Electric MINI Countryman Gets Range Boost To 311 Miles

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The 2026 MINI Countryman E range has been boosted from about 286 miles per charge to 311, on the WLTP cycle. This should be plenty of range for many drivers, and is generally sufficient for a small SUV that frequently is driven on work commutes and around town, urban areas, or maybe some regional driving. This EV also is affordable, starting from approximately £29,255 in the UK, including the national EV incentive. The range increase resulted from expanding the battery capacity’s usable portion, having a new inverter and low-friction ball bearings. It is worth noting the vehicle’s range grew without needing a larger battery. The small SUV can charge from 10–80% in about 30 minutes. The range of the all-wheel drive version also increased from 266 miles to about 290. 

For EVs, range may present less of an issue than many people assume or expect. In the UK, the average car trip is less than 10 miles. (Another source says about 10–40 miles.) If there is a public EV charger, on average, about every ten miles or less, why would an EV need an enormous range? Some people seem to be in the habit of scaring themselves by asking, “But what if you have to drive to Albania and back in two days?” Take a plane.

The Countryman has received a respectable safety rating. “All petrol and battery electric variants of the new Mini Countryman Small SUV also offer five-star safety, with Good protection offered to the head and legs of the driver and the head and chest of the front seat passenger in the MPDB test. A slight increase in injury risk was observed for the chest of the driver. Adequate and Marginal results were seen for the legs of the front passenger where structures in the dashboard were found to be a potential source of upper and lower injury.”

The Countryman’s review on Cinch mentions the range before the recent upgrade, but as we see that has been expanded. “On paper, the MINI Countryman isn’t on a par with its rivals in terms of charging tech and range, but as for driving, it brings MINI ‘go-kart-like’ handling to an SUV, and for that we love it. Plus, if you want an interior that looks like something out of a sci-fi movie with a round screen and crisp graphics, it’s hard to ignore it. Want all this but in a smaller package? Then the MINI Cooper Electric is for you, but if you need more boot space, it’s hard to beat the MINI Countryman Electric.”