Alpine A290 review

June 10, 2025 Matt Allan

Can the long-awaited Alpine A290 live up to its hot hatch hype against rivals including the Mini John Cooper Works Electric?

The Alpine A290 must be one of 2025’s most anticipated new electric cars.

The Renault 5 has been lauded by everyone who has driven it, and the idea of a version that’s been fettled by Alpine’s expert engineers is enough to have most car fans salivating.

After all, Renault is famous for its thrilling compact hatchbacks and the Alpine A110 is hailed as a modern masterpiece. So the Alpine A290, based on the brilliant R5 and apparently designed to bring A110 feels to an electric hot hatch, could and should be brilliant.

The A290 is the entry point to Alpine’s electric ‘dream garage’, sitting beneath the A390 crossover and the A110 sports coupe. Priced from £33,500 to £37,500, its most obvious rival is the Mini Electric in either 215bhp Cooper SE or 254bhp Mini John Cooper Works Electric guise. However, the EV hot hatch sector is heating up with models such as Abarth’s 500e and 600e, and the Volkswagen ID.3 GTX falling either side of the Alpine on power, space and price.

So can the Alpine A290 live up to expectations and stand out from the crowd?

Alpine A290 design, interior and technology

Good looks are all about genetics. Start with the right basic ingredients and bone structure and you’ll most likely end up with something others find attractive.

So the Alpine A290 is onto a winner straight away. The Renault 5 is a brilliant piece of design, with sharp lines and beautiful proportions. The Alpine, with its door scoops, body kit and big wheels just gives it some extra muscularity.

The track has been widened by 60mm for a more aggressive stance and the flared wheel arches and side skirts emphasise the width while highlighting the striking 19-inch “snowflake” alloy wheels. At the front the bumper is more angular, with bigger air scoops, and the A290 uses X-shaped running lights for a rally-inspired look. At the rear a ducktail spoiler and diffuser enhance the R5’s sharp lines. The Mini looks bloated and awkward in comparison.

Inside, there’s a good amount of shared real estate with the R5 but enough touches to make the Alpine feel special. While the screens, buttons and layout are all pretty similar, the Alpine gets a bespoke centre console with a three-button drive select borrowed from the A110. It also gets a unique steering wheel with centre line stitching, a bright red “overtake” button for power boosts and a Ferrari-style dial for adjusting the brake regeneration force.

Interior materials get an upgrade, so the Renault’s funky bright fabric seats are now wrapped in classy blue leather, the dashboard is finished in leather and features a backlit Alpine badge, and even the door tops benefit from nicer plastics (in the front, at least). Overall they add a more sophisticated sheen that fits with the Alpine brand.

The car is no bigger than a regular R5, so rear space is tight but the boot’s a decent 326 litres and the five-door body is more practical than a Mini hatch.

Alpine A290 interior image — The A290’s interior brings a more sophisticated look than the R5’s

On the tech front, the 10-inch central screen is lifted straight from Renault and runs the same Google-based operating system, which is smart and responsive. Buried within it, though, are Alpine specific elements including live telemetry which can show you everything from G forces and overtake boost potential to lap times and brake temperature. You can even film your track session on your phone and overlay the data via the Alpine app. There’s also a coaching mode to help with everything from sight lines to managing lift-off oversteer, and video game-style challenges.

Alpine A290 battery, motor and performance

Which brings us on to the heart of the Alpine A290, because a hot hatch is nothing without performance.

While the Alpine is based on the same AmpR small platform as the Renault 5 and uses the same 52kWh battery, Alpine’s engineers have been busy with the spanners.

On the motor front, there are two options – a 178bhp unit fitted to the GT models, and a 217bhp one used in GT Performance and GTS. The lesser of the two gets 210lb ft and manages 0-62mph in 7.4 seconds. The Alpine A290 GTS gets a minor torque boost to 221lb ft and cuts the 0-62mph time to 6.4 seconds.

The Alpine’s chassis has also had attention to elevate it above the everyday hatchback. The car gets a bespoke subframe to improve the motor’s position for better handling. The suspension has been retuned and stiffened, hydraulic bump stops added and bespoke front and rear anti-roll bars added to improve responsiveness and control.

The brakes are upgraded Brembo units and more powerful models roll on Michelin Pilot Sport 5 S5 tyres for added grip.

Alpine A290 steering wheel OV button — The OV button unlocks full power in any drive mode

The result is a well balanced, controlled and fun car but one that feels like it’s operating at 8/10ths.

Sink the throttle in Sport mode or press the big red OV button and there’s a squirm of torque steer, an electronic zooming noise and the digital dials are replaced with a whooshing graphic like the Millennium Falcon entering hyperspace. It’s quick enough from a standstill and there’s good mid-range pull for overtaking or hauling yourself out of corners, but the 300kg heavier Mini JCW is half a second faster to 62mph and its throttle feels more responsive.

Braking from the weirdly high-set pedal, however, is reassuringly powerful and brilliantly linear, with no obvious shift from regenerative to friction. Combined with impressive levels of grip from its Pilot Sports, it gives you confidence to explore the A290’s abilities.

In the corners, the Alpine is direct and lively but well balanced. You can throw the nose into an apex and adjust the line with the throttle for a playful but always stable feel. The steering is precise and well weighted, but it’s not as aggressive as I’d like from a hot hatch. As with the throttle, a little more bite would be welcome. An Abarth 600e feels keener in the corners, and it has less body roll too.

Alpine a290 driving image — The Alpine is grippy and engaging but could do with a little more ‘bite’

That may be a result of Alpine trying to balance poise with comfort. The A290 is firmer than an R5 but has a welcome suppleness that’s missing from its rivals, especially the tooth-loosening Mini JCW. The Mini might roll less in corners, but you can drive the Alpine for hours and not feel like you’ve been trapped inside a washing machine.

It’s undoubtedly a better all-rounder and can handle urban pootling and motorway cruising better than rivals, which perhaps makes up for the slightly softer driving experience.

As mentioned, the 52kWh battery with its 100kW charging is retained, offering an official range of 226 miles and a real-world one of around 150 to 160 miles if you’re having fun. That’s not brilliant, but rivals can’t do any better.

Price and specification

The Alpine A290 range starts at £33,500 for the basic GT model, rising to £37,500 for the GTS I tested and £38,500 for the limited edition GTS Première Édition.

Every version comes with full LED lights, 19-inch alloy wheels and privacy glass. Heated seats and steering wheel, the fully connected 10-inch infotainment system, wireless phone charging and adaptive cruise control are also standard.

The step up to GT Premium brings two-tone Nappa leather, a bi-colour roof, upgraded sound system and blue brake calipers, while GT Performance adds the more powerful motor, Pilot Sport S5s, the telematics system, black badging, red calipers, and a recycled fabric interior.

The GTS gets the more powerful motor as standard along with all the kit from GT Premium and the tyres, and telemetry from the Performance variant. On top of that, the Première Édition adds the optional advanced safety and driving packs, along with special badging, carpets and blue wheel centres.

Verdict

The Alpine A290 is a hugely likeable and enjoyable car. It looks fantastic and feels suitably upgraded from the basic R5.

It’s also quick, lively and engaging. However, it feels like there’s more to be wrung from it. Perhaps the compromise has been in making it easy to use every day as well as being fun to drive, but in raw hot hatch terms, it’s not quite as aggressive as it could be.