Compare the2023 Hyundai NexoVS 2022 MINI Cooper SE

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Nexo are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The MINI Cooper SE doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Nexo Limited has a standard Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Cooper SE only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Nexo’s blind spot warning system uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. The Cooper SE doesn’t offer a system to reveal objects in the driver’s blind spots.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Nexo’s standard rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Cooper SE doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

Both the Nexo and the Cooper SE have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and driver alert monitors.

The Hyundai Nexo weighs 846 to 972 pounds more than the MINI Cooper SE. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts. Crosswinds also affect lighter cars more.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Nexo its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 101 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cooper SE has not been tested, yet.

The Nexo comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Cooper SE’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Nexo 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than MINI covers the Cooper SE. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Cooper SE ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 8 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Nexo’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 25 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is ranked 11th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 17 places higher in reliability than MINI.

The Nexo’s electric motor produces 92 lbs.-ft. more torque (291 vs. 199) than the Cooper SE’s electric motor.

The Nexo can travel longer on a full tank of hydrogen than the Cooper SE on a full charge:

For better stopping power the Nexo’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Cooper SE:

For better traction, the Nexo has larger standard tires than the Cooper SE (225/60R17 vs. 195/55R16). The Nexo Limited’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper SE (245/45R19 vs. 205/45R17).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Nexo has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Cooper SE. The Nexo Limited’s 19-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels on the Cooper SE Signature Plus/Iconic.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Nexo’s wheelbase is 11.6 inches longer than on the Cooper SE (109.8 inches vs. 98.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Nexo is 5.2 inches wider in the front and 5.3 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Cooper SE.

The Nexo has standard seating for 5 passengers; the Cooper SE can only carry 4.

The Nexo has 21 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cooper SE (101.3 vs. 80.3).

The Nexo has .1 inches more front legroom, 6.6 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 7.8 inches more rear legroom and 7.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper SE.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Nexo Limited’s power liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Nexo’s power liftgate can also be opened or closed by pressing a button. The Cooper SE doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening liftgate.

The Nexo’s standard power windows have a locking feature to keep children in the rear seat from operating them, but the driver can still raise and lower all of them with the lock engaged. MINI does not offer a locking feature on the Cooper SE’s standard power windows.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Nexo has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Cooper SE only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Nexo Limited keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Cooper SE doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Nexo has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Cooper SE doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the Nexo has standard rear a/c vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The Cooper SE doesn’t offer rear vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Hyundai Nexo has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Cooper SE Iconic offers wireless charging.

The Nexo has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Cooper SE doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Nexo Limited’s Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Cooper SE’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.