MINI is giving its smallest electric crossover a new coat of paint -- and a fresh round of press attention. On September 9, 2026, BMW Group released official images and a media statement for the MINI Aceman SE in a new "Ocean Wave Green" finish, restating the car's core numbers: 160 kW (218 hp), an all-electric range of up to 405 km WLTP, and MINI's usual go-kart handling claim, now applied to a five-door electric crossover rather than a traditional hatchback.
What's New
The MINI Aceman itself isn't new -- it launched in 2024 as the brand's first dedicated electric crossover, slotting into the lineup between the MINI Cooper hatchback and the larger Countryman, and it has since been sold across most of MINI's global markets, from continental Europe to Australia, where it arrived in 2025 alongside the existing Cooper and Countryman range. What prompted this round of coverage is narrower: a new Ocean Wave Green paint option, officially unveiled September 9, 2026, alongside fresh press photography. It's the kind of announcement that wouldn't normally justify a full write-up on its own, but the Aceman SE has never had a dedicated article on this site, and the color launch is a reasonable hook to cover the car properly for the first time -- specs, trims, and all.
Tech Highlights
- 160 kW (218 hp) front-mounted motor with 330 Nm of torque available from a standstill -- MINI's typical instant-throttle character, just applied to a taller body.
- 49.2 kWh usable battery (54.2 kWh nominal) for up to 405 km WLTP range, with a maximum DC charging rate of 95 kW.
- 24-centimetre circular OLED display running MINI Operating System 9, replacing traditional gauges with a single round screen housing navigation, media, and vehicle settings.
- Ambient lighting projectors cast animated graphics onto the textile-covered dashboard, changing color and pattern with the selected drive mode -- a MINI-specific touch not found on rival crossovers.
Design and Dimensions
At just under 4.10 metres long, the Aceman SE is a genuinely compact crossover -- shorter than a MINI Countryman and only modestly longer than the MINI Cooper hatchback, while offering meaningfully more interior space than the latter. The design carries forward MINI's classic round-headlight face (now framed in LED graphics) and short overhangs, with the Ocean Wave Green launch color chosen specifically to highlight those proportions. Inside, the dashboard's knitted-textile covering and toggle-switch control strip below the main display are deliberate callbacks to the original Issigonis Mini's minimalist cabin, reinterpreted for an electric, touchscreen-first car.
| Layout | Single motor, front axle |
| Drive | Front-wheel drive |
| Power | 160 kW (218 hp) |
| Torque | 330 Nm |
| Length | ~4,100 mm (161.4 in) |
| Segment | Compact premium crossover |
| Seats | 5 |
| Drivetrain | Front-wheel drive |
Performance and Specs
The Aceman SE's 160 kW (218 hp), 330 Nm front motor is good for a 0-62 mph time of roughly 7.1 seconds -- brisk for the class without chasing outright hot-hatch numbers, and consistent with MINI positioning the SE as the sporty-but-sensible middle option rather than the outright performance flagship (that role belongs to the pricier John Cooper Works Aceman). The 49.2 kWh usable battery returns up to 405 km (252 miles) WLTP, with real-world city driving -- per MINI's own press material from a Sydney test drive -- comfortably covering close to 400 km before needing a charge. DC fast charging tops out at 95 kW, modest by 2026 standards but adequate for a car most owners will charge overnight at home. The entry-level Aceman E, by comparison, uses a smaller battery and a less powerful 135 kW (184 hp) motor for a shorter 309 km WLTP range -- the efficiency-and-price-focused option in the lineup. Both cars share the same 300-litre boot (expanding to 1,005 litres with the rear seats folded), confirming that the SE's extra performance and range come purely from a bigger battery and motor rather than any structural difference between the two versions.
| Spec | Aceman E | Aceman SE |
|---|---|---|
| Drive | FWD | FWD |
| Power | 135 kW (184 hp) | 160 kW (218 hp) |
| Torque | Not officially published | 330 Nm |
| WLTP Range | Up to 309 km (192 mi) | Up to 405 km (252 mi) |
| 0-62 mph | ~8.6 sec (typical for the class) | 7.1 sec |
| DC Fast Charging | Not officially published | Up to 95 kW |
| Cargo (seats up / folded) | 300 L / 1,005 L | 300 L / 1,005 L |
Pricing and Trims
In the UK, the Aceman lineup starts at roughly £28,900-£29,400 for the entry Aceman E, rising to about £29,400-£31,900 for the Aceman SE covered here (pricing varies by trim grade and has moved within that band across 2026), and jumping to around £37,000 for the range-topping John Cooper Works Aceman -- MINI's hot-hatch-style performance flagship with sharper suspension and more aggressive styling. Trim grades mirror the rest of the MINI electric range: Classic (smaller wheels, understated colors), Exclusive (brighter colors, gold accents, bigger wheels), and Sport (black exterior trim, sportier bumpers), each adding roughly £3,000-£4,000 over the base spec. Ocean Wave Green itself is a standalone paint option layered on top of whichever trim a buyer chooses, rather than a trim in its own right -- the kind of small, low-cost way manufacturers keep a two-year-old model feeling current between full model-year updates.
| Variant | Power | WLTP Range | Price (UK) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aceman E | 184 hp | 309 km (192 mi) | from ~£28,900 |
| Aceman SE | 218 hp | 405 km (252 mi) | from ~£29,400 |
| John Cooper Works Aceman | Performance-tuned, highest in range | Shorter than SE (performance trade-off) | from ~£37,000 |
Safety and Technology
MINI's own press material for the Aceman SE leans heavily on the driving experience and cabin design rather than a long feature checklist, but the car carries a meaningful amount of standard and available technology for its size. Voice control, a head-up display, and comfort seats with a massage function are all part of the package on higher trims -- unusual inclusions at this price point, where rivals typically reserve massage seats for larger, pricier models. The optional MINI Car Eye 3.0 Pro dashcam-and-security system, highlighted in MINI's own adventure-focused marketing, adds recorded footage and parking-mode monitoring on top of the brand's standard driver-assistance suite. Where the Aceman SE is more conventional is DC charging speed: 95 kW peak is enough for a comfortable top-up on a longer trip, but it's a generation behind the 150-200+ kW rates increasingly common even among budget-focused rivals, meaning road-trip charging stops will simply take longer than on a more charging-optimized competitor.
How It Compares
GAC Aion N60
$23,610 | 215 hp | 410 km range
Nearly identical power and range to the Aceman SE for roughly a third of the price -- about as direct a Chinese-vs-legacy-brand value comparison as this segment offers.
BYD Song Ultra EV
$26,532 | 215 hp | 450 km range
A larger SUV body with more range and similar power for well under the Aceman SE's UK price -- illustrates the premium MINI charges for badge and design rather than raw spec.
Leapmotor Lafa 5
$23,596 | 268 hp | 530 km range
More power and considerably more range than the Aceman SE in a similarly-sized hatchback body, for roughly 60% of the price.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Genuine MINI driving character -- direct steering and go-kart feel -- in a more practical crossover body
- Distinctive circular OLED display and ambient-lighting design touches nothing else in the segment offers
- 405 km WLTP range is competitive for a car this compact and this focused on urban use
- Comfortable seats with massage function and a head-up display available, unusual at this size and price point
Cons
- 95 kW peak DC charging trails newer rivals by a wide margin on road-trip charging speed
- Significantly more expensive than Chinese EVs offering similar or better power and range
- 300-litre base cargo capacity is modest even for the compact-crossover class
- This particular news cycle is a paint-color launch, not a substantive product update -- worth knowing going in
FAQs
Verdict
The MINI Aceman SE isn't new news in September 2026 -- Ocean Wave Green is a paint option, not a product update -- but the car underneath remains a compelling, if pricey, take on the compact electric crossover: genuine MINI driving character, a standout circular display, and a competitive 405 km WLTP range. Buyers purely chasing spec-per-dollar will find better numbers from Chinese rivals at a third of the price, but for those who value MINI's design language and driving feel specifically, it remains one of the more characterful options in its class.
