MINI Aceman Review 2024
Written by Phill Tromans
Quick overview
Pros
- Funky interior
- Fun to drive
- Starting price undercuts rivals
Cons
- Limited rear-seat space
- Small boot
- Lack of front-seat adjustability
Overall verdict on the MINI Aceman
"It’s not perfect – the longer-range model starts to get pricier and there’s not much space in the back – but overall it’s a quirky small SUV with an eye-catching interior, some great features and a fun driving experience that we expect to sell well."
Imagine a five-door, electric MINI Hatch, and then make it higher – that’s the MINI Aceman, a small SUV that slots into the MINI range below the larger Countryman. A rival to cars like the Volvo EX30, the forthcoming Renault 4, and the electric version of the Jeep Avenger, the Aceman undercuts both on price – in entry level form, at least – and it’s more fun to drive than either.
The MINI Aceman fills a gap in the MINI lineup, with no five-door version of the MINI Cooper Electric hatchback available. The Aceman takes up similar space on the road as its lower-slung stablemate, but adds rear doors for an extra level of practicality.
Much like the MINI Cooper Electric, two versions are available. The MINI Aceman E is the more affordable model, with prices starting at £31,850 at the time of writing, offering a battery range of up to 192 miles according to official figures.
The MINI Aceman SE, meanwhile, has more power (218PS versus 184PS in the Aceman E) and a larger battery range of up to 252 miles, with a starting price of £36,300. Those prices represent a rise of £1800 over the equivalent MINI Cooper Electric.
Customers can choose from three trims – Classic, Exclusive and Sport – with a variety of colour, wheel and interior choices for each one, which makes it very personalisable.
To add to that, there are four specification levels in terms of equipment. All models have a heated steering wheel, OLED infotainment screen, rear-view camera and adaptive cruise control, while higher levels add features such as a head-up display, Harman Kardon sound system and a panoramic sunroof.
Is the MINI Aceman right for you?
If you were irked that no five-door MINI Cooper Electric is available, then the Aceman fills almost exactly the same purpose. And if you’re after a small electric SUV, then the Aceman is a great option alongside the likes of the Volvo EX30 and Jeep Avenger Electric. However, if you’re looking for a small electric family car then make sure you check it out first – the rear seats are cramped and the boot is fairly small, which could make it too tight for family use. The larger MINI Countryman could be a better option in that case.
What's the best MINI Aceman model/engine to choose?
So far we’ve only had the chance to try a top-spec MINI Aceman SE, which has a good amount of pep when you put your foot down and a decent battery range of up to 252 miles on a full charge. If you have charging at home and don’t do a lot of longer journeys then the Aceman E could suffice, although its shorter range also comes with slightly less power.
The choice of Classic, Sport or Exclusive trim depends on which look you like the most. When it comes to equipment, the standard model includes some relatively high-end features, such as a heated steering wheel, but we like the head-up display and heated seats included on the Level 1 pack. This is standard on the Aceman SE. The extras on higher levels are nice to have, but not essential.
What other cars are similar to the MINI Aceman?
The MINI Aceman takes on other small electric SUVs, such as the Jeep Avenger Electric, the Volvo EX30, Peugeot’s E-3008 and the Kia EV3, with more rivals on the way. Style-wise, the MINI is nice enough to look at but it’s the interior that really stands out, with its unusual round infotainment screen and clever use of materials. It’s more fun to drive than those rivals, too, and competitively priced, at least in entry level form.
Comfort and design: MINI Aceman interior
"There isn’t an interior quite like the MINI Aceman. Well, except for other MINIs. Always a brand to stand out when it comes to cabin design, the latest round of cars – Aceman included – pushes things to new levels."
The centre of the dash is dominated by a large, round, and very clear infotainment screen. All the driving information is housed there, in the style of Tesla, although top-spec Acemans (Acemen?) get a head-up display that somewhat replaces traditional dials. They’re absent on other versions, though.
The dash itself is clad in a recycled polyester fabric with a knitted look, inspired by sneakers. With a dual-tone colour scheme, it has a very different vibe from other brands, and looks fantastic. We do worry about how easy it’ll be to clean, however – you’ll likely need a vacuum cleaner rather than a polishing cloth. The fabric look continues on various little design touches, such as a carry-style strap on the dashboard and another on the steering wheel. Overall, it’s a very welcoming and contemporary environment.
Quality and finish
The knitted material across the dash and door cars of the MINI Aceman looks and feels great. Most of the plastics feel decent too, although they feel less premium the lower down in the car you go, and some feel on the scratchy side. Generally, however, it feels like a high-end machine.
Infotainment: Touchscreen, USB, nav and stereo in the MINI Aceman
The Aceman’s defining interior feature is its high-resolution circular infotainment screen, which is where most models house all the main features. The OLED screen looks fantastic, with a crisp display, and although there’s a lot of information displayed on it, we found it simple to navigate.
That said, our test car had the optional head-up display in front of the driver, which presented the basic driving information away from the clutter of the main screen, and meant we didn’t need to glance sideways to see things like driving speed. Lower-spec cars won’t have this, which could get annoying. A lack of physical buttons to jump between features is also irksome – everything, including changing the temperature on the air-con, is done through the screen. The minimalist look is very nice, but it sometimes gets in the way of practicality.
You can use the screen to change the car’s mode. While other cars have this to an extent – for example, they’ll let you select Sport for more vim from the driving experience, or Eco to save on fuel – the Aceman has extended this to create whole… well, vibe, depending on what mode you’re in. The graphics and the sounds of the car are all adjusted depending on the mode selected. We’ll touch on this later in the Driving section. There’s also a digital mascot within the car, called Spike, who’ll talk to you during your journey. We’ve not really spent much time with him, but it’s an interesting idea.
Our test Aceman also had the optional augmented reality navigation system installed, which overlays directions on a live video feed of the road ahead. We could see how it could be useful at particularly complicated junctions, but we found it cluttered up the screen and we never really got used to it during our three hours or so in the car.
Top-spec cars get a Harman Kardon sound system, which sounds very good, and there are four USB-C sockets with which you can charge your devices.
Space and practicality: MINI Aceman boot space
The Aceman isn’t a large car, but nevertheless MINI would have you believe it could be used as a family SUV. We have our doubts, however. While it’s more than comfortable for adults up front, save for a lack of adjustability of the headrests for taller occupants, the rear seats are tight on both legroom and headroom. Children should be ok, but it’s far from spacious. While there is a middle seat, it’ll be quite a squeeze for anyone brave enough to try it. Think of it as a MINI Hatch that’s been raised up, rather than a capacious SUV.
At 300 litres the boot is a reasonable size, although smaller than rivals like the Jeep Avenger. It’ll cope with a small shop, but a week’s holiday will be a step too far. If you’re not using the rear seats, you can fold them down to extend the cargo capacity to 1005 litres.
Handling and ride quality: What is the MINI Aceman like to drive?
"If we follow the logic that the Aceman is a jacked up MINI Cooper Electric, then it should follow that it has a similar driving experience, right? Yes, and it does. As far as small SUVs go, the Aceman is one of the most fun to drive, with MINI’s trademark go-kart-like handling and a decent amount of zip, thanks to the electric motor."
Our test car was an Aceman SE, the more powerful of the two available, with 218PS and 330Nm. That’s enough for sprightly acceleration, with the instant response inherent in electric motors giving it a pleasing zip-factor. It’s agile and taut through the corners, too. We tried it on well-maintained Danish roads and while the ride quality was firm it was never crashy. Hopefully the same will be true on UK roads too, but we’ll have to wait to confirm.
A more affordable but less powerful version, the Aceman E is also available, with 184PS and 290Nm.
One interesting aspect of the Aceman is MINI’s mode system, which goes beyond other models. On those, switching to Sport might sharpen up the accelerator response, quicken the gearshifts and so on. But on the Aceman, it changes the whole vibe of the car.
Go Kart mode, for example, switches the main screen to race-inspired graphics, and while it does sharpen the car’s responses it also changes the sound. As electric cars are virtually silent as standard, MINI has engineered some serious sound design so that when you put your foot down it sounds like a synthesiser attempting to do a space ship impression.
It sounds cheesy on paper, but in reality it’s rather fun. And when it gets too much, you can just turn it off. Various other, less frenetic modes are available too, for more relaxing progress, and you can program your own personalised settings as well.
What motors and batteries are available in the MINI Aceman?
There are two versions of the MINI Aceman, each with their own combination of electric motor and battery.
The entry level model is the MINI Aceman E, which has 184PS and 290Nm from its electric motor, giving it a 0-62mph time of 7.9 seconds.
The Aceman SE, meanwhile, ups the power to 218PS and the torque to 330Nm, which drops the 0-62mph time to 7.1 seconds. That doesn’t sound that quick on paper, but it’s feels pretty nippy from behind the wheel.
Maximum electric range in the MINI Aceman
The MINI Aceman E will give you a range of up to 192 miles from its 42.5kWh battery, while the Aceman SE extends that to 252 miles by way of a 54.2kWh battery.
Refinement and noise levels
Wind and road noise is generally well contained in the Aceman. Although we’ve tried it on a range of roads in Denmark, from around town to motorway, we haven’t yet had a chance to drive it in the UK.
Safety equipment: How safe is the MINI Aceman?
The Aceman has yet to be tested by the independent safety experts at EuroNCAP, but MINI has a strong history in these tests and we’d expect it to do well. Standard safety features include a parking assistance system and MINI’s Driving Assistant, which includes features like blind-spot detection and adaptive cruise control. Higher-spec cars have Driving Assistant Plus, which adds extra steering and lane assistance to keep you from veering out of your lane.
MINI Aceman charging times: How much does it cost to charge?
"Although the different Aceman models support different fast-charging speeds, they’ll both accept a boost from 10% to 80% capacity in just under half an hour."
While there are electric cars that will charge faster, this should be plenty for most drivers. For reference, the MINI Aceman E charges at up to 75kW, while the Aceman SE charges at up to 95kW, but the different battery sizes means the difference is virtually zero.
How much it costs you to recharge will depend on where and when you do it. Plug in at home overnight on a suitable electricity tariff and a 7kW home charger will top up the battery in around six hours for the E and eight hours for the SE, at a cost of between £10 and £13. Public chargers will be faster, but cost more – expect to pay around £22 for the Aceman E and around £30 for the Aceman SE.
MINI Aceman reliability and warranty
As it’s brand new, we don’t have any specific information about how reliable the Aceman will be. But as it’s based largely on existing mechanical bits, we can take an educated guess – based on what we’ve seen from other MINI electric vehicles we don’t anticipate many common issues. Both BMW and Chinese firm Great Wall, which collaborated to create the technology powering the Aceman, have lots of experience with electric cars. Electric tech is generally more reliable than a petrol model anyway, because there are fewer moving parts to go wrong.
MINI Aceman insurance groups and costs
Depending on the model, the MINI Aceman sits between insurance groups 20 and 24 out of 50, so premiums shouldn’t be overly painful.
VED car tax: What is the annual road tax on a MINI Aceman?
As an electric vehicle, the MINI Aceman costs nothing in Vehicle Excise Duty… for now. From 1 April 2025, that changes, because the rules around taxing a car will be updated. From that date, electric cars will cost the same as petrol and diesel cars, and Aceman owners will be liable for the standard annual rate, which is currently £190 but could go up.
MINI Aceman price
"The MINI Aceman isn’t yet available, so there are no indications of used prices. A new Aceman costs from £31,900 for the E trim, while the Aceman SE costs from £36,300."
That starting point means that the Aceman is cheaper than a Volvo EX30 and an electric Jeep Avenger, although both those rivals have a better battery range that's more comparable to the more expensive Aceman SE.
Trim levels and standard equipment
Customers buying a new MINI Aceman can choose from three trim levels, although they work in a slightly different way to some other car brands.
The trims control essentially the look of the car. The Classic trim comes in a choice of three colours – Melting Silver as standard or Midnight Black or Nanuq White as options. You can have the whole car the same colour, or spec a contrasting Jet Black roof. It comes with 17-inch alloy wheels as standards, although 18-inch units are optional extras. Inside, you can choose from a grey and blue or black and blue upholstery.
The Exclusive trim comes in Nanuq White as standard, with Midnight Black, Indigo Sunset Blue, Ocean Wave Green and Rebel Red as options. Like the Classic you can spec a Jet Black Roof, but you can also have a Multitone Blue roof, and you can have your side mirrors finished in white. Larger 18-inch wheels are standard, and the front grille is finished in silver. The interior colour choices are beige or (ironically for an electric car) Dark Petrol.
Finally, the Sport trim is, as the name suggests, sportier in its looks, with redesigned bumpers and side skirts and spoiler, and 18-inch alloy wheels. Nanuq White is again standard, with Midnight Black, Chilli Red and Legend Grey as options. Opt for a black roof if you like, or have it in Chilli Red along with the side mirrors. The interior is black.
After you’ve chosen a trim, you can then choose a Level pack, as discussed earlier, to specify what equipment you’d like. The standard cars are pretty well specced, especially the Aceman SE models.
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