The MINI Hatch is the latest iteration of the timeless car—and it’s a tank compared to its ancestor, which burst into life on British roads back in the 50s.
In fact, the MINI Hatch is big enough to compete with its rivals the SEAT Ibiza, Volkswagen Polo and Audi A1 Sportback. It comes in a multitude of trim levels to give drivers a lot of scope for personalisation, and boasts a range of petrol engines to meet the needs of most small car buyers. The entry-level Cooper engine will suit the everyday city goer, and for those craving a little more oomph there’s the Cooper S—not to mention the juiced-up John Cooper Works (JCW) version for a hot hatch driving experience.
The MINI’s recent successes have come courtesy of its owner, BMW. The German manufacturer masterminded its rebirth at the turn of the 21st century, and it’s now among the best-selling cars in the UK, proving that buyers are eminently willing to pay for a classy small car if it comes with a prestige badge. The three-door Hatch follows exactly the same template of success.
But before we delve too deeply into the Hatch, let’s check in with its key stats.
| Brand-new price range | £23,000–£40,000 |
| Car Planet price range | £6,000–£16,000 / £118–£302 a month |
| Trims | 13 |
| Engines | 4 |
| Available fuels | Petrol, electric |
| mpg range across all versions | 41–51 |
| Doors | 5 |
| Warranty | 3 years / no mileage cap |
| Company car tax at 20% (min/max) | £65 / £2,645 |
| Company car tax at 40% (min/max) | £130 / £5,290 |
Equipment, options and extras
The MINI Hatch comes with a total of four trim levels for the regular three-door models: Classic, Sport, Exclusive and Resolute. Then there’s the range-topping hot hatch JCW.
Even as a base trim, Classic comes with a whole host of equipment, including cruise control, keyless start, ambient lighting and heated wing mirrors. Sport introduces front sports seats, adaptive suspension, black exterior highlights, larger 17in wheels, and a JCW body kit on the outside. The similarly priced Exclusive offers a less aggressive aesthetic, swapping out those black exterior highlights for silver, and boasting an altogether suaver look with its leather seats and steering wheel.
The Resolute comes with bronze exterior detailing, 18in alloy wheels, Rebel Green exterior paint and special chequered cloth upholstery. Finally, the sportiest and range-topping version the JCW adds sporty exterior styling, larger brakes, sports suspension, 17in alloy wheels, sports seats, and an eight-speed automatic gearbox (as opposed to the seven-speed included in the rest of the trims).
Costs, insurance groups, mpg and CO2
The MINI Hatch isn’t available with the kind of discounts you can find with rivals like the Audi A1 Sportback. It’s an overtly premium product and is priced as such, so might look a bit expensive compared to more mainstream small cars like the SEAT Ibiza and Volkswagen Polo—especially when you consider the price of the option packs, and how much space those competitors offer.
That being said, the Hatch can still make some financial sense by virtue of its competitive PCP and leasing offers. It depreciates relatively slowly compared to its rival the Ford Fiesta—although not as slowly as another rival, the A1 Sportback.
…Although on the other hand, the Hatch’s rivals emit less CO2. The Cooper 1.5L petrol returns 41.3mpg, and the Cooper S 37.2.
Safety and security
The MINI Hatch has a lot of kit to help you avoid an accident, including stability control. You can also peruse the options list for a variety of more advanced functions, like cruise control, lane-departure warning and a rear-end collision warning system. Automatic emergency braking is optional, whereas most of the Hatch’s rivals include it as standard. All models have an alarm, an immobiliser and six airbags.
Reliability
Like all MINI hatchbacks, the MINI Hatch comes with a three-year warranty and breakdown assistance, and both can be extended with various price plans and cover levels.
The Car Planet verdict
The MINI Hatch is an immensely desirable small car, with plenty of substance to match its style. We especially recommend the peppy yet frugal Cooper in Exclusive trim to max out on the Hatch’s single greatest strength: the well-appointed interior. On the flipside, it’s disappointing that automatic emergency braking isn’t included as standard, unlike as it is with many of the Hatch’s rivals. Finally, it’s worth noting that if practicality is high on your list of must-haves you should check out the even more impressive Audi A1 Sportback.
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