2025 Electric MINI Countryman SE - Roadtrips & Public Charging

We take the 2025 Electric MINI Countryman SE on the ultimate test for an EV - a roadtrip. We find out just what it's like to live with public charging and test it's charging speed and range in the winter.

▬ Contents of this video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

00:00 - Intro
02:07 - The journey
03:05 - First thoughts
05:44 - OS9 slowness
06:31 - High speed charging
07:30 - First day wrap-up
11:12 - Home charging fail
13:50 - Finding an emergency fast charger
18:05 - Why the Electric SE might be the best Countryman for most
21:00 - Conclusions - the good, the bad and the buggy

[jwwh]

I am going to buy one of these whenever my wife's ICE conks out, I love watching your videos on these.

[jvlivtriple]

Excellent video, particularly your comments on electric vehicle operation in general and the use case. We have owned a Tesla for nearly 3 years now. We have the ability to charge two vehicles at home. My wife just ordered a Countryman SE All4. Prior to purchasing this car she made a list of specific requirements or as you might say a use case. It needed enough range to enable her to travel to our son's house and back without recharging. It needed to be smaller than the SUV she has been driving for the last 8 years, this was not negotiable. There were specific equipment requirements such as heated seats and steering wheel, a usable 360 degree camera for parking, adaptive cruise control, and a full suite of up to date safety features. Finally she wanted a electric car because she has become accustomed to the acceleration provided by the Tesla. There were really only two cars available in the US that met her requirements, the Mini and the Volvo XC40. All of the others from Hyundai, Ford, VW, Tesla, GM, Kia, although well equipped, were too large or lacked the performance she required. She picked the Mini over the Volvo because she liked it better.

On the subject of road trips, we have taken several multi-day trips in our Tesla. This includes driving in Washington, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Oregon, California, and British Columbia. Finding chargers for the Tesla hasn't been an issue. For us the car has a much longer range than we have. At around 150 miles we are ready to get out, walk our dog, go to bathrooms, and maybe get a bite to eat. After all of that the car is nearly always charged beyond what is required to get to the next stop. I did a 196 mile stretch in Idaho last fall and found that my age I was well past ready to get out and walk around. The Mini most likely won't be used for trips as the Tesla fills that role for us quite well.

[matthewbellamy]

Best review I’ve seen yet on this car. Balanced and informative (and no crazy gimmicks or shouting). I test drove the single motor one here in the UK recently and loved it. I have a 2022 Tesla Model Y AWD currently. The ride is great compared to the Tesla, and I’m beginning to tire of the minimalist interior in the Tesla: no HUD and the standard cruise is a pain because it disconnects when I change lanes - no such problem in the Mini. The one I drove had 20” wheels and was a slate blue with black roof/tan interior. Looked amazing and the ride seemed good. Better still the insurance is group 23 vs the Tesla’s group 48 which means my kids (22, 25) can be added to the insurance if ever they want to borrow it.

[jerrysander]

I've had mine since October now and it's been fantastic. Early glitches with OS 9 included the Navigation, which told me (near Albany, NY) that the nearest charger (when I was below 10%) was near Munich, Germany. I went to Google Maps and it told me a place 6 miles away. Aside from that: it handles like a dream, the sound system (the upgraded HK one) is magnificent, the sun/moonroof excellent....just what I wanted in an EV. Yes, the range is a little low and the charging speed is slow. I'm going to try it out for a long trip from the Hudson Valley of NY to East Lansing, MI in April and want to plan out the charging VERY carefully in advance. Really nice to not have purchased any gasoline in months....

[heyitsstrange]

Great video! Really highlights the key things that make driving an EV great and also showing the biggest struggle…. Public charging.

I’m picking up this car next week and turning in my MINI cooper SE which was my first EV. It was the perfect car for my situation my husband has an ice Subaru, we live in Pittsburgh with a commute of 14 miles a day, and I can charge at home. The biggest reason for us upgrading aside from just wanting more room in a car is that we want a little more range for a small weekend trip where we only have to charge one or two times, which isn’t possible in my current SE with 110 miles of range. This car offers so many features for the price I couldn’t pass up the upgrade.

I do think if we removed the terrible charging infrastructure in the US, the new Countryman would be a great car for a majority of people, but with the struggles of public charging, it makes it hard to find it compelling because you almost need faster charging and 300+ miles of range as a buffer if you don’t live in a city. I do think the access to supercharger network this year will help public charging overall!

[milesholland]

My wife and I are considering this car as a first EV and this is exactly the video we needed to understand what it’s true limitations are in terms of range/charging. With that said, it will be our local commuter so we still may get it!

[generationgeek]

I think cars like this are a great way to rethink a road trip (which is why I got one). For one, shorter day trips that I hesitated to do because of the cost of gas are now no-brainers. Easy to drive out an hour or so and not need to bother with charging or filling up. For longer trips, spacing them out more and enjoying the stops when possible, having lunch or a snack, shopping, etc. are ideal. One thing that I hope to see is more Rest Areas adding chargers as they already have the infrastructure of signage and highway access (although ‘rest areas’ are so different across the country); let’s face it, having access to food and restrooms at a minimum when charging will be essential. It’ll also be nice once we get access to the tesla infrastructure next year. There are a few software tweaks I’m hoping to see too; nothing major, but more ways to customize will be nice. As for paddle shifting, my understanding is that there’s a way to mimic that via holding down the gear toggle once it’s in L for several seconds and then the cruise buttons work as gear shifts.

[shawnedwards]

I have this same spec Countryman, but in White with dark interior. I've had a 6-speed manual Mini hatch, an electric Mini hatch, and now the Countryman SE. 100% agree on the comfort and usability. Mini has been pretty active on software updates, from what I can tell. I keep getting little improvements like stop signs showing up in the head-up display as I approach the intersection, school zone notification, etc.

Also, this thing has something similar to a short bed truck box of storage with the seats down.

[pauld]

Good video.

You are absolutely correct that being able to charge at home overnight is something that makes owning an EV or PHEV a wonderful thing.

I highly encourage people to spend the money on an electrician to wire a 240 volt outlet in the garage for the car to plug into. Make sure they use an outlet that is rated for an EV and not an off-the-shelf dryer outlet. Those have the potential of overheating and melting and starting a fire.

[anonymouspdg]

Great video and some useful thoughts.

Having just taken delivery of a Countryman SE, I have the same gripe that start up on OS9 is slower than I would like. I also agree that for day to day commutes and an occasional long trip it's great if you have home charging, which I do but if you are going to do regular long journeys then maybe it's not the right choice.

One week in and it's a very different car than the Volvo XC40 recharge P6 I had but different in some good ways.

[deasunodonnachadha]

Should have had the NACs and the charging speed is iffy for me and I have had a load of Minis. Still have 2. Nice Vid. But for that price and specs I am glad I went for the Model Y.

[kirkbarrios]

Thanks for the great and very detailed review! You covered all the bases that I was concerned about on the mini countryman SE. One question though, the screenshot that you showed with a lease price of $285 sounds incredible! Is that really realistic? I’ve already started to negotiate with the dealer here in Florida and so far I’ve only been able to negotiate a payment in high 400s and that’s with a $2500 down payment. Just wondering if there are better deals out there

[SCT]

My wife has had her new one for almost 1, 000 miles and my biggest issues are:

-seat comfort….simply, I cannot get comfortable namely my lower back

-I want the option for zero regen braking. My e-golf has it and I don’t find it as any benefit…makes it a more jerky driving experience.

- worlds softest paint. Not much else to say…it is high quality and looks amazing BUT you can never touch it with anything but the softest edge less microfibers and soft water…otherwise it will show everything.

[hungkhu]

I am looking at both the new (2025) Tesla Y and the Mini Countryman SE All4. The Tesla had arrays of cameras (i.e. front, rear, sides) that you can save videos from … in case of accident… does the MINI have this capability? Thanks

[alioscopy-glasses-free-D]

An interesting video, Gabe… and I agree with you, the JCW seats in my F66 (which are the same as in that Countryman SE) are really comfortable.

After watching you having to scroll on the map while driving, the question I'd like to ask is; can you use the 'Hey MINI' command to ask the car to take you to the closest available fast-charger?

Surely they have built that function in?!

BTW: the discounted price you showed for a Countryman SE is SO CHEAP !!!

In fact, it's less than I paid for my F66 Cooper hatch!

However, unless you do most of your driving in or near towns, I don't think the current crop of electric cars (including the models that MINI offers) have enough range.

In addition, it's a real issue for women (when they are driving on their own) to have to park in an unfamiliar and badly-lit charging area, after dark, for a 45-minute recharge. Even if they can lock the doors… they still have to be outside of the car for a few minutes at each charging stop.

While legislators - around the world - are determined to stop ICE cars being sold after 2035 (and some countries currently have plans to act even earlier), it remains an unrealistic target… and MINI urgently needs a Countryman full-hybrid competitor to the RAV-4 for the North America market.

They made a big mistake in only offering Petrol or Electric for the US/Canada, in particular, although drivers in many other countries would be interested in buying a 'first-step' option.

In fact, prior to its launch, I expected my F66 to be available with hybrid power - but I'd never buy the J01 electric equivalent.

Happy New Year - and thanks for interesting content.

[lurcharoni]

I feel that the ironic part of EV ownership is that the person benefiting the most from "saving money" with an EV purchase is someone that does 100 miles a day + ... but, that person always needs to worry about charging almost on the daily, and spend precious time doing so.

[nanogear]

What is the name of the color of the MINI in the video?

[Pamlicojdjdj]

Is MINI still relevant here in almost 2025? This brand is not even a shadow of their successful former selves. Signed: 5 time MINI owner and early US market adopter dating all the way back to 2002.

[Pamlicojdjdj]

EVs and current lithium battery technology only make sense for urban short commutes and when you are able to charge overnight at home. If you don’t have access to a charger overnight (Renters, apartment dwellers), EVs are not the right fit for you!.