Compare the2023 Chevrolet BoltVS 2023 MINI SE Countryman

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Bolt are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Bolt offers an optional Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The SE Countryman only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

The Bolt’s optional 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. The SE Countryman 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 Bolt’s optional Rear Cross Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

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

Chevrolet’s powertrain warranty covers the Bolt 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than MINI covers the SE Countryman. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the SE Countryman ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 28 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Bolt’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 21 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is ranked 13th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet above average in long-term dependability. With 21 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, MINI is rated lower.

On the EPA test cycle the Bolt gets better mileage than the SE Countryman running on electricity (131 city/109 hwy vs. 74 city/72 hwy MPGe).

On the EPA test cycle the Bolt gets better mileage than the SE Countryman running its gasoline engine (131 city/109 hwy MPGe vs. 29 city/30 hwy).

The Bolt can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 259 miles. The SE Countryman has to start its internal combustion engine after only 18 miles.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Chevrolet Bolt higher (10 out of 10) than the MINI SE Countryman (3). This means the Bolt produces up to 36.3 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the SE Countryman every 15,000 miles.

The Bolt stops much shorter than the SE Countryman:

The Bolt has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Having a flat tire is dangerous, inconvenient and expensive. The self-sealing tires standard on the Bolt can automatically seal most punctures up to 3/16 of an inch, effectively preventing most flat tires. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

For better maneuverability, the Bolt’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the SE Countryman’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

The Chevrolet Bolt may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 350 pounds less than the MINI SE Countryman.

The Bolt is 6.6 inches shorter than the SE Countryman, making the Bolt easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Chevrolet Bolt amounts to more than styling. The Bolt has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .31 Cd. That is lower than the SE Countryman (.33) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Bolt get better fuel mileage.

The Bolt has 3.9 inches more front legroom and .9 inches more rear headroom than the SE Countryman.

The Bolt has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the SE Countryman with its rear seat folded (57 vs. 47.4 cubic feet).

The Bolt has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Bolt’s headlights were rated “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the SE Countryman’s headlights are rated “Marginal” to “Poor.”

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Bolt has standard extendable sun visors. The SE Countryman doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Insurance will cost less for the Bolt owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Bolt will cost $1335 to $1475 less than the SE Countryman over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Chevrolet Bolt will be $8275 to $10974 less than for the MINI SE Countryman.

The Bolt was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2017. The SE Countryman has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Bolt as the 2017 North American Car of the Year. The SE Countryman has never been chosen.