New 2024 MINI Electric: Price, specs and release date

An all-new MINI Electric will arrive in 2024, heralding a complete overhaul for the famous British small car. 

Controversially, the new 2024 MINI Electric, to be sold purely in 3-door guise, will not be built in Britain, but in China – with parent company BMW promising it will be the most high-tech and able MINI ever sold.

The new 2024 MINI Electric will be complemented by a range of petrol-powered and all-new MINI 3-door, MINI 5-door and MINI Convertible models. These will still be made at the firm’s famous Oxford factory in the UK. They will share a modern new look, set to be previewed by the 2024 MINI Electric.

An all-new MINI Countryman family SUV is also part of the plan – along with a more compact electric SUV inspired by the MINI Aceman concept car.

New 2024 MINI Electric: price and release date

The new 2024 MINI Electric is already undergoing testing around the world, including in the bitter cold of the Arctic Circle. All the cars are heavily camouflaged, but beneath the disguise is the production version of the all-new MINI Electric, due in 2024.

In fact, the MINI Electric 3-door is expected to be revealed in November 2023, with production starting soon afterwards. This will help the firm gear up for an expected release date in 2024. It is understood the Chinese factory has a capacity of around 160,000 cars a year, so the arrival of the 2024 MINI Electric will be a big deal. Expect the production MINI Aceman to be shown in 2024, with the larger Countryman to debut around the same time.

The current MINI Electric costs from £29,000. The new version should retail at a similar price point of around £30,000. It will have larger batteries and more technology, but will be more cost-effective to produce, helping offset the pricier hardware.

We've yet to see inside the new MINI Electric, but expect a significant technology boost in line with the latest BMW models.

New 2024 MINI Electric: exterior and interior

The new MINI Electric will be the first clean-sheet opportunity for new design boss Oliver Heilmer to stamp his authority on the brand. Don’t worry, though: because MINI is an icon, it will never stray too far from its roots – just as the Porsche 911 will always remain recognisably so.

However, the MINI Electric 3-door is expected to feature new proportions, including a longer wheelbase, shorter overhangs and a slightly more aerodynamic angle to the windscreen. The famous wraparound clamshell bonnet will also be replaced by a more conventional layout – but one with more pronounced feature lines to give the MINI Electric a fresh face.

The new MINI Electric is also expected to have a simpler overall appearance, with less garnish. The chrome headlight surrounds should be less glitzy, while the black wheelarch extensions may also be phased out. This should help give the car a more modern and contemporary appearance.

Inside the new 2024 MINI Electric, familiar features will remain. The huge central circular display will once again be the centrepiece – but expect it to evolve into a crisp OLED infotainment screen, rather than a simple speedometer.

Below this will sit toggle-style controls. The interior will have a more minimalist feel, with plenty of rich fabrics instead of chrome and plastic.

The new 2024 MINI Electric is likely to be much roomier than today’s car. The bespoke electric car architecture will be optimised around the battery, making it more space-efficient. And because there’s no need to pack in a bulky engine and gearbox, there will be more space left over for passengers.

This could even be a MINI 3-door with some semblance of rear legroom. The boot will be a bit bigger as well, although still not huge. The larger MINI Aceman five-door will be more suited to load-carrying.

The new MINI Aceman will be an all-electric small SUV, sitting below the next-generation Countryman in size and previewed in concept form.

New 2024 MINI Electric: engines and gearboxes

The new 2024 MINI Electric is designed from the start to be an EV. That’s in contrast to today’s car, which is a converted version of the conventional petrol and diesel model. MINI is expected to offer two versions: a regular MINI Cooper Electric and a more powerful Cooper S Electric.

Today’s MINI Electric has a small 32.6kWh battery, for a maximum range of 145 miles. The new 2024 MINI Electric will have larger batteries and a longer driving range – but this will be limited to keep costs in check. Bosses say that as this is a city-focused car, customers won’t be looking to drive hundreds of miles each day.

The MINI Cooper Electric is expected to have a 40kWh battery, for a range of around 185 miles. The MINI Cooper S Electric will have a larger battery of around 50kWh, for a range of up to 250 miles. As for power outputs, these will be similar to today’s models: 184PS for the Cooper and 225PS for the Cooper S.

The new models may use ‘E’ in their name – so they’ll be called MINI Cooper E and MINI Cooper SE – but this has not yet been confirmed.

The standard self-shifting gearbox you get with all EVs means the new MINI Electric will offer great convenience around town. MINI may fit paddle shifters on the steering wheel, to regulate the amount of energy-creating brake energy regeneration. This could allow one-pedal motoring and help top up the battery on the move.

The MINI Aceman concept provides design previews for the next Countryman, and it's likely details from it will be used in the 2024 MINI Electric.

Find a used MINI Electric for sale

The current MINI Electric was launched in 2020. It is a desirable and fun-to-drive car, which is helping keep used car prices strong. You’ll need to budget around £26,000 for a 2020 MINI Electric Cooper S Level 1, although that should guarantee a model with very low miles. You rarely see these cars with more than 10,000 miles on the clock.

Looking for more new car news?

Another retro recreation is due to go electric in the next couple of years; here at heycar, we recently revealed everything you need to know about the new 2025 Renault 4. We’ve also covered the new electric Volvo EX90 luxury SUV – and for those not ready to go electric, we’ve revealed all the fast facts about the new BMW M2 coupe.

MINI says there are six new models in development: the MINI Electric 3-door, new versions of the petrol-powered MINI Cooper 3-door, Mini Cooper 5-door and MINI Convertible, plus a larger MINI Countryman SUV and a smaller electric crossover. The latter will be based on the MINI Aceman concept car.

It might be electric, but MINI insists the go-kart feeling will remain, for ‘a maximum of emotions combined with a minimal footprint’.

The new MINI Electric 3-door will be the first of the all-new MINI family to go on sale, the company has said. We should see it revealed in full before the end of 2023.

Exclusive look at the new all-electric MINI Cooper