Alpine has finally lifted the lid on its first all-electric hot hatch, the A290. Priced from £33,500, this French pocket rocket is here to shake up the EV game. Forget the usual small EVs designed purely for efficiency the A290 is all about fun. It’s fast, agile, and built with the spirit of Alpine’s legendary performance cars.
A Proper Hot Hatch, But Electric
If you’re worried that going electric might take the soul out of a hot hatch, Alpine wants to prove you wrong. The A290 isn’t just a rebadged Renault 5 EV, it’s been engineered with serious performance in mind. Built on the same platform but with a completely different setup, it’s lower, sharper, and designed to attack corners like a proper Alpine should.
Under the skin, a 52kWh battery feeds a front-mounted motor producing 215bhp. That might not sound like a huge number, but in a car this size, it’s plenty. The 0-62mph sprint takes around 6.4 seconds, putting it in the same ballpark as petrol-powered rivals like the Ford Fiesta ST (RIP) and the Hyundai i20 N.
Handling First, Straight-Line Speed Second
What really makes the A290 special is its handling. Alpine has gone all-in on chassis tuning, working with the same team that developed the A110 sports car. The result? A hot hatch that promises proper driver engagement. It gets a wider track, stiffer suspension, and a limited-slip differential to keep everything in check when pushing hard.
Alpine has also dialled in a unique regenerative braking system to make the car feel more like a petrol-powered hot hatch. It mimics the natural weight transfer of a manual downshift, making corner entry feel more intuitive.
A Cabin That Feels Special
Inside, the A290 doesn’t just borrow parts from Renault, it gets its own sporty design touches. The seats are heavily bolstered, the steering wheel is chunky, and there’s plenty of Alcantara to give it a premium performance feel. A big central touchscreen handles infotainment, but Alpine has kept physical buttons for driving modes and key controls, so it doesn’t feel like you’re piloting a smartphone.
There’s even a “push-to-pass” button inspired by motorsport, which gives a temporary power boost for overtaking. It’s a small but clever touch that shows Alpine is serious about making this car fun.
Range and Charging
Alpine knows hot hatch buyers don’t want to constantly worry about range. The A290 manages a respectable 236 miles on a full charge, which is more than enough for daily use and weekend blasts. When you do need to recharge, 100kW fast charging means a 10-80% top-up takes around 30 minutes.
A New Kind of Hot Hatch
The Alpine A290 isn’t trying to be an old-school hot hatch with an EV powertrain slapped in. It’s designed from the ground up to be an electric driver’s car. That’s a bold move in a world where hot hatches are disappearing, but Alpine might have nailed it.
With sharp looks, a proper chassis, and a price that keeps it competitive, this could be the car that convinces petrolheads to make the switch. Electric hot hatches just got interesting.
