper JCW is offered – the Favoured – priced from $63,990 plus on-road costs – $3000 more than its petrol equivalent, and $5000 more than the less powerful Cooper SE Favoured.

It gives buyers 371km (WLTP) of claimed driving range from a 54.2kWh battery (gross capacity, or 49.8kWh usable) and a single electric motor on the front axle delivering 170kW/340Nm in regular driving, 190kW/350Nm in Go-Kart mode or when the Boost button is pressed, or 200kW/356Nm with launch control active.

It sits at the top of the electric Mini range in terms of standard features.

For the spend – about $70,000 drive-away – buyers get 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, a 9.4-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, augmented-reality navigation, a head-up display, leather-look and fabric upholstery, power-adjustable front seats, and a heated leather steering wheel.

Also standard is a dual-zone climate control, panoramic sunroof, a 360-degree camera, and a Harman Kardon premium sound system.

The JCW E’s nearest rival is the electric Abarth 500e – priced from $58,900 plus on-road costs in Turismo form, or $60,500 as the limited-edition Scorpionissima, which accounts for many of the examples in stock in dealers – with a 253km range and 114kW motor.

About $70,000 drive-away will buy a broad range of other sporty electric cars, from the MG 4 XPower ($55,990 plus on-roads, 400km, 320kW/600Nm) to the Cupra Born ($47,090 drive-away, 511km, 170kW/310Nm) and BYD Seal Performance sedan ($61,990 plus on-roads, 520km, 390kW/670Nm).

Mini customers tend to want a Mini and seriously consider little else, so the JCW E’s closest rival is likely to be its cheaper petrol-powered sibling, which has 170kW/380Nm.

The three-door petrol and electric Mini have been designed to look as similar as possible, and it’s only small details – pop-out vs hand-through door handles, a traditional vs ‘clamshell’ bonnet, as well as the petrol’s black wheel-arch flares – that set them apart at a glance.

They are completely different cars, and that’s reflected in their dimensions – the electric car is 18mm shorter nose to tail, but 12mm wider, 8mm taller, and 31mm longer in wheelbase, which should mean more interior space in a car that fits in a fractionally smaller footprint.

Mini’s interior design language has taken a funky turn with its latest-generation models, stripping out most buttons – and a traditional instrument cluster – in favour of a large OLED circular touchscreen inspired by the original 1959 Mini.

There’s a row of toggles under the screen – with tactile switches for starting the car, changing gears, adjusting the drive mode, controlling the volume, and more – plus a head-up display ahead of the driver.

Much of the cabin is upholstered in a knitted fabric material – the JCW fitting a black and red version – which is a funky (and soft) alternative to black plastic, though isn’t quite as supple as leather naturally.

The cabin doesn’t feel as tight as the car’s small body would suggest, and there’s ample head room for taller drivers, but the fixed armrest attached to the driver’s seat feels like it’s been pinched from an office chair – and the positioning of the pedals towards the left of the footwell may not suit drivers with larger feet.

Exclusive to the JCW is its own steering wheel with a red ‘Boost’ button, red contrast highlights throughout the cabin, and seat upholstery comprised of black leather-look ‘Vescin’ and ‘Cord’ fabric.

The front seats are firmly bolstered but comfortable and supportive in faster driving – the driver placed low in the car – with heating, eight-way power adjustment and driver’s side massaging.

The steering wheel feels purposeful in the hand – with a thick rim and physical buttons, rather than fiddly touch-sensitive controls – though, for our tastes, it’s placed a little too low in the car.

A different lower centre console to the petrol Mini opens up some storage between the seats and under the dash, with a wireless phone charging pad, and two open cupholders.

It’s a small car, but storage is little more than ample – there’s a latched box between the seats for small items, but it opens towards the driver, and the door pockets will fit a bottle laid down, but not upright. The glovebox is also not huge, even by city-car standards.

Other amenities include heated front seats and steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, two front USB-C ports, keyless entry and start, and a panoramic sunroof.

Space in the rear is more generous than in a petrol-powered Mini. At 186cm tall, I have about a centimetre or two of knee room behind my driving position, compared to knees wedged into the front seats in a petrol JCW.

Head room is still tight – someone of my height won’t be able to sit up straight – but, to be fair, this isn’t meant to be a family car. That the rear seats have gone from very cramped to a bit less cramped is a worthwhile improvement.

It’s a four-seater, so the rear seats are for two, with a bench contoured accordingly. There is no central armrest, but there are small storage slots on each side that aren’t present in the petrol car, plus a central cupholder, and both ISOFIX and top-tether anchor points for child seats.

The boot is also small, rated at just 210 litres behind the rear seats – enough for smaller bags or even a carry-on suitcase or two – expanding to 800L with them folded.

There are no storage pockets on the side, nor a spare wheel (just a tyre repair kit), but there’s some underfloor storage, and the rear seats fold flat, unlike the petrol Cooper. There is also no under-bonnet storage space on offer.

A 240mm (9.4-inch) circular OLED touchscreen dominates the cabin experience, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB+ digital radio, and embedded satellite navigation with augmented-reality route guidance.

It looks slick and modern, and it’s well featured, but it takes some time to learn its various menus, and it’s lacking in processing power, with noticeable lag between menus, and it’s not as snappy as you expect it to be.

It doesn’t help that the air-conditioning controls run through the screen, with sliders along its edge for temperature – and other functions, such as fan speed, more than a tap away. The only climate-control features with physical buttons are the demisters.

Eight drive modes on offer, including Go-Kart – Mini’s name for sport mode – which plays a ‘woo-hoo!’ sound through the speakers when activated that some will find funny, but others will want to turn off as soon as possible (gladly, you can).

There are also more traditional modes, including one intended to mimic the central speedometer of the 1959 Mini.

Occupants can also say ‘Hey Mini’ to activate the voice assistant, should they not want to interact with the screen.

There is no conventional instrument display, rather key data is shown on the central touchscreen, or a head-up display ahead of the driver.

It shows enough information such that we don’t miss a traditional gauge cluster, but we wish it was projected onto the windscreen, rather than the cheap-looking flip-up type fitted, which Mini continues to use here even though this is an all-new car, not a heavy update.

Support for the Mini Connected phone app is included with the car, allowing owners to check the vehicle’s location, remotely lock or unlock the doors, and more. It’s free for the first three years, but will switch to a subscription thereafter.

The days of features such as Apple CarPlay and heated seats being offered through subscription services on new BMW Group models has passed, but there is still a Connected package that’s free for the first three months of ownership, before reverting to a circa-$10/month subscription.

It includes 3D building views for the satellite navigation, support for third-party apps such as Spotify, and changes the icon for the voice assistant from a depiction of a Mini to a dog named Spike. We aren’t entirely sure that’s worth $10 a month, but you can be the judge.

The Mini Cooper electric range – including the JCW – is covered by a five-star ANCAP safety rating, based on testing conducted in 2025 to the latest and most stringent protocols by Euro NCAP.

It earned category scores of 89 per cent for adult occupant protection, 83 per cent for child occupant protection, 77 per cent for vulnerable road user protection (pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists), and 83 per cent for safety assist technology.

A full suite of advanced safety technology is offered by the latest electric Mini Cooper, which extends to the JCW version.

It includes autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, lane-centring assist and various blind-spot systems to alert you of cars you mightn’t have seen.

Tyre pressure monitoring, a door exit warning, automatic high beams, and a suite of parking cameras and sensors are also standard.

If a crash is unavoidable, there are seven airbags – dual frontal, front-seat side, full-length side curtain, and a front-centre airbag to prevent head clashes in a side-impact collision – to protect you.

We weren’t able to test the real-world effectiveness of these systems on this brief drive, but we’ve previously been complimentary of their unobtrusiveness and intuitive calibration in our assessment of the lesser Cooper SE on Australian roads.

Mini covers its vehicles with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty for customers who aren’t using the car for delivery services or ride-sharing (highly unlikely, but not out of the question).

The battery warranty runs to eight years, a common length for an electric car, but its 100,000km distance cap is much shorter than the 160,000km of many competitors.

Mini sells two types of prepaid service packages – ‘basic’ or ‘plus’ – with the former offered in two lengths, four years ($1375) or six years ($2225).

There are no set maintenance intervals, rather servicing is condition-based – so the car will tell you when it needs to visit a dealer.

The basic pack includes a general vehicle check, an inspection and replacement of the air conditioning microfilter and activated charcoal filter, brake fluid changes, and charging of the battery pack to between 75 and 80 per cent.

The ‘plus’ plan does not list a price on the Mini website, and includes the basic package’s contents plus replacements and maintenance on brake pads and discs, and new wiper blade rubbers, all as required.

The JCW E shares its 54.2kWh (or 49.8kWh) usable with the Cooper SE, but its claimed driving range in European WLTP testing is rated at 371km, down from 402km – likely thanks to its sportier wheel and tyre package, and its uprated front motor.

It's on the short side for a car that buyers will want to take on winding roads far outside of city limits, but it's not as short as an Abarth 500e's 253km claim.

We spent little time in the Cooper JCW E – and in a closed environment, not on a public road – so we weren’t able to get a representative indication of real-world energy use.

Mini claims 13.8kWh per 100 kilometres, which is frugal for a car of this size and sporty nature.

The BMW-owned car maker says the JCW E can charge from empty to full on an 11kW AC home wallbox in five hours and 15 minutes, while DC fast charging at up to 95kW is said to allow a 10 to 80 per cent recharge in 30 minutes.

There may not be a thrummy petrol engine under the bonnet, but the Cooper JCW E proves there’s plenty of fun to be had in a small, front-wheel-drive electric car.

At 1650kg, it’s about 300kg heavier than an equivalent petrol-powered JCW, but it’s not in the same realm as the latest crop of 2.0 to 2.5-tonne high-performance electric cars.

Translation: it can’t completely disguise its weight – it is not as light on its feet as a petrol Mini JCW – but plenty of Mini’s agile, fun-to-drive handling DNA still shines through.

It’s quick for a car of its size, with 170kW on offer in most modes – rising to 190kW in Go-Kart mode by default, or in any other drive mode by pressing the Boost button on the steering wheel.

The power on offer is meted out well, rolling on smoothly but briskly, rather than snapping you back into the seat.

Mini’s 5.9-second 0–100km/h acceleration time feels right by the seat of the pants, activated in launch control – hold the brake, hold the accelerator, and let go of the brake while in Go-Kart – when a little more power (200kW/356Nm) is unlocked.

Go-Kart mode unlocks a bassy, synthesised acceleration sound that adds a bit of emotion to the drive, though it can’t match the engagement of a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N’s simulated gears. It’s far less annoying than the fake sound in an Abarth 500e, which is a constant, single-speed drone – rather than fading away when you lift off the accelerator, as in the Mini.

The steering is quick and direct, though it doesn’t transmit much in the way of road feedback to the driver. It’s quite heavy just off-centre – particularly in Go-Kart – but lightens up in an intuitive, natural manner as more lock is applied.

There weren’t many bumps to hit in the closed course where we tested the JCW E, but even small changes in the road surfaces made it clear it will be a firm car over bumps.

The Cooper SE is already a firmer-riding car, but the JCW E’s stiffer springs and dampers seemed to pick up every little ripple or imperfection in the still-quite-smooth tarmac on our quick drive.

There is no adaptive functionality to soften off the dampers for rough pavement – Mini says it has been omitted to save weight – so if our initial impressions translate to public roads, what you see will be what you get.

It reaps the benefits of firm suspension when you tip it into a corner. Body roll is well suppressed, the Hankook Ion Evo R tyres deliver good – but not outstanding – grip, and it puts the power down fine, but would benefit from a true limited-slip differential.

It’s enjoyable to drive, as a Mini should be, but our initial impressions suggest it doesn’t set new benchmarks for how engaging and playful an electric performance car can be.

There are three regular levels of intensity for the electric motor’s regenerative braking, plus a further adaptive setting that adjusts the regen based on the situation, and a one-pedal B mode that can bring the car to a full stop without touching the brake pedal.

The blend between power and regeneration when you’re lifting on and off the throttle is well calibrated, though in longer tests of the cheaper Cooper SE in city traffic – not present on this first taste of the JCW E – we’ve noted the transition from regen to the ‘friction’ brakes at low speeds can be a little less smooth.

The brake pedal also isn’t as firm as you might expect of a hot hatch, but by electric-car standards it’s well weighted and easy to judge.

The Mini Cooper JCW E is one of the more compelling attempts at an electric hot hatch yet.

It’s not the last word in driver engagement, but it provides a better balance of straight-line performance, agile handling, a well-appointed cabin and a synthesised soundtrack to match the drive experience than some of the other cars in this burgeoning class.

That said, it’s still not cheap, it remains quite small inside, the driving range could be longer, and the ride is firm, even by hot-hatch standards.

And the sooner brands such as Mini take a page out of Hyundai’s book with simulated gears and a petrol-engine-esque soundtrack, the sooner they will offer an electric car as engaging to drive as a petrol one, without the Ioniq 5 N’s $120,000 price.

But if you’re in the market for a small, fun-to-drive electric car – and are happy to spend $70,000 – the Mini Cooper JCW E is worth a look.

Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner

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