Should you buy one?

If you’re looking for a fun and stylish small car, the new MINI Cooper is very hard to beat. Nobody makes cars of this size that are quite as charming to drive or look at as MINI, and this new car brilliantly continues where its successor left off. 

If value for money and outright spaciousness are top priorities on your small car, the Cooper is probably not the car for you, but for its entertaining nature and premium feel it earns a place as one of the best small cars you can buy. 

What we like

There’s a lot we like about the new MINI Cooper. The way it drives is a high point, with its agility and fun nature continuing with this new model. The Cooper’s engines are strong and we’d argue that nobody makes a more stylish and recognisable small car (Fiat 500 aside, perhaps), which really adds to its appeal. The interior of this new MINI is fantastic as well, brimmed with features and technology yet is still fairly easy to use and looks superb as well. We’d argue it’s still the most upmarket small car you can buy too. 

What we don’t like

The Cooper is not the most rational of purchases, and its lack of space continues to let it down at least until a five-door model arrives. Prices can be high when you add on options, though actually aren’t bad as standard when you consider the extra tech and performance you get over many of the Cooper’s rivals. We don’t like that there’s no manual gearbox option on this new car, either.