2025 Mini Cooper JCW E Leak Confirms 255 HP And Electric Performance Boost

After teasing the world with a camouflaged version at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed, the highly anticipated Mini Cooper JCW E was supposed to stay under wraps until its full reveal later in 2024. Well, that didn’t exactly go as planned. Thanks to a little slip-up from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), we’ve now gotten an unexpected look at Mini’s electric hot hatch.

The big news? The power bump that had everyone speculating has been confirmed: the JCW E will pack a punchy 255 hp, a solid jump from the earlier rumors of 215 hp. For a car that weighs about the same as the Chinese-built 2024 Mini Cooper SE, that’s a pretty decent boost.

Oh, and just like the SE, it’ll come with a 54.2-kilowatt-hour battery pack, though you’ll have 49.2 kWh to actually play with. Now, if you're into numbers, here’s the deal. Over in Europe, the SE’s got a claimed range of 249 miles (WLTP), but with the JCW’s extra oomph, you can expect that to drop a little. The extra horsepower, paired with what will likely be grippier tires, should shave about half a second off the 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) time.

So instead of the SE’s 6.7 seconds, you’re looking at a pretty zippy 6.2 seconds for the JCW. Sure, it’s still front-wheel drive with a single motor, so don’t expect it to break any land-speed records, but it'll get you off the line in style. On the outside, the JCW E keeps things pretty familiar, but with a bit more attitude. It’s still rocking those sporty front and rear bumpers and side skirts—kind of like the Cooper SE in JCW trim. And yes, there's a big roof-mounted spoiler, because, let's be honest, it wouldn't feel like a proper JCW without it.

Now, if you're trying to spot the difference between the Cooper SE JCW and the actual JCW E, it’s going to be a bit tricky. From the photos released by MIIT, it seems like the only real giveaway is a stylized checkered flag graphic on the lower part of the hatch, and that might even be optional. The one they showed has a white-painted rear apron, but that may be for China. For the eagle-eyed, the wheels are still 18 inches, but the JCW E has larger brakes with red calipers, so keep an eye out for those.

And of course, you’ll spot some John Cooper Works badges here and there, like on the rear wing and the grille. How about the ride height? There have been rumors that the JCW could sit lower than the SE, but we haven't received any confirmation yet. We also haven’t had a peek inside, but you can bet there will be some sportier, body-hugging seats and those little sporty touches you’d expect from a John Cooper Works model.