New Alpine A290: fast, stylish and very blue electric hot hatchback revealed

• Fully electric hot hatchback
• Based on the new Renault 5
• 178bhp and 217bhp versions

Alpine has officially entered its electric era with the all-new Alpine A290, a battery-powered hot hatchback that promises to deliver the carmaker’s three pillars of “performance, agility and lightweight”.

Second albums are never easy – especially if your debut was as widely acclaimed as the Alpine A110 – but the A290 isn’t trying to be a direct follow-up to the two-seater performance coupe. Instead, the electric hot hatchback aims to take the French performance brand in a new direction, offering greater daily usability and serving as the first step towards its zero-emissions future.

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It’s still early days for the electric hot hatchback, but the Alpine A290 will have to square up against the Abarth 500e and the new MINI Cooper SE when production begins in mid-2025. UK pricing will be revealed nearer to that time, but prices in France will start from the equivalent of £32,345, placing it in direct competition with those rivals.

What do I need to know about the new Alpine A290?

Under the blue paintwork, the Alpine A290 is essentially a souped-up version of the new Renault 5 hatchback. While that model makes do with up to 121bhp, the A290 gets a bigger electric motor from the Renault Megane E-Tech. It’s available with two different outputs – 178bhp or 217bhp – but power is still sent solely to the front wheels. The more potent of the pair will launch from 0-62mph in 6.4 seconds; that’s 0.3 seconds quicker than the MINI Cooper SE but nearly a second behind the 322bhp Volkswagen ID.3 GTX.

The motor is powered by a 54kWh battery pack, enabling a maximum range of up to 236 miles. While that’s not quite as far as the Renault 5, you get the same 100kW rapid charging, enabling a 10-80% recharge in around half an hour. 

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Alpine has given the Renault 5’s chassis a thorough rethink to handle the extra power and to improve handling, reduce body roll and deliver greater high-speed stability. The electric motor mount, brakes and suspension have all been tinkered with by Alpine’s engineers, with the handling further improved by a relatively low weight of 1,479kg – some 200kg less than the MINI Cooper SE.

The Alpine A290’s styling looks to reflect the performance upgrades under the skin. It has a wide stance, echoing the original Renault 5 Turbo hot hatch of the 1980s, with new 19-inch alloy wheels housing brake callipers lifted from the Alpine A110. The front and rear bumpers are more aggressive, while the rear doors are bespoke to the A290. A unique ‘X’ motif for the front lights rounds off the striking appearance.

Like the exterior, the cabin architecture is shared with the Renault 5, but you’ll find a whole new centre console with the same gear selector as the Alpine A110. You can pick from a range of leather and fabric upholstery options, although every model gets a smattering of blue accents. Driving information and infotainment are handled by a pair of 10.25 and 10.1-inch screens, the latter of which can be used to adjust the new ‘driving sound’ that plays through the cabin speakers.

How much will the Alpine A290 cost and when can I buy one?

With production not scheduled to start until mid-2025, we’re still some way away from receiving official UK pricing and specs for the Alpine A290. Prices in France, however, will start from the equivalent of £32,345 for the 178bhp variant. We expect the 217bhp model to cost closer to £35,000, while both models should find their way to our shores by the end of 2025.

Along with the new A290, Alpine has confirmed that a new A110 sports car and a “GT C-Crossover” will join its lineup in the near future, both also powered by electricity.

Can’t wait until 2025? Read our list of the best hot hatchbacks that you can buy today…