Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce review

June 13, 2025 Matt Allan

Can an all-electric SUV really embody the spirit of an Italian sports car brand? The Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce is certainly giving it its best shot

Alfa Romeo is a brand famous for its motorsport heritage and for its raspy V6 engines powering sleek coupes and over-powered saloons. Like everyone else, though, it’s adapting to the world of electrification while trying to retain its spirit, and its first attempt is this, the Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce.

It’s an old name on a new car using a lot of pre-existing and shared hardware. So can this battery-powered compact crossover really honour decades of heritage?

In a word, yes.

Like the Abarth 600e Scorpionissima with which it shares its underpinnings, the Junior Veloce packs a 276bhp front-mounted motor, mechanical limited slip diff and a tonne of character into a surprising small SUV package.

Design, interior and technology

The Alfa is the sharp-suited Don to the Abarth’s tracksuit-clad yobbo. The Abarth is all lurid colours, massive badges and a comically large body kit. The Alfa is about a more subdued color palette and refined design.

Compared with the regular Elettrica, the electric Veloce sits 25mm lower on stiffer suspension and features uprated brakes rocking some bright red callipers. In combination with a subtle red-striped body kit and the stunning 20-inch Venti four-spoke wheels it’s enough to hint at underlying sportiness but is a less shouty expression of performance than the 600e. The huge Alfa crest at the front is a little bit full-on but flanked by a C-shaped lighting array, sloping bonnet and large lower grille it ties in well.

At the rear a carefully kinked shoulder line, steely raked tailgate glass and roof spoiler do a decent job of giving this small SUV some suggestion of sportiness (within the confines of being an SUV). The thin boomerang-shaped rear lights have a hint of Maserati 3200 GT about them, too.

If it’s all good news outside, inside the Alfa’s cabin is a much more mixed affair. Again, it is more subtle than the Abarth, and there is generous use of Alcantara on the seats, dash and doors. It’s also on the steering wheel and centre console faces, feeding into the sporty feel of the Junior and backed up by the traditional dual-circle binnacle housing digital dials. Elsewhere, however, are clear signs of the car’s shared platform and parts bin. While the centre-mounted start button looks good, it sits just above the same drive select and handbrake switches that appear in everything from the Citroen e-C4 to the Toyota Proace City. And while the main touch points feel fine, there are some creaky and rattly plastics that aren’t befitting of a £42k car.

Those up front should find plenty of space and support from the optional Sabelt bucket seats. However, those seats’ hard shells steal even more of the already limited rear leg room and even with an average-height driver, there’s really only space for children. At least the boot offers a generous 400 litres (but you can’t put your passengers in there).

On the tech front, the Junior gets a low-mounted 10.25-inch touchscreen running a slightly Alfa-tinged version of the standard Stellantis operating system. It feels too low set and the underlying software system is far from the smoothest or simplest to use. It does, at least, support Apple and Android mirroring.

The Junior’s interior is a mix of good and bad

Battery, motor and performance

The Junior Veloce uses the familiar Stellantis 54kWh battery, which promises an official range of 200 miles and charging at 100kW.

On a gentle run, you’ll see 3.5m/kWh, but get drawn in by the Junior’s wilder side and that’ll drop to low 2s. So expect a real world range of closer to 150 miles, depending on how you drive.

And the problem is that you will get drawn in by the Junior Veloce’s wild side. Like the Abarth, this is a car that asks to be driven hard.

Pull from the 276bhp front-mounted motor is instant and muscular, with a healthy handful of torque steer if you are lead-footed. It’s in the corners, though, where it feels most alive. Super-direct and sharp steering has it diving willingly at every apex, dragging itself out with ferocious enthusiasm thanks to the proper mechanical Torsen diff. The relatively short wheelbase means it moves around just enough to feel fun without veering into Giulia Quadrifoglio levels of frightening.

There’s a liveliness and engagement that encourages you to explore the car’s abilities in a way many more powerful all-wheel-drive rivals simply don’t.

A sharp chassis and mechanical diff mean plenty of driving fun

In dynamic mode, the braking regeneration is deactivated entirely, giving a more natural and linear feel. It’s good, but a touch more stopping power might be welcome.

The Alfa’s suspension setup is just a smidge softer than the Abarth’s. That means a smidge more compliance and a smidge more body roll. But it’s not enough to spoil the fun. Nor is the lack of any synthesised engine noise, which adds short-lived grins to the Abarth but can get boring on long drives.

Price and specification

The Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce is priced from £42,305 and there’s just one trim level with two options packs.

Every car gets 20-inch alloy wheels, LED lights, tinted rear glass, twin 10.25-inch digital displays, automatic air conditioning and adaptive cruise control. But if you want a reversing camera, onboard sat nav, or Matrix adaptive headlights, you’ll need to add the £2,200 Technology Pack.

On top of that, the Sabelt seats, part-Alcantara steering wheel and sports pedals are part of the £2,200 Sports pack, taking our test car to £47,405.

The price means that the basic Alfa is £2,320 more than the Abarth Scorpionissima, which packs exactly the same punch. Add in all the kit that’s standard on the Abarth, and the gap is nearly £7,500. It also leaves buyers liable for the expensive car supplement, adding £1,700 to their tax bill over years two to five of ownership.

The Scorpionissima, however, is limited to just 1,948 units worldwide, after that, you’ll only be able to get the lesser 227bhp version without the diff. So if you want the more powerful motor and LSD, the Alfa may be the only option.

Verdict

The Alfa is definitely a heart-over-head sort of car – flawed but lovable nonetheless.

Among its flaws are a poor range, restricted rear space, some dubious interior materials and a high asking price.

On the plus side, it’s a riot to drive. The Junior Veloce is quick, sharp and involving in a way that an Alfa should be. It’s a car you’ll want to drive just for the hell of it, not because you need to be somewhere.

It’s biggest problem, however, could be the Abarth, which shares those faults and qualities but is many thousands cheaper. Tracksuit tearaway or suited sharpshooter? Either way there’s plenty of hope for electrified Italian passion.