OV9

Anyone of this parish had / run one?

With the impending move to somewhere with a drive (and therefore the possibility of a charging point), the troublesome Smart may move on to pastures new.

My wife has always wanted a mini, however, they always looked overpriced on the second hand market for what they were (at least in my eyes - e.g. near 20k for a 4 or 5 year old Cooper S is just a bit silly and I'd not touch a Peugeot engined 3cyl in the non S). The first gen mini Electric Hatch look very good value at basically £7k less for the electric version of the same thing (albeit 3dr only).

I'm not blind to the fact that depreciation has been more vicious due to the fact it has comically short range, however, for something that exclusively drives around the city it seems like it might be just the ticket...

The 3 cyl is a Bmw engine.

The 3 cylinder in the non-S isn't a Peugeot engine. It's the B38 BMW engine.

I've recently had issues with it in our Mini. But it's generally a reliable unit. Great when it's working - fast, punchy, no turbo lag, economical, etc.

Can't comment on the electric Mini. Did have a quick look at them but thought the range was diabolical and only fitting of quite specific circumstances.

Similar range and gets better reviews - Honda E.

Where are you seeing the mini from £7k? cheapest on AT is a cat n car at £8k

Ah I see - my mistake. It was the earlier 1.6 that was PSA / Prince engine.

Re price I meant 7k cheaper than an equivalent Cooper S (at c19k seemingly - Mini electric at 12.5k).

The silly range wouldn’t be a problem here as it’s unlikely to do enough miles to need more than a single charge a week which I guess makes the range irrelevant or at least not worth spending a lot more to get an ICE version. It does niggle though - I guess its buying something that others would not want / potential resale, though for the kind of money we’re talking about here its a bit of a secondary concern.

GG. wrote: Wed Mar 11, 2026 12:00 am Ah I see - my mistake. It was the earlier 1.6 that was PSA / Prince engine.

Re price I meant 7k cheaper than an equivalent Cooper S (at c19k seemingly - Mini electric at 12.5k).

The silly range wouldn’t be a problem here as it’s unlikely to do enough miles to need more than a single charge a week which I guess makes the range irrelevant or at least not worth spending a lot more to get an ICE version. It does niggle though - I guess its buying something that others would not want / potential resale, though for the kind of money we’re talking about here its a bit of a secondary concern.

Ask @mik about buying an EV with actual cash money...

Before we got the R5 I was really after a Honda E but the range is so crap it’s not that usable. Then I realised the Mini E was available and other than rarity and cool factor it was better and cheaper. Plenty about with low spec so check that.

And as for Scott’s highly relevant comment, do check monthly payments on an R5 or whatever. There was a very cheap Honda EN-Y1 or whatever it’s called posted just last week.

I don't think in that market I'd be able to look past an R5.

I've been a passenger in one and it was just a mini with a whiny noise. It felt very normal and not much shouting about being electric, which seemed a shame.

Dave!

V8Granite wrote: Wed Mar 11, 2026 9:29 am I don't think in that market I'd be able to look past an R5.

I've been a passenger in one and it was just a mini with a whiny noise. It felt very normal and not much shouting about being electric, which seemed a shame.

Dave!

Ive driven the R5 and the Alpine A290. I can get both on my salary sacrifice through work for reasonable deals. Very likely one of them will replace the BMW next year at the end of the lease.

It may be one of the few cars we all really like!!

Dave!!

scotta wrote: Wed Mar 11, 2026 1:36 am
Ask @mik about buying an EV with actual cash money...

They aren’t cheap to lease, so I think purchase is probably now proving the cheaper option on the E-Tron as Mrs mik has had it a while (and no immediate plan to change anything).

If we’d wanted out after a couple of years, it would have been a very different story….

Mini E was technically an i3 wasn’t it? At least I remember all the technical stuff underneath the i3 having Mini logos on it. I think I’d just go for an i3 which is more spacious, better city car, rwd, better quality materials.

Think they missed a trick not calling it the minii or imini. I saw an advert for the BYD Dolphin Surf with £229 down, £229pcm, 1.9% APR over 4 years.. looks a small footprint 5 door vehicle

Mito Man wrote: Wed Mar 11, 2026 9:45 am Mini E was technically an i3 wasn’t it? At least I remember all the technical stuff underneath the i3 having Mini logos on it. I think I’d just go for an i3 which is more spacious, better city car, rwd, better quality materials.

Battery and drivetrain is based on the 33kw i3 so likely to be reliable and has an 8 year battery warranty.

If as efficient as an i3 your never going to get less than a 100 mile range and as much as 150 in summer.

I'd also go for an i3 with a 10-12k budget but get that may not be what your wife likes the look of.

Mito Man wrote: Wed Mar 11, 2026 9:45 am Mini E was technically an i3 wasn’t it? At least I remember all the technical stuff underneath the i3 having Mini logos on it. I think I’d just go for an i3 which is more spacious, better city car, rwd, better quality materials.

Yes - part of this is WAF (wife acceptance factor) and whilst the upright city friendly nature of the i3 is clever for around town it doesn't have the same visual appeal. RWD is of very limited value in this application plus the practicalities of it being a 5dr/more spacious are eroded by the fact that it has suicide doors which require the fronts to be opened to access the rear.

Also - I'm not sure about the reference to better quality - there's one clear winner re interiors here and its certainly not the i3! I'd also add that cloth is not an option for a school run car - its got to be wipe clean leather for that purpose.

IanF wrote: Wed Mar 11, 2026 9:53 am Think they missed a trick not calling it the minii or imini. I saw an advert for the BYD Dolphin Surf with £229 down, £229pcm, 1.9% APR over 4 years.. looks a small footprint 5 door vehicle

The fly in the ointment here is that I'm not clear how much it is going to get used and when it does it will be susceptible to kerbing, scratches, etc. so I don't want to be tied into a 4 year lease and then have a big rectification payment at the end to fix all the damage

GG. wrote: Wed Mar 11, 2026 10:56 am

IanF wrote: Wed Mar 11, 2026 9:53 am Think they missed a trick not calling it the minii or imini. I saw an advert for the BYD Dolphin Surf with £229 down, £229pcm, 1.9% APR over 4 years.. looks a small footprint 5 door vehicle

The fly in the ointment here is that I'm not clear how much it is going to get used and when it does it will be susceptible to kerbing, scratches, etc. so I don't want to be tied into a 4 year lease and then have a big rectification payment at the end to fix all the damage

Dacia Spring.

GG. wrote: Wed Mar 11, 2026 10:54 am

Mito Man wrote: Wed Mar 11, 2026 9:45 am Mini E was technically an i3 wasn’t it? At least I remember all the technical stuff underneath the i3 having Mini logos on it. I think I’d just go for an i3 which is more spacious, better city car, rwd, better quality materials.

Yes - part of this is WAF (wife acceptance factor) and whilst the upright city friendly nature of the i3 is clever for around town it doesn't have the same visual appeal. RWD is of very limited value in this application plus the practicalities of it being a 5dr/more spacious are eroded by the fact that it has suicide doors which require the fronts to be opened to access the rear.

Also - I'm not sure about the reference to better quality - there's one clear winner re interiors here and its certainly not the i3! I'd also add that cloth is not an option for a school run car - its got to be wipe clean leather for that purpose.

You’re comparing a cloth i3 to a leather mini. I can’t remember the trim names but I do recall the i3 being nicer inside than the Mini.

The i3 does look a bit bland inside.. but I've not seen other trims or been in one. Not keen on these minimalist interiors.

TBF I've always been impressed with the feel and look of the modern Mini interior, especially with a nice trim level. They feel premium.

IanF wrote: Wed Mar 11, 2026 9:53 am Think they missed a trick not calling it the minii or imini. I

Surely it should be the Mini e