smart #1 vs MINI Electric: City EV Comparison

The smart #1 and MINI Electric (now officially the MINI Cooper Electric) both chase the same city-EV buyer with very different personalities. Smart, now a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely, has reinvented itself as a small-SUV brand rather than the tiny two-seaters it built its name on. MINI has stuck to what it's always done — small, sharp-handling hatchbacks — and simply electrified it. Which one you want probably depends on whether you're buying with your head or your hands.

Price (2026 NZ)

Variant	smart #1	MINI Cooper Electric
Entry	$54,900 (Pro)	$52,900 (Cooper E)
Mid	$59,900 (Premium)	$59,900 (Cooper SE)
Top	$66,900 (Brabus)	—

Pricing is close enough at the entry and mid trims that it's essentially a wash. The smart #1's Brabus performance flagship has no direct MINI equivalent at this price point, giving it the higher ceiling of the two ranges.

Space versus driving dynamics

This is the real dividing line. The smart #1 is built on a dedicated EV platform shared with Geely's broader group and is genuinely spacious inside for its class — a flat floor, generous rear legroom for a car this size, and a 411-litre boot that outdoes most small SUVs, let alone a city hatch. It rides more like a small crossover than a hot hatch, comfortable and composed but not particularly engaging.

The MINI Cooper Electric leans entirely into brand heritage — go-kart-style handling, sharp steering, and a driving experience that genuinely stands apart from every other small EV on this list. The trade-off is space: rear seats are tight for adults on anything but short trips, and the boot, at 210 litres, is meaningfully smaller than the smart #1's.

Range and charging

	smart #1 Premium	MINI Cooper SE
WLTP range	440 km	402 km
Real-world (mixed NZ)	340–370 km	310–340 km
Max DC charge	150 kW	95 kW

The smart #1 has a genuine edge here too — a bigger battery and faster DC charging, translating to meaningfully more usable real-world range and quicker top-ups on longer trips than the MINI manages.

Interior and tech

Smart's interior reflects its Mercedes parentage in build quality and switchgear feel, paired with a large central touchscreen running a slightly quirky, animation-heavy software interface that not everyone loves at first but that most owners report warming to. MINI's cabin sticks closer to its retro-modern signature look, with a large circular central display that's become the brand's signature since the current generation launched, and genuinely excellent build quality for the segment.

Ownership and servicing in NZ

MINI benefits from BMW's well-established NZ dealer network, since MINI servicing runs through the same infrastructure. That means straightforward access to servicing and parts almost anywhere in the country that has a BMW or MINI dealer.

The smart #1 is newer to New Zealand under its current Mercedes-Geely ownership structure, and the dealer footprint, while growing, is smaller than MINI's established network. Both brands' EV-specific components (battery, motor, charging system) are new enough to this market that neither has the long-term NZ reliability data of, say, a Nissan Leaf. Early reports for both have been positive, but treat any claims about long-term durability as preliminary until these cars have clocked up more years and kilometres on NZ roads.

Warranty and running costs

Smart covers the #1 with a 4-year/unlimited km general warranty and an 8-year/160,000 km battery warranty. MINI offers a similar structure via BMW's warranty programme — 3 years unlimited km general cover (extendable) plus 8 years/160,000 km on the battery. Neither has a decisive edge here; both are broadly in line with expectations for their respective price points.

Insurance tends to run a touch higher for the MINI, typically $1,300–$1,600 annually against $1,150–$1,450 for the smart #1, reflecting MINI's slightly pricier parts and panel repair costs through the BMW network. Charging costs are near-identical given the similar battery sizes, at roughly $16–19 for a full charge on either car's larger-battery variant at typical home power rates.

Verdict

Choose the smart #1 if: rear-seat space, boot capacity, and longer real-world range matter more to you than outright driving engagement, or you want the option to step up to the genuinely quick Brabus variant.

Choose the MINI Cooper Electric if: you want the most fun-to-drive car in this comparison by a clear margin, you value MINI's established NZ dealer and service network, and you can live with a smaller boot and tighter rear seats in exchange for that driving character.

Neither is the wrong choice, but they suit genuinely different buyers. If you're shopping this segment primarily as a practical second car or your only car with occasional passengers, the smart #1 makes more sense. If you're buying a fun runabout and space is a secondary concern, the MINI remains the more emotionally satisfying choice, and its dealer network backing it up in NZ shouldn't be underrated either.