MINI Electric review: reliability & safety rating
The MINI Electric is too new to give an accurate reliability assessment yet, but the brand’s other models tend to fare well in owner surveys
As of November 2022, the MINI Electric hasn't yet been evaluated by the independent crash-testers at Euro NCAP. However, despite their diminutive size, MINIs have a good reputation for safety and reliability, so we don’t expect the Electric version to be any different.
MINI Electric reliability & problems
It's hard to accurately measure the MINI Electric’s reliability, as it’s such a new model. In the 2022 Driver Power survey, the brand came in ninth place in the manufacturer rundown of 29 major brands, which is an improvement on MINI’s 19th place result in 2021. Meanwhile, the MINI Hatch (available with both petrol and electric power) finished 11th in the list of 75 best new cars to own. All of which bodes very well for the MINI Electric, especially as EV are generally more reliable than their petrol-powered counterparts.
Safety
The standard MINI hatchback received a four-star Euro NCAP rating back in 2014, with reasonable scores for adult (79%) and child (73%) occupant protection. It didn’t fare so well for pedestrian protection (66%) or safety assistance (56%), however.
Equipment has improved since then, though – the MINI Electric in Level 2 spec gets the Driving Assistant pack, with speed-limit and traffic-sign information, city collision mitigation for pedestrians and high-beam assistance. There's no room for a space saver tyre, though, as is the case with all of the MINI's rivals.
