New Photos & Exclusive Details on The Electric MINI Aceman Ahead of its Reveal

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The electric MINI Aceman nearly revealed in new photos and exclusive details ahead of its global reveal.

What you’re looking at might just be the brand’s most popular model in a few years time. That’s what MINI is quietly predicting as it finishes up final testing of the all electric MINI Aceman. And today we have our first official look at the small crossover in prototype form.

The Aceman the first all new model from MINI since the original Countryman. However this new crossover is actually based on the smaller J01 MINI Cooper EV. In fact it’s so heavily connected to that car that it will share all of its drivetrain including its electric motor, battery pack and electronics. In many ways the relationship between the J01 MINI Cooper and the J05 Aceman is not that different than the F56 two door hatch to the F55 four door hatch. The key difference of course is height and proportions which was likely much easier to alter with a skateboard chassis given it’s fully electric origins.

Note the higher load floor and smaller rear hatch. This is likely due to the Aceman’s higher positioning of it’s J01 sourced battery pack

The MINI Aceman Model Line-Up

The electric MINI Aceman will initially launch with two models late this year. The entry level Aceman E will have 184hp and 214 lb-ft and would likely fall be in between to an F60 Countryman S in straight-line performance. The more powerful SE will pump out 218 hp and 243 lb-ft and likely see performance figured that eclipse the F60 Countryman S.

Models	J05 Aceman E	J05 Aceman SE	J05 Aceman JCW
Power	184 hp	218 hp	*250 hp +
Torque	214 lb-ft	243 lb-ft	*280 lb-ft +

* Estimated

Those two models will quickly be followed by a JCW variant that will go into production next January. This model will likely develop well over 250 hp and will offer a variety of upgrades such as larger brakes, a revised suspension and some unique styling elements.

The Aceman might just have the best overall proportions of any new MINI.

How Big is the MINI Aceman?

We’ve known the Aceman will be smaller than the new Countryman but until recently we didn’t fully understand what that meant. And the numbers are interesting to say the least. Especially in how they compare to smaller MINIs of the past.

Models	J05 Aceman	U25 Countryman	F60 Countryman	R60 Countryman
Length	4079 mm / 161 in	4444 mm / 175 in	4297 mm / 169 in	4119 mm / 162 in

One of the headlining data points of any MINI is length. Aceman measures in at be 4079mm / 161in in length which is (not surprisingly) quite a bit smaller than the 4444mm / 175in U25 Countryman. However what’s really interesting is comparing this new MINI crossover with the original 2010 R60 Countryman. The R60 was 4119mm / 162.2in making that original Countryman actually larger than the new Aceman. Going deeper we see that trend playout elsewhere; R60 shoulder width is 1341mm / 52.8in which is smaller than the 1370mm in the Aceman. Not surprisingly the same is true for front legroom. There the R60 is 1025mm / 40.4in. while the smaller Aceman looks for comfortable with 1045 mm / 41.1in of room for front passengers.

The all-electric MINI Aceman opens new opportunities for customers who want a smaller crossover than our successful MINI Countryman.

Stefanie Wurst, head of MINI

You get the idea. The Aceman has a small footprint but is magically larger inside than the original Countryman. This is a result of MINI using a bespoke electric platform and being able to rethink much of the interior design.

MINI Aceman Specifications vs the New U25 Countryman

Now let’s take a look at the full specs and how that compares to the new electric Countryman SE. As you can see MINI has made a clear distinction between the two modes in terms of power and performance.

Models	J05 Aceman E	J05 Aceman SE	U25 MINI Countryman SE
Power	184 hp	218 hp	313 hp
Torque	214 lb-ft	243 lb-ft	365 lb-ft
Transmission	1 speed	1 speed	1 speed
0-60 mph	TBA	TBA	TBA
Length (mm/inches)	4079 mm / 161 in	4079 mm / 161 in	4444 mm / 175 in
Width w/o Mirros (mm/inches)	1754 mm / 69 in	1754 mm / 69 in	1843 mm / 73 in
Height (mm)	1514 mm / 59.6 in	1514 mm / 59.6 in	1661 mm / 65 in
Wheelbase (mm)	2606 mm / 102.6 in	2606 mm / 102.6 in	2670 mm / 81 in
Curb weight (kg/lbs)	1645 kg / 3,627 lbs	1710 kg / 3,770 lbs	1735 kg / 3,825 lbs
Luggage capacity (seats up/seats down	300 / 1005 liters	300 / 1005 liters	450 / 1450 L

Weight is interesting here as we see just how MINI has mitigated the heavy battery. While a 3,600 lbs car can’t be considered light, it is for a four door electric crossover. The other number that jumps out is just how close the wheelbase is to the Countryman. This shows MINI has pushed the wheels to the corners as much as possible.

MINI Aceman Performance & Range Details

Next we’ll take a look at the performance and how it compares to the J01. As you can see MINI has carried one the drivetrain completely including battery size. While we don’t have range figures yet, it’s safe to say they will be lower than the J01 due to the increase in weight of the Aceman.

Once again this drive home the point that he Aceman truly is just a large J01 MINI Cooper that sits higher and has four doors. While the bonus is a higher seating position and more interior volume, the clear trade off is weight and thus range.

	2025 J01 MINI Cooper E	2025 J01 MINI Cooper SE	2026 J05 MINI Aceman E	2026 J05 MINI Aceman SE
Horsepower	184 hp	218 hp	184 hp	218 hp
Range (WLTP)	200 miles	250 miles	TBA	TBA
Battery Size	40kWh	54kWh	54kWh*	32.6 kWh

All numbers provided by MINI except * which are confirmed only through unofficial sources.

That said this approach should tie the Aceman closer to the J01 in feel and performance likely making this the most MINI-like crossover from the brand to date.

MINI Aceman Release Details and When It’s Coming ot North America

The MINI Aceman E and SE models will go into production in China later this year. Initially be built in China by a joint venture with MINI and Great Wall Motors, it will be initially only exported to Asia, the UK, Europe and South America.

Then in 2026 MINI will move some of that production to Oxford along with the J01 MINI Cooper EV. These cars coming out of the UK will be exported to the UK, Europe and likely the North American markets. This will allow MINI to avoid tariffs as it begins US imports (likely) sometime the 2026 calendar year.

MINI Aceman Final Testing

After the MINI Aceman has already successfully completed tests at the Arctic Circle, the J05 then moved to the desert with strong sunlight and heat. In addition to classic features such as driving dynamics and driving comfort, the test team focused on the demanding aspects of an electric vehicle in these conditions. For this purpose, the air conditioning, charging and cooling of the battery, drive and control devices are intensively tested at up to 122 F° in dusty desert sand.                                                                           

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