MINI Aceman SUV (2024 - ) Electric review

Unlike the Mini Cooper and Countryman , the Aceman won’t ever be available with an internal combustion engine. Instead, you get two versions called E and SE, the former with 184 horsepower and a 192-mile claimed battery range, and the latter 218 horsepower and 252 miles. The cost difference is more than £4,000, though – a good few quid per month on a PCP or lease deal. So, ask yourself if you really need the extra power and mileage. Generally though, the Aceman feels like a lot of car for the money. Incidentally, it’s only £1,800 more than an equivalent three-door electric Mini, which feels like great value. And your electric ‘fuel’ costs will be low, too: Mini quotes 4.4 miles per kWh efficiency. For context, Nissan claims 3.5 miles for the Leaf.

The Aceman comes with a three-year warranty, which isn’t class-leading by any means (Kia’s warranty is seven years, for instance), but does offer unlimited mileage. Another thing to note is that early Acemans will be built in China (all Mini electric cars are), before production switches back to Mini’s Oxford plant in 2026. There’s nothing to suggest that Chinese-made electric Minis are less reliable than UK-built cars, but they are something of an unknown quantity.

The last Mini crash tested by industry-standard safety body Euro NCAP was the last Countryman , which received a maximum five-star score in 2017. Since then, the company’s entire range has been replaced. We expect the Aceman to ... further apologies in advance... ace the test, though. Minis are very well-equipped these days, including safety stuff. Every Aceman gets parking sensors all round, a rear-view camera, ISOFIX front and rear, blind spot detection and lane assist. And SE cars (or E cars with a Level 1 pack) get a Head-Up Display – a neat safety feature that reduces the time you’ll have your eyes off the road ahead.

It's quite comfy, but with the caveat that it’s a Mini and therefore has quite a bit of … yet another apology in advance … “go-kart” built into it. Which is to say the Aceman is pretty firm under the wheels. If this was a Nissan or a Kia or something, we’d definitely be saying the ride quality is too firm. In the Aceman, though, the juddery ride is part and parcel of the character of the car, and it makes for a driving experience that’s more involving than the vast majority of small SUVs – all of them, probably. More problematic is the lack of interior space. Despite looking like an SUV, the Aceman isn’t a family car, but rather a thing with more ‘usable’ back seats than a standard Mini. Rear knee space isn’t great, and nor is cabin width; the middle rear seat is almost useless.

Mini has a reputation for making cars with very sparse standard specifications, but alongside options lists longer than the wait for a non-emergency GP appointment. That used to be the case, but no longer is. The Aceman has a genuinely impressive standard kit list, mainly because the cabin is focussed on a central, circular OLED screen with most of the car’s features baked into it. Navigation, dual-zone climate control, a rear-view camera, wireless smartphone mirroring, a heated steering wheel, 17-inch alloys and LED headlamps are all standard. Beyond that, Mini has optional equipment bundles separated into three ‘Levels’. The further up you go, the more ‘techy’ your Mini will feel – Level 3 lets you park the car from outside using your smartphone. But, really, a basic Aceman will be just fine. Part of the reason for that is just how nice any Aceman interior feels. No soft-touch surfaces, but Mini has cleverly disguised that fact with proper interesting trim flourishes throughout, plus neat interior lighting. The cloth-swathed dashboard looks very premium, as does the pin-sharp clarity of the central OLED display. It's all a lovely blend of quality and fun.

As we alluded to in the running costs section, we’d suggest that the difference between an E and an SE car (184 horsepower and 192 miles versus 218 horsepower and 252 miles) isn’t actually that consequential. Keep your battery charged up at home and an E should give you more than sufficient mileage, and the performance difference is negligible: 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds for the E, or 7.1 seconds for the SE. The SE has a slightly quicker max charging speed than the E (90kW and 75kW respectively), but in reality that’ll only save you a few minutes during rapid charging sessions at service stations. More usefully, both have 11kW on-board charging, which means they’ll juice up quickly at workplace charging stations.