Set against changing leaves and chilly nights, MOKE International showed up to the Paris Motor Show with its second-generation electric car to remind the world of summertime. The Moke Electric Mk2 retains the charmingly pared-down design elements of its predecessor, but with some impressive engineering upgrades to make it easier to use at any of the tropical beach resorts it’s certain to appeal to.
Among them is a much larger battery that nearly doubles range to an islander-ideal 106 miles – nearly as much as the 2025 Mini Cooper Electric to which it is very distantly related.
Moke Electric Mk2MOKE International
The Retro Plaything Gets A Much Bigger Battery
The Moke Electric is a modernized take on the original Mini Moke, an ultra-light version of the classic Mini that British Motor Corporation marketed to farmers and countryside-dwellers in need of a simple, rugged vehicle. Today’s Moke has nothing to do with its Austin, Morris, and Rover predecessor, particularly concerning its power source. The Mk1 model, introduced in 2022, used a teensy 10.8-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery mounted within the rear deck, giving it a WLTP-estimated range of 54 miles.
By contrast, the Moke Electric Mk2 looks much more usable, with a new 23.5-kWh battery. According to the low-volume automaker, that gives it a WLTP range of 106 miles (170 kilometers), nearly double that of its predecessor. And despite the usually optimistic nature of the European range testing protocol, MOKE International claims that its new EV will actually travel 115 miles or so in real-world city and coastal driving.
Electrons travel from the battery to a rear-mounted motor with all of 44 horsepower (33 kilowatts), the same as before, so don’t expect a whole lot more performance from the Moke Mk2. Top speed sits at 50 miles per hour, and we predict that the larger and presumably heavier battery may slow down acceleration somewhat – contemporary reviews of the Mk1 saw it hit 30 mph in a frisky 4.5 seconds.
Moke Electric Mk2MOKE International
The Moke Electric charges a little more quickly than it did before, with a 6.6-kilowatt onboard charger that’ll take it from 20 to 80 percent in about two hours. That’s not really fast enough for a long road trip, but considering many of these low-speed EVs will end up in planned communities in Florida or fancy resorts in the Azores, we doubt the charging speed will be much of a deterrent to most customers.
Moke Electric Mk2MOKE International
What Else Is New On The Moke Mk2?
Other changes are less obvious. The footwells are wider, improving passenger comfort, and rear cupholders get added to the equipment list. The car also includes USB-C and 12-volt chargers for easier connectivity, especially when resort-hopping around the island. Adding to the convenience is a new lockable storage compartment in front, further decluttering the cabin with up to 3.0 cubic feet of space – perfect for beach bags, towels, purses, and day-tripping gear.
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The Moke Mk2 gets a new center console with an electronic rotary drive selector, including controls for the windshield heater and indicator lights for all four passenger seatbelts. An AM/FM radio with Bluetooth also sits on the flat metal dashboard alongside gauges to monitor the battery charge level and temperature, as well as an optimistic 100-kilometer-per-hour speedometer. Otherwise, the Moke Electric is predictably rudimentary.
Moke Electric Competitors
Price
Top Speed
Range
Charge Time
Seating Capacity
Moke Electric Mk2
$48,000 (est.)
50 mph
105 miles (est.)
6 hours (20-80%)
4
Fiat Topolino
$14,985
25 mph
45 miles
5 hours (0-100%)
2
Three color options are standard: Sunlight Yellow, Sunset Orange, and Wave Blue. There are six additional colors available for £2,400 extra ($3,175 at current exchange rates). A black bimini roof is standard, with side curtains available for £2,200 ($2,910). Considering the Moke Electric starts at £36,200 (nearly $48,000), you dont exactly get much car for the money – especially considering the equally stylish (although slower and shorter-range) Fiat Topolino costs about a third the price. But we suspect that won’t matter much to the resorts and island communities that will buy these by the dozen for car-sharing and rental services.
Moke Electric Mk2MOKE International
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
The Moke (don’t call it a Mini, for trademark reasons) isn’t exactly the last word in cutting-edge EV technology, and we don’t see it competing with the Nissan Leaf or Tesla Model 3 for customers. But the personality-stuffed beach cruiser’s improvements are still great to see, and we’re glad that the conversion to electrification hasn’t affected the Moke’s fun-loving, open-air design. Is it relevant to most of us? No, but we still hope we’ll end up in one of those island communes that rents them out for a nice coastal day trip.
Source: MOKE International
