2026 Mini Countryman Electric review

As a brand, Mini tends to fly under the radar in Australia. The Countryman isn’t exactly a hot topic in the small SUV world, either.

It’s still posting reasonable sales figures so far this year, and it’s far from the lowest-selling model in Australia’s premium small SUV segment. It may be consistently outperformed by the arguably more niche Cooper hatch, though that is Mini’s oldest and best-known nameplate.

Regardless, the third-generation Countryman was launched in Australia in early 2024, and the petrol range was backed up by the arrival of fully electric models for the first time later that year. That gives us the model you see on test here, the 2026 Mini Countryman SE Favoured .

There are two electric versions currently available. There’s the base E, a front-wheel drive model, and the SE, a more premium, all-wheel drive version that naturally costs a bit more. There have been some changes across the Countryman lineup as of late , even if there were no visual tweaks.

Most significant is the introduction of Euro 6e-compliant powertrains including 48V mild-hybrid technology for the Countryman C and S. The EVs get new silicon carbide (SiC) inverter technology, which has improved the efficiency of the Countryman E and SE to offer more range.

The performance-oriented Countryman JCW has been updated to meet the more stringent emissions regulations too, though its powertrain specs are unchanged. These changes have also resulted in changes to pricing and the model lineup.

The base Core trim has been axed for both the petrol C and electric E powertrains, increasing the Countryman's starting price. There's now only one JCW variant, with the Classic axed in favour of a single, higher level of specification.

The Countryman remains roughly $10,000 cheaper than the equivalent BMW X1 in Australia, the donor vehicle for this particular Mini. These changes largely echo the changes applied to the X1 and the electric iX1 earlier in 2026, though Mini is yet to offer BMW's plug-in hybrid powertrains.

How does the Countryman stack up, and is it worth considering instead of its BMW sister model?

The SE Favoured is the second-most expensive electric Countryman currently on sale, priced at $76,990 before on-road costs. That's up by $1000 on the pre-update model.

Most notably, the base Countryman C Core has been axed, increasing the lineup's opening price by $4500. The Countryman C Classic is the new base variant at $54,490 before on-roads – itself up $1500 on last year’s model.

As for rivals, premium-leaning small electric SUVs include the Zeekr X (up to $57,900 drive-away), the Volvo EX30 (from $49,990 before on-roads), and the Renault Megane E-Tech , which is currently available for $49,990 drive-away.

Of course, there’s also the BMW iX1 , on which the electric Countryman is based, starting at $77,900 before on-roads.

To see how the Mini Countryman stacks up against the competition, use our comparison tool