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Battery size: 52kWh
Range: 236 miles
E-Rating™: A
Max charge rate: 100kW
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The Alpine A290 is an electric hot hatch that’s based on the same platform as the Renault 5, but which has been heavily modified to make it a properly fun car; an electric hatchback for all the car enthusiasts among us. As you’d expect of Alpine – this is a performance brand, after all. It is to Renault what Abarth is to Fiat, although Alpine also produces bespoke models of its own, and this is its first electric car.
With a 52kWh battery, and range expected to be almost 240 miles, the A290 has better range than the Abarth 500e, and a very similar range to the Mini Electric. It’s also offered with a couple of powertrain options: the entry-level Alpine A290 GT gets 180bhp and 285nm of torque, while the GT Performance and GTS models get 220bhp and 300nm.
Alpine is also famous for building lightweight cars, so it has kept the weight of the A290 down to 1479kg, which is impressive for a car with a fairly big battery, and helps this front-wheel drive hot hatch to hit 62mph in 6.4 seconds (7.4 seconds for the lower powered models).
It’s not just about speed, either – Alpine has made real efforts with the suspension. Rear suspension hardware is completely changed from the Renault 5, with the A290 getting a more expensive multi-link setup, as well as hydraulic bump stops (which are a bit like little cushions of air on the suspension, which help to smooth out ride comfort). Anti-roll bars are bespoke to the A290, too, and you get Brembo brakes. An even higher-performance, 268bhp A290 is said to be arriving in 2027.
These guys haven’t just stuck some jutty-out bits and sports badging on a Renault 5, is the message here; this is a properly engineered hot hatch.
Styling and dimensions
The Alpine A290 comes in at just under 4-metres long, and just over 2-metres including side mirrors. Stood next to it, it really does feel seriously short and wide – it’s got a proper ‘stance’ to it, and you can’t miss that this is the Alpine rather than the Renault 5. It’s noticeably wider, and check out the air vents on the side. The headlights are Alpine bespoke, too, and have ‘X’ light patterns that reference rally cars of the past.
There isn’t a colour I don’t like, but I do think I’d have mine in Alpine Vision Blue. Mind you, I really rate Matte Tornado Grey, too. You can also have it in Deep Black or Nival White, and you get 19-inch alloy wheels in two different designs. I’d have the two-tone Iconic wheels, which hark back to the original ‘70s Alpine A310 (I’m not terribly familiar with the A310, but I really like what it’s doing for alloy wheels in 2024…)
I mean, let’s face it, the Abarth 500 is one of the best car designs of recent years, and the new Mini Cooper looks really brilliant, too. But, is the Alpine A290 better? It’s subjective stuff, but I’d say so!
Interior
The Alpine is a touch longer than the Abarth 500 and Mini Cooper, and it gets five doors while both of those rivals are three-doors, so the Alpine is winning for practicality, already. It also looks cool, in an appropriately sporty way. The three-spoke steering wheel has a flat bottom and a centre-marker so that you can easily see the dead-ahead point. There are some aluminium buttons inspired by Formula One, as well; the rotary knob on the left sets the brake regen’ level, and the driving modes on the right, and a big red OV (overtaking) button begs to be pushed.
The seats are bespoke for the A290, too, and are really snug and have plenty of adjustment. You get a very snazzy blue- and grey leather finish if you go for the top spec A290 GT Performance or GTS, while the lower spec cars get blue fabric that’s largely made of recycled materials.
I particularly like how high-set the screen is, in the Alpine. It’s perched on top of the dash, and is curved towards the driver, so it seems like it’ll be really easy to see when you’re driving. There are proper buttons to control the air-con, which I definitely approve of. That 10.1-inch touchscreen gets the Google maps and software that we really like in the Renault Megane and Scenic, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, of course.
You can get three people on the rear bench, although it’ll be a squeeze. I’m a pretty average height, and I could sit very comfortably next to myself, though – and this rear seat space is so much more useful than the squashed rear seats in the electric Mini and Abarth 500.
Boot space
I’m pretty amazed that Alpine has squeezed 329-litres of space into the A290’s boot, which is not far off what you get in bigger stuff like the MG4. There’s no ‘frunk’ cable storage, but there’s a really useful amount of luggage space so I reckon you could even live with the A290 as a small family car.
I mean, how cool would this look on the school run?!
Battery, charging and efficiency
The Alpine A290 gets a 52kWh lithium-ion NMC battery, which is good for a range of 236 miles – although Alpine is waiting for final confirmation, so this figure may yet change a bit. Rapid charging is up to 100kW, which is on a par with most rivals and will deliver a 10-80% charge in around 30 minutes. A 7kW home charger will manage a full charge in under nine hours.
We can’t speak for real-world range and efficiency as we’ve not driven it, yet, but the claimed range suggests decent efficiency. You also get a standard heat pump on the Alpine A290, for better cold weather efficiency, and it’s equipped to offer vehicle-to-grid (V2G), provided you’ve got a bi-directional home charger.
Price and equipment
Alpine hasn’t confirmed pricing for the A290 but expect it to cost from around £35,000- to £40,000, which is a similar price to the Mini and Abarth 500. Full LED headlights, heated sports seats, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera are all included as standard. The GT Premium adds a contrast roof, Alpine Blue brake callipers, leather interior and upgraded audio, while the GT Performance gets the more powerful engine, Michelin Pilot Sport tyres, red brake callipers and Alpine Telemetrics for tracking your lap times. The range-topping GTS gets all of that, plus bespoke ‘Snowflake’ wheels. A limited edition A290 GTS Premiere Edition will get a couple of bespoke race-inspired liveries, and only 1955 examples will be produced.
Verdict
You don’t need me to say it again, do you? Alright then – I absolutely love this thing. As long as the real-world range and efficiency proves to be good, it’ll be a huge hit. It looks brilliant, and feels great to sit in, and is even pretty practical. This could even be a full ten-star car, but we’ll let you know when we’ve driven it… Watch this space!
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