MINI Cooper Convertible Review & Prices

The Mini Cooper Convertible is like Sir Paul McCartney, in that it’s been around since the sixties, shows little signs of ageing, and is still a truly talented performer.

While the rest of the Mini lineup is going increasingly electric — including the Cooper hatchback and the chunky Countryman SUV, as well as the new Aceman SUV/estate — this drop-top Mini is sticking with simpler petrol power for now. Yes, there was — briefly — an all-electric version of the previous Mini Cooper Convertible, but that was a limited edition model and not something that Mini's going to repeat for the moment.

You can choose from two engines — a turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine with 161hp for the Cooper C, or a four-cylinder 2.0-litre turbo with 201hp for the Cooper S, which is further boosted to 228hp in John Cooper Works form. Both are carried over from the old Mini, as indeed is the entire structure under the bodywork. It’s only the electric Mini hatchback that gets an all-new chassis in 2024.

Sadly, there’s no manual gearbox option anymore for the Mini Cooper Convertible. Whichever engine you go for, there’s only a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic available, which is a shame as that takes away a big chunk of driver involvement.

At least you do get the rather cool 9.4-inch circular OLED touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard, as found in the rest of the current Mini lineup. We’re slightly less keen on the fact that too many functions — including the air conditioning controls — have been moved to the screen, but it’s still a more interesting, more colourful layout than you’d find in most other cars. It’s essential to spend the extra to back up the round touchscreen with a head-up display though, as it’s too distracting to keep looking at the middle of the dash to see your speed.

Gear selection and driving modes use two tiny toggle switches below that screen, and there’s also an engine start button which you actually twist, like an old-fashioned ignition key, to fire everything up. The cutesy little musical cues when you change the driving modes will quickly get on your nerves, though.

The dashboard gets the same cool knitted fabric covering, with projected ambient lighting, as you’ll find in the hatchback, and space in the front is good, with comfy seats. However, the rear seats are likely to be just as cramped as the old model’s, and really more of an extended luggage space, to compensate for the teeny-tiny 215-litre boot (which shrinks to 160 litres when you fold the roof).

That convertible roof is much the same as it was before. There’s an 18-inch wide section at the front which opens like a big sunroof, and can be used at any speed. If you want to get the entire roof down, that takes only 18 seconds, but you have to be going at less than 18mph to do it.

The Mini Cooper Convertible’s a reasonably perky performer, even if the basic Cooper C model takes 8.2 seconds to get to 62mph. A Cooper S model is faster, at 6.9 seconds, while a John Cooper Works version takes just 6.4 seconds. You should expect to average at least 40mpg in daily driving with any of these engines.

Interested? Check out the latest Mini Cooper Convertible deals available through Carwow. You can also browse used versions of the old Mini Convertible, as well as other used Minis, from our network of trusted dealers. When it’s time to sell your old car, Carwow can help with that, too.

The Mini Cooper Convertible is definitely not cheap. In fact, for pretty much the same money as the basic Cooper C version, you could have a Mazda MX-5 which, while not very practical, is at least a ‘proper’ sports car, and not just a hatchback with a soft-top. Mind you, the Mini represents much better value than the Fiat 500 Electric Convertible, which is probably the closest alternative but doesn’t quite have a full convertible roof, though does offer a full-length retractable canvas top.