Pricing
The Countryman E starts at around £42,000, while you’ll pay another £5,000 on top of that if you want the Countryman SE All4. That’s very competitive with rivals like the (usefully roomier) Tesla Model Y, BMW iX1 and Mercedes EQA, but alternatives like the Kia EV3 and even the VW ID.3 make the Countryman look a bit pricey. Still, a heat pump, adaptive cruise control, dual climate control and more is all standard even on the E, while the SE All4 also includes keyless entry, heated seats and adaptive LED headlights (all of which are part of a ‘Level 1’ pack that you can add to the E for £2,500). Level 2 extends to the panoramic sunroof, heads-up display and Harman Kardon sound system.
There are also three ‘Styles’ to choose from – Classic, Exclusive and Sport – which affect the exterior style cues, interior colourways and trims of the car. In fact there are many – and we do mean many – ways of personalising the car through colour schemes and extras, even after you’ve selected the model, Style and Level that you may want.
Running costs
A full charge in the Mini Countryman will cost around £13 on a standard domestic tariff, or you can cut that by more than half by using an off-peak charging tariff. Even if you don't benefit from cheaper overnight charging, the Mini will cost around 6- to 8p per mile, which is cheaper by some 5- to 10p per mile than the average petrol or diesel car. Make the most of those off-peak tariffs and you could see 'fuel' costs drop to as little as 2p per mile.
Insurance costs are very competitive on the electric Mini Countryman models, and there are fixed price servicing packages that you can opt for - and you can spread the costs into monthly payments, if you wish. Having said that, it is a shame that the Mini's three-year warranty is rather underwhelming next to the long warranties offered by MG, Kia, Hyundai, Toyota and Peugeot.