BUYING GUIDE
Mini Convertible
With summer in full swing, here’s a smart and peppy drop-top that you can pick up on the used market for a relatively low price
Oliver Young oliver.young@haymarket.com
In production 2016-present Price from £8000 Our favourite version 1.5 Cooper Pepper Pack
THE ABILITY TO fold down the roof of your car so you can enjoy the feeling of the wind in your hair as you’re driving is an indulgence that’s often the preserve of pricey upmarket models, but the Mini Convertible is an exception. This small four-seat drop-top delivers open-air exuberance and no small amount of style for a very affordable price.
Based on the brand’s popular three-door hatchback, the Mini Convertible shares its sibling’s range of excellent petrol engines. There was a diesel option at first, but this was dropped from the convertible in 2018, and there’s no electric version.
Entry-level Cooper models came with all the essentials, and initially there were several desirable option packs that many buyers will have added from new. Among the most popular were the Pepper Pack (which included rear parking sensors, dual-zone climate control, a sports steering wheel and automatic lights and wipers), the Comfort Pack (heated front seats) and the Navigation Pack. Th Driving Assistant Pack is worth having, too; it brings automatic emergency braking.