Car Magazine has one of the more thorough recaps of what it’s like own and live with an electric MINI Cooper SE. Lots of real-life scenarios here and plenty that talk about the range and how it can (and does) impact the experience. Here are some of the best bits:

As potential EV customers go, I’m what you’d call a hard sell. I frequently need to do long journeys at the drop of a hat; I live in a mid-terrace house without space to park outside, so I can’t easily charge at home; I have a garage but it isn’t joined to my house and there’s no power to it, so I can’t fit a wallbox charger; and I’m a worrier by nature, so if anyone’s going to suffer from range anxiety attacks, it’s definitely me.

Treating the new Mini Electric, with a mileage range to match its name, as my primary car is going to be a challenge for both the car and for me. But in the spirit of adapting to change, I like to think I’ll come out of the experience the better for it, and it will give the car a chance to show what it can do beyond its design brief.

A more typical Mini Electric user would be part of a household with home-charging capacity and with more than one car. Based on research that shows the average distance driven by most drivers on a typical day is 26 miles, the Mini Electric’s WLTP-rated range of up to 145 miles should be entirely practicable for its target users.

He also touches on some of the finer points of the SE’s calibration:

Can’t imagine accelerator pedal software calibration engineers get many shout-outs, so here’s one: the Mini Electric’s is amazing. Creeping millimetre by millimetre up to obstacles in tight parking spaces, gunning down sliproads or cruising in the outside lane, it’s incredibly precise. Big up yourselves.

Then there’s charging and the issues with urban living:

I’ve been keeping the Mini topped up by negotiating times I can block my neighbours’ driveway to snake a three-pin lead out of my kitchen. It’s a lengthy process to do in one go. To get from zero (not that I plan on running it that low) to 80 per cent takes 12 hours.

In all it’s a great recap in terms of living with an all electric MINI. The range is clearly an issue from time to time in this recap but in terms of overall experience, MINI nails it.

Read the entire recap at Car Magazine.