Compare the2025 Hyundai Kona ElectricVS 2024 MINI Cooper SE

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Kona Electric have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The MINI Cooper SE doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Kona Electric 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.

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 Kona Electric are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Cooper SE doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Kona Electric has a standard Reverse Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Cooper SE doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Kona Electric 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 Kona Electric’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. 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 Kona Electric’s standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. The Cooper SE doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the Kona Electric and the Cooper SE have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 Kona Electric weighs 428 to 748 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.

The Hyundai Kona Electric has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2024 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Cooper SE has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

Warranty

The Kona Electric 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 Kona Electric 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 over 8 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Kona Electric’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 20 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is ranked 11th.

Engine

The Kona Electric SEL/Limited/N-Line’s standard electric motor produces 20 more horsepower (201 vs. 181) than the Cooper SE’s electric motor.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Kona Electric gets better mileage than the Cooper SE:

		MPGe
Kona Electric
	SEL/Limited Electric Motor	129 city/103 hwy
	SE Electric Motor	131 city/105 hwy
Cooper SE
	Electric Motor	119 city/100 hwy

The Kona Electric can travel longer on a full charge than the Cooper SE on a full charge:

		Miles
Kona Electric
	SEL/Limited Electric Motor	261 miles
	N-Line Electric Motor	230 miles
	SE Electric Motor	200 miles
Cooper SE
	Electric Motor	114 miles

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Kona Electric	Cooper SE
Front Rotors	12 inches	11.1 inches
Rear Rotors	11.8 inches	11 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Kona Electric has larger standard tires than the Cooper SE (215/60R17 vs. 195/55R16). The Kona Electric N-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Cooper SE (235/45R19 vs. 205/45R17).

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

The Kona Electric 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 Cooper SE doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Kona Electric’s wheelbase is 6.5 inches longer than on the Cooper SE (104.7 inches vs. 98.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Kona Electric is 4.2 inches wider in the front and 4.2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Cooper SE.

Chassis

The front grille of the Kona Electric uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Cooper SE doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

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

The Kona Electric has 18.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cooper SE (99 vs. 80.3).

The Kona Electric has .3 inches more front legroom, 5.9 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear headroom, 5.6 inches more rear legroom and 7.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper SE.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Kona Electric’s rear seats recline. The Cooper SE’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Kona Electric Limited’s power liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Kona Electric’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.

Ergonomics

The Kona Electric’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 Kona Electric 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.

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

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Kona Electric 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 Kona Electric 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 Kona Electric has standard rear heat vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The Cooper SE doesn’t offer rear vents.

The Kona Electric 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 Iconic’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

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