Mini Electric EV Charging Cable

Three generations of electric Mini, one cable

The F56 Mini Electric of 2020 to 2023 carries 32.6 kWh gross and 28.9 usable, quoted at 145 miles WLTP, with 50 kW DC charging and eighty per cent in 36 minutes. From 2024 the new car arrived as the Cooper E with 40.7 kWh gross and 36.6 usable for 190 miles, and the Cooper SE with 54.2 gross and 49.2 usable for 250 miles, taking 75 and 95 kW on DC respectively.

Everything else about charging is shared: the same Type 2 and CCS inlet, the same 11 kW three phase onboard charger, and the same socket position on the offside rear quarter. One cable specification covers all three.

The 11 kW rating and what a house gives

The supply is the limit rather than the car: one phase carries 7.4 kW and no cable changes that. Which is exactly what a 32A single phase lead delivers, so that is the one to own and the three phase version adds nothing at a house.

For the F56 the German catalogue publishes both cases, which is the clean proof: 252 minutes to a full charge on a single phase 7.4 kW wall box against 150 minutes on three phases at 11 kW. Twenty-eight point nine kilowatt hours over four point two hours is 6.9 kW, exactly what a 7.4 kW ceiling produces with taper.

For the 2024 cars that catalogue lists three phase only and omits the single phase row, which is a dataset gap rather than a real difference - the Aceman uses the same charging module and is given a 7.4 kW single phase ceiling in the same catalogue. Mini own at-home figures of four hours thirty and five hours fifteen are three phase times. Spending more on the lead changes nothing, as the car sets the rate.

The socket, stated absolutely

The F56 owner manual says it in plain words: the charging socket flap is located on the right side of the vehicle. That is an absolute statement about the body rather than a driver-relative one, so it holds for a right hand drive car, and it puts the socket on the offside rear quarter behind the door.

Every battery electric Mini follows that arrangement, which is the BMW group convention. The only Minis that charge from the front are the plug-in hybrid Countrymans, and they are on the nearside.

How long a full charge takes

Each figure is the pack size divided by the power actually drawn, with 13 per cent added for charging losses and the result rounded to the quarter hour. The range column is deliberately cautious, at 3.5 miles per kWh. Columns are the F56 Mini Electric, the Cooper E and the Cooper SE, all at their usable capacities. Our top row for the F56 is close to the published 252 minutes.

Five hours on the F56 and nine on the Cooper SE from empty. On a car with 145 miles of range, the F56 in particular is one of the easiest electric cars to live with on a cheap overnight tariff.

Which length for an electric Mini

A three door Mini is 3.86 metres and the 2024 car much the same, so even with the socket at the rear nothing is far away. Five metres reaches on most driveways where the car reverses in or the charge point sits toward the back of the bay on the offside.

Ten metres is the choice for nose-in parking, a nearside wall box, or a charge point across a shared drive. Take a tape measure to the run, inlet to charge point, and add a couple of metres before choosing.

How these cables are built

It is made to IEC 62196-2, CE marked, and sealed to IP55 across a -30C to +50C temperature range.

Three pin leads are made to IEC 62752, CE marked and IP67 sealed, with a -30C to +60C specification. It carries a two year manufacturer's warranty, ships free on next working day delivery, and can go back inside 30 days.

Also from Mini: Mini Aceman EV Charging Cable. The full range of Mini charging cables is on one page. For a wall box or public post the lead is the Type 2 to Type 2 charging cable.

Mini Electric charging cable questions

What cable does a Mini Electric need?

A 32A single phase Type 2 to Type 2 cable, on the 2020 to 2023 F56 car and on the 2024-on Cooper E and Cooper SE alike.

Will it charge at 11 kW at home?

No. That rating needs three phases. On a British supply the car draws 7.4 kW, and the published single phase time for the F56 is 252 minutes against 150 on three phases.

Where is the charge socket?

Offside rear quarter, behind the rear door. The owner manual states the right side of the vehicle in so many words.

How long does a Mini Electric take to charge?

About five hours from empty on the 32.6 kWh F56, six on the Cooper E and nine on the Cooper SE, all at 7.4 kW.