Mini Cooper SE Hardtop: Fun to drive, but short on range

The Mini Cooper SE has the quick steering, short wheelbase, and firm, well-controlled suspension that produce the nimble handling for which Minis are famed.

Outside, the SE looks nearly identical to the regular two-door Mini Hardtop; inside, it has the high-quality materials, pizza pie–sized center infotainment screen, and cosseting front seats of other Minis.

To be sure, the electric vehicle’s driving dynamics differ slightly from its gas-powered siblings’. The SE’s torquey electric motor gives instant, abundant acceleration, and regenerative braking lets you brake by merely lifting your foot off the accelerator.

The SE’s 114-mile range (for a 2022 model) on a full charge is, to be kind, mediocre—okay for an urban runabout, impossible for cross-country trekking. But the SE is affordable as EVs go. Its base price includes lots of standard features, and it qualifies for a federal tax credit up to $7,500, plus possible state and local incentives. In short, government largesse can make the SE around the same price as a regular Mini Hardtop—which means this green car can save you some green.

AAA Automotive Correspondent Peter Bohr has been writing about cars for more than four decades.