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0% p.a. Interest on MINI Novated Lease (Powered by Smart) on a New or Demo Mini Countryman E @ MINI Australia

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0% p.a. Interest on MINI Novated Lease (Powered by Smart) on a New or Demo Mini Countryman E @ MINI Australia
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fozzie on 01/03/2026 - 12:13 mini.com.au (2842 clicks)
Last edited 06/03/2026 - 16:05 by 1 other user

I test drove both se and E. Sadly only E qualifies for 0% lease. I put a deposit for a demo E standard model and lease approved. My demo is 56k with free 4 years unlimited km service. Payments are approx $360 a fortnight for 3 years and Balloon about 27k , 15km a year (added some extra for private ceramic coating, ceramic tinting and dashcam with battery to be done after I get the car)

100% ELECTRIC MINI. 0% INTEREST.
special edition hero
The All Electric MINI Countryman E on a novated lease makes going electric even smarter. With up to 462 km of electric range, fast DC charging and a spacious, sustainably crafted interior, it’s designed for both city commutes and weekend escapes.

Through a MINI Novated Lease powered by Smart™, if your employer approves, you can salary package your way to a smarter, more rewarding drive; not only do you unlock that iconic MINI energy, but you’ll also enjoy a host of potential financial benefits that make every kilometre feel like a win:

From 5th February 2026, enjoy more value-added benefits when you lease a new or demonstrator MINI Countryman E with a MINI Novated Lease powered by Smart™;

An exceptional 0% p.a lease rate
$0 Lease set up fees*
$0 Dealer origination fees*
Peace of mind with a Guaranteed Future Value handback option with MINI Flex

NOTE: Smart™ may charge fees for the salary packaging and novated leasing administration services.

Only for 24 and 36 months leases. Only with smartleasing. Must be delivered by 31/03/2026.

Automotive Car Mini Novated Lease Electric Vehicle

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MINI Australia

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  • oscargamer on 01/03/2026 - 12:20

    Good rate, but at about $75k, that's an awful lot of $$ for an average vehicle

    • 31
    • TEER3X on 01/03/2026 - 12:58

      I feel like the starting price needs to be in the title.

      • 20
    • fozzie on 01/03/2026 - 12:24

      Lease Term ATO Percentage Balloon Payment (Inc. GST) if car initially price is 72k:

      2 Years 56.25% $40,500
      3 Years 46.88% $33,753

      • 4
    • Aureus on 01/03/2026 - 12:37

      You think people signing up to a NL don't understand how NL work?

      • -2
      • duodeta on 01/03/2026 - 12:51

        some of them does not understand how NLworks! its a hole whch will screw someone up and down

        • 11
      • hippyhippy on 01/03/2026 - 13:08

        I'm sure some don't lol

        • 4
      • shiver on 01/03/2026 - 15:18

        I worked in the industry (regulatory), and absolutely know that people sign on for these deals not understanding how they work.

        The nature of 0% down deals is that it partly selects for people in a desperate circumstance. You'd be surprised at how many people hit the balloon payment and realise they've got limited options to pay it. Those that do can end up in loans with a shocking interest rate.

        Novated leases are only worth it if you are seriously interested in the car you want to lease, and would otherwise be purchasing that exact car through cash or finance. If you actually want to be thrifty, dont spring for a $70,000+ vehicle.

        • 11
        • Make it so on 02/03/2026 - 11:35

          Agree with what you say, and some of the NL providers don't make it very transparent. I signed 7 quotes (!) with Smart because of mistakes in their end. Each time all the numbers differed and I had to reverse-engineer what I was paying for. They were pretty shocking. Also wanted confidential documents sent by email.

          Keep in mind though, that the FBT exemption on EV's makes NL way more worth it than normal.

          • 0
      • scottb721 on 01/03/2026 - 15:58

        Lots of people sign up to significantly less complicated things and still don't what they're signing up to.

        • 3
      • boozed on 01/03/2026 - 19:13

        I've even tried to research them and the providers are opaque about so many things.

        • 1
      • rootk1t on 04/03/2026 - 17:08

        Good for you bud.

        Please take your condescating takes elsewhere.

        • -1
        • Aureus on 04/03/2026 - 17:26

          Not even being condescending.

          See how the person I replied to was explaining the 101 of how a NL lease works? I was just saying do you really think people are signing up to NL without understanding the absolute basics of what a NL is?

          Maybe read better, and yeah now I am being condescending.

          • -1
    • keejoonc on 01/03/2026 - 15:01

      it's "you're", not "your".

      • -1
  • ThirtySixNights on 01/03/2026 - 12:30

    It's really a strange positioning here. Novated leases can really help with affordability, but the car is just.. not at all affordable or practical..

    • 9
    • Aureus on 01/03/2026 - 12:44

      It is a good deal for anyone with a high income, access to NL and really loves the design of these cars.

      But IMO a big price drop would do a lot more to get people buying these cars. They are such a ripoff. Even the base model $71k one doesn't have adaptive cruise control. That is a standard feature for much cheaper cars.

      • 3
      • ThirtySixNights on 01/03/2026 - 13:20

        Lmao no adaptive cruise is such a deal-breaker, unreal cost cutting

        • 1
    • Dream-cast on 01/03/2026 - 12:56

      You forget that people buy cars that they like and are not just looking for any affordable or practical car. I mean even for a 30k car I'd want to like the car before dropping 30k of my money on it.

      • 2
      • scottb721 on 01/03/2026 - 16:00

        No one buys a Mini for anything but the look.

        • 0
  • Oh Boy on 01/03/2026 - 12:38

    It's via SMART, your employer will probably bit agree to get a new NL provider if they already have contract with some other company.

    • 1
  • duodeta on 01/03/2026 - 12:51

    some of them does not understand how NLworks! its a hole whch will screw someone up and down

    • -2
    • Oh Boy on 01/03/2026 - 13:06

      Depends on quite a few factors, how much you make, taxable income, interest rate etc and how much fbt applies.

      I have profited a fair bit from the last 2 leases.

      • 4
      • duodeta on 01/03/2026 - 14:45

        plus BALLOONING payment which mainly screw me up

        • 0
        • Daabido on 01/03/2026 - 14:51

          You seem to suffer from a fair bit of screwing. The BALLOONING is a concern as well.

          • 0
        • Oh Boy on 01/03/2026 - 16:59

          If you aren't paying anything upfront, there's always a balloon or the option to refinance id you can't afford it. Seems like you are the only one here who doesn't understand how NL works.

          • -3
  • nubzy on 01/03/2026 - 13:19

    Checked out the SE a few months ago and thought it was a very nice looking and feeling car. But at around 70k after negotiation just too much for what it is. Maybe a used one in a few years..

    • 0
    • fozzie on 01/03/2026 - 14:03

      Yes I test drove both se and E. Sadly only E qualifies for 0% lease. I put a deposit for a demo E standard model and waiting for lease to be approved fingers crossed 🤞.

      • 0
  • Zalur on 01/03/2026 - 14:51

    Obligatory, use this calculator to really work out the true cost of your novated lease

    https://novatedlease.guide/calculator/

    • 6
  • cheaptech20 on 01/03/2026 - 15:02

    Just a reminder this is only meaningful if you are in the top tax brackets, given the RRP of the car is too high at 75k. It's not a great value imo.
    0% interest is excellent in isolation compared to 8-14% I've seen lately.

    • 3
    • fozzie on 01/03/2026 - 15:14

      Well I'm not a really high earner and even salary sacrifice to my super. My payment for a 56k demo works out at $340 a fortnight for 3 years and final balloon is 26ish. In comparison a Jaecoo (37k drive away) is about $400 a fortnight and final balloon is 17.5 ish. I will end up with a much nicer car and will retain more value for approx $5k more. Let's see if they approve me.

      • 1
      • TEER3X on 01/03/2026 - 16:03

        Is the repayment less for the mini due to the interest rate?

        • 0
        • fozzie on 01/03/2026 - 16:15

          Yes. I can't Rembember exactly the Jaecoo but was at least 10%.

          • 0
          • TEER3X on 01/03/2026 - 19:58

            @fozzie: Seems like a nice deal.

            I went with the j5 for slightly less per f/n over 5 years, not fussed about resale as I'm planning to pay the $9k balloon and keep the car

            • 2
            • fozzie on 03/03/2026 - 15:25

              @TEER3X: Congratulations! Enjoy your new Ev, never been a better time with the high petrol costs.

              • 0
      • cheaptech20 on 01/03/2026 - 18:27

        Fair call if the demo is only 56k

        • 1
        • fozzie on 01/03/2026 - 18:29

          Yes, standard (so one up from core) less than 1km so basically it's new. Full price would be $74k and also free 4 years unlimited km servicing.

          • 1
          • cheaptech20 on 01/03/2026 - 18:33

            @fozzie: One thing I'd suggest checking is battery health - some dealerships are idiotic and keep the battery at 100% for extended periods

            • 1
      • BlasterBoy on 02/03/2026 - 07:59

        What is the resale value going to be on it?
        Every time I see a deal like this, it seems to be on cars that don't have a lot of demand, which means resale is going to suck.

        I have been on NL's for the last 15 years, and work with a lot of people on them, quite a few have lost out buying cars that have horrible resale values, and the balloon being way higher than the resale value.

        My current car, which I did extend the NL on as it had only done 20,000k at the time has a balloon of $7.5k, and a current resale of around $40k.

        Every car i have had on an NL i have made sure it's something that holds its resale value so the balloon is less than it.

        • 0
        • fozzie on 03/03/2026 - 15:26

          Resale should be more than Baloon. Possibly I'll make money. I'm planning to keep though as final payment about 27k plus approx 26.500 running the car for 3 years including all costs

          • 0
  • shiver on 01/03/2026 - 16:12

    I kind of hate how overhyped novated leases are at the moment. They make sense if you are a high earner looking to purchase a luxery vehicle, but so many finance podcasts atm spruik them like they are a wise financial decision for everyone.

    The reality is that for most people it is a better financial decision to just buy a cheaper vehicle rather than novated lease a luxery one. Sure the 'deal' is often better on the novated lease, but most of what you are paying for is the novelty of a more expensive brand.

    • 1
    • TEER3X on 01/03/2026 - 16:14

      You don't have to purchase a luxury vehicle and you don't have to be a high earner.

      • 3
      • shiver on 01/03/2026 - 16:26

        To maximise the tax benefits of NLs (which is what generates most of the savings) you should be a high earner purchasing a high cost vehicle though. Higher priced EVs offer the best savings because you can also avoid the FBT.

        If you are a low income earner purchasing a low cost vehicle, there's limited financial value in doing an NL. I only typically saw it in cases where people had poor credit and wanted to avoid traditional financing, or if they had no cash to put down on the purchase.

        • 0
        • krisspy on 01/03/2026 - 17:14

          All EV's avoid fbt on a car under $91k. Any income bracket benefits from this, the difference in savings between lowest income earner and highest is 15%. Sure it's quiet abit more saving to the ceos but to some one on the lower bracket it means not paying their marginal tax (30%) on any payments made to the car or its running cost, if you're paying 3k a year on rego, insurances, and maintenance, that's a good $1k saved. It's still way better than getting a car loan or buying it outright.

          If you're earning high, chances are your budget is high in the first place and want a specific car in that range. No ones looking at it saying "if I spend more, I can hide more income from the ato".

          Most of the time the NL rates are way better than buying an ice car of even lesser value on a normal car loan. Ofc do your due diligence and crunch the numbers.

          The real answer is to buy a clapped out camry and run it to the ground 50 years from now. But reality isn't so kind and people like nice stuff and new car smells.

          • 0
          • shiver on 01/03/2026 - 18:34

            @krisspy: I meant 'higher priced EVs' in the sense that EVs are a higher price than a conventional petrol alternative.

            Most of the time the NL rates are way better than buying an ice car of even lesser value on a normal car loan

            This just simply isn't true, particularly for average income earners whom are only getting modest tax savings from the transaction. The main point people miss with this is that NL cost breakdowns almost always assume you will be paying cash for the buyout. If a lessee cannot do that they will have to finance the balloon payment, and often will face higher interest rates than if they were financing the purchase of a new vehicle. These rates can well exceed any savings that might have been gained from the lease. If a lessee is unable to secure financing at all, they'll lose the vehicle.

            At the moment I think NLs are being used as a marketing tool to sell vehicles to people who probably can't afford them. Buyers who go down this route should understand the cost implications and risks, and imo it isn't worth it unless the car is a practical price for your budget and you have a clear plan for paying off the buyout amount.

            • 0
            • krisspy on 02/03/2026 - 16:58

              @shiver: Mine is up for renewal next month, either $22.4k balloon or 23.5k if I renew for another 3 years ($4.2k post tax + $10.8k balloon). It's still cheaper for me to refinance another 3 years, even though I'm paying ~$1k more to refinance, I'll easily save 4-5k on running expenses on that 3 years let alone opportunity cost on the 22k I can invest elsewhere.

              Plenty of EV's now under 30k, honestly if the car is within your budget NL is a better choice over loans/outright on an equivalent or slightly more expensive petrol car.

              The biggest risk to NL is staying at your employer, if you change jobs and they can't continue with the NL then your up for massive interest with no fbt exemption.

              • 0
        • Buy2Much on 02/03/2026 - 16:03

          There are plenty of people who have the money to buy outright (savings or home loan equities) who choose novated leases for EVs because of the tax benefits.

          • 0
        • Buy2Much on 02/03/2026 - 20:34

          I only typically saw it in cases where people had poor credit and wanted to avoid traditional financing, or if they had no cash to put down on the purchase.

          I don't know who you hang out with but the people I know who novated lease their EVs are none of that. They are smart with their money, are home owners (hence have equities), have good paying jobs and good credits (not the type that squander their pays on having fun and live pay check to pay check).

          • 0
          • shiver on 02/03/2026 - 20:46

            @Buy2Much: I worked as regulator for the sales industry. Im trying to explain how people can (and do) get in over their heads with leases.

            You dont need as good credit to be rolled into a lease. They are a pathway to get into a vehicle you cant realistically afford, and people dont feel the heat for it until they hit the buyout.

            • 0
    • Make it so on 02/03/2026 - 11:49

      I'm leasing an EV. I did detailed calculations, and even if I pay off the balloon payment cash in one go (instead of re-lease), my costs after 5 years would be equal to purchasing a Toyota Corolla outright upfront. This is also due to the FBT exemption and EV's being cheaper to drive, especially when charged at home using solar. Another factor is that insurance, rego, etc. are very expensive now, and you save heaps doing them pre-tax without FBT.

      But don't take the insurance your NL provider tries to sell you. I found reputable insurance at almost half.

      Believe me, I'm saving money. Have had my Ozbargain license since 2010. I don't think this car makes for a great deal though.

      • 0
      • shiver on 02/03/2026 - 12:42

        I think this is the point I was trying to make, money is saved on leasing through reducing your pre-tax income, but people do not benefit equally from that. If you are a normal earner, you likely aren't saving heaps through an NL, and you are at risk of getting burnt during the buyout.

        Yes lessees can save petrol costs if they spring for an electric, but they are also likely paying at least $20,000 grand more in the vehicle costs to get into an electric.

        We need to at least acknowledge the marketing for NLs for what it is - an avenue to get people in to vehicles they can't actually afford to buy. If you are 'saving' $10,000 on a $70,000, but its eating up 1/3rd of your pay, it's not a wise purchase for your financial situation. No amount of finance bros telling you otherwise makes that true.

        • -1
        • Make it so on 02/03/2026 - 18:42

          Never get financial advice from the people selling you the finance…

          • 0
      • Buy2Much on 02/03/2026 - 15:38

        I concur with “Make It So”. Myself and other people I know who bought EVs under novated leases looked extensively into the numbers and came to the same conclusion. P.s. These people are highly technical and almost tight arsed when it comes to financial matters. Noting EV novated lease purchase and running expenses (charging, servicing, tires, and maintenance) are paid before tax and generally exclude GST as well. Not to mention many people charge free from their solar system.

        • 0
        • Make it so on 02/03/2026 - 18:40

          Charge free, and still entitled to claim back electricity costs 😁

          There are really cheap EV's available now, which even on average incomes should enable savings.

          • 0
  • boretentsu on 01/03/2026 - 17:58

    The biggest issue with NL is that it presumes you will stay with your current employer for x years where x is typically 3-5 years. With the major macro structural changes in employment occurring in the next 3-5 years, taking up a novated lease is a risk for white collar workers.

    The best case scenario for these arrangements expect the lease to carry through to the end. Things get complicated quickly when you exit your company early either because you chose to or your employer chooses to.

    • 0
    • Nom on 01/03/2026 - 20:21

      With the major macro structural changes in employment occurring in the next 3-5 years

      Citation needed.

      What's happening in 3-5 years ?

      • 0
      • boretentsu on 01/03/2026 - 23:13

        Redundancies and lots of them

        • 1
        • Make it so on 02/03/2026 - 11:51

          This is true.

          • 0
    • Buy2Much on 02/03/2026 - 20:14

      If your next employer supports novated leases, you can transfer the lease over. I.e. you don't have to stay with the same employer for the duration of the lease.

      • 0
  • tanastra on 01/03/2026 - 21:54

    paying overpriced , plus interest , before tax , for worst depreciating non asset item , must be a mad decision ever in life .

    • 2
  • BlueGlowOne on 01/03/2026 - 23:42

    Maybe a bargain for those who specifically want this car however for everybody else you will get crushed with depreciation for a niche of a niche car.

    • 3
    • fozzie on 01/03/2026 - 23:47

      If you plan to keep a long time it doesn't matter. Actually mini retains more value than Tesla and also other EVs as it's a "boutique" car.

      • 0
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