Alpine A290 review

From £33,5008

Alpine offers some old-fashioned charms in this otherwise high-tech, zero-emissions hatchback

Alpine has won plenty of adulation among driving enthusiasts and critics since its modern reinvention, but converting that into bums on seats, and cars on driveways, has proven tougher.

Although such a challenge was probably to be expected given that the company’s relaunch model was the Alpine A110 sports car, what came next was intended to redress the balance. Few performance cars have more universal appeal than hot hatchbacks, and in creating one for the electric age, Dieppe clearly hoped to hit on a car with broader reach. But in its first full calendar year of UK sales, according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders, the resulting Alpine A290 was outsold by its sister car, the Renault 5, by between five and six examples to one. We named the A290 our Best Fun EV at the 2025 Autocar Awards; but evidently many potential customers have needed a little more convincing.

Pricing might now make the difference for some. All versions of the A290 now qualify for the UK government’s £3750 Electric Car Grant in full. So what might a new £30k entry price do to kick-start the wider adoption of a car almost single-handedly attempting to put sporty savoir-faire into affordable electric motoring?

 

New Alpine A290 cars in stock

 Alpine A290 52kWh GTS+ Auto 5dr opens in a new tab
£35,805
 Alpine A290 52kWh GT Performance+ Auto 5dr opens in a new tab
£33,425
 Alpine A290 52kWh GT Performance+ Auto 5dr opens in a new tab
£37,755
 Alpine A290 52kWh GTS+ Auto 5dr opens in a new tab
£35,955
 Alpine A290 52kWh GT Auto 5dr opens in a new tab
£29,900
 Alpine A290 52kWh GT Auto 5dr opens in a new tab
£28,900
 Alpine A290 52kWh GTS+ Auto 5dr opens in a new tab
£39,995
 Alpine A290 52kWh GTS+ Auto 5dr opens in a new tab
£39,995
 Alpine A290 52kWh GTS+ Auto 5dr opens in a new tab
£35,845
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DESIGN & STYLING

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Alpine A290 GTS review 202501 rear cornering

Based on what has become known as the Ampr Small platform (a hybrid of Renault-Nissan’s existing supermini chassis tech specially intended for use in low-cost EVs; although it’ll likely now revert to a different name, with the planned closure of Renault’s EV-specific Ampere business unit), the A290 is studiously straightforward. 

Although the concept car that inspired it – the A290 Beta – had two electric drive motors connected to its front axle, the production version has only one. It’s a more powerful motor than is fitted to the Renault 5, donated by the larger Megane E-Tech: a separately excited synchronous motor that works without heavy permanent magnets. It can produce up to 215bhp and 221lb ft for the top-tier version of the car, but in the lower-rung GT makes only 174bhp and 210lb ft. In a bit of rounding up that only looks questionable to those, like us, who don’t deal in metric horsepower, Alpine has christened these derivatives ‘220’ and ‘180’ respectively.

The GT's standard-fit 19in wheel rim design is called the Iconic, and references those of the wedge-like A310 coupé of the 1970s, designed by Robert Opron (Simca 1100, Citroën SM, Alfa Romeo SZ). There aren't many electric hatchbacks that can claim that kind of sporting heritage.
Matt Saunders
Road test editor

The car comes down the same Douai production line as the Renault 5 but has plenty of special mechanicals. A new lightweight aluminium front subframe makes for a lower motor positioning. New suspension arms and wheel carriers deliver axle tracks that are 60mm wider than the 5’s, allow for bigger wheels and tyres, and provide Alpine with its own wheel and steering geometries. Uprated suspension struts include not only firmer springs but also hydraulic bump stops. New anti-roll bars also come in, and Alpine has partnered Michelin for a choice of specially developed performance tyres.

As well as remaining small (less than 4m in length), Alpine intended for the car to stay at least relatively light, choosing a fairly modest nickel-manganese-cobalt drive battery of around 55kWh of nominal capacity, which also becomes a stressed part of the chassis. On Horiba MIRA’s scales, the car weighed just under 1.5 tonnes in running order: still a good 100kg heavier than the Abarth 500e we tested in 2023 but more than 200kg lighter than a Mini Cooper SE.

INTERIOR

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Alpine A290 GTS review 202511 dash

The A290’s short wheelbase and overhangs and lowish roof all feed into its primary fitness for sporting purpose. If there’s any compromise on comfort, four-seat usability or carrying space, Alpine is clearly betting that the driving experience will make them worth the trade.

The driver’s seat and hip point aren’t quite Mini Cooper-low, but they’re low enough to augur well, and also be convenient enough. Passing the A290’s B-pillar on your way in and out can be a bit of a squeeze for drivers longer of leg. 

The cubby at the base of the centre stack contains a wireless charging pad, which only worked intermittently for us on test. The area's probably more useful for storage anyway, because there are so few of them.
Matt Saunders
Road test editor

Those travelling in the car’s second row will find space to be adequate for young children but tight for anyone of teenage years or beyond (it’s all but unusable for taller adults), and there are certainly cars of similar length that provide considerably better in that respect.

The front seats have height-adjustable head restraints and good lateral bolstering but could be improved by slightly better thigh support. The control layout is sound – if quirky in its details. Just as in the A110, you’re given a trio of buttons for drive selection. It’s not a very space-efficient solution, though, and that hits home when you account for how little oddment storage the cabin offers. The door bins are shallow and small, while there are no cupholders and few larger cubbies. Equally strange, the only 12V power outlet is in the back.

In lieu of regen paddles, there’s a rotary ‘recharge’ knob hung off the steering boss. It works well enough (though most testers would have preferred paddles), but the button immediately opposite it (used to cycle through drive modes) looks like it’s from a different parts bin entirely – and works differently, too. More widely, though, material richness and perceived quality around the cabin are mostly in keeping with the positioning of a high-end supermini.

Multimedia - 4 stars

The touchscreen infotainment system runs Google’s automotive software which is quick to respond and largely simple to navigate, while climate functions, the door locks, driving assistance switches, the lights, and stability control are all on separate, physical buttons. There is also one of Renault's now-customary 'ADAS Custom'-style preset buttons, which makes it easy to tame the car's driver assistance systems at one press. For us, the car gets the usability blend between digital and physical just right.

There are some toys on the touchscreen, by the way. G-meters and the like as you might expect, but some gamification functions like a 0-62mph measurer, plus tutorials on how to corner better. Gimmicky, granted - but given Alpine talks things like lift-off oversteer in it, it’s nerdy gimmicky, and you may not mind that.

 

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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Alpine A290 GTS review 202519 fron pan

You might be surprised to find out that the entry-level A290 GT doesn’t even pass the 130bhp-per-tonne power-to-weight watershed where those iconic founding hot hatchbacks of the 1980s started out, never mind the 150bhp-per-tonne mark of the revered Renault Clio Williams from 1993. So, simply put, is it quick enough?

On the road, or even a pretty tight track or sprint course, the answer is clear. Engaging launch control is via a left foot held on the brake; a long press of the red ‘OV’ overtake lever that’s dangling invitingly by your right thumb; and then applying full power and lifting your left  shoe. If anything, the resulting experience is lacking some drama because there’s no closely controlled over-rotation of the driven front wheels. But it feels urgent enough, with a clear and instant appetite for speed.

Having to push through the kickdown on the accelerator pedal or the 'OV' button on the steering wheel is a bit gimmicky. In practice, I tended to forget those last couple of horsepower were there.
Illya Verpraet
Road Tester

On a cold, wet January test day, 60mph from rest came up in 7.3sec time and again. Roll-on acceleration from higher speeds isn’t quite so keen. For example, 50-80mph took 7.2sec – a tenth of a second slower than the last Renaultsport Clio, the 200 Turbo EDC of 2013. But, for a car whose raison d’être is surely accessible pace up to and around the national speed limit, the A290’s objective claims certainly survived our timing gear’s scrutiny. There’s plenty of grunt here.

That front axle feeds in regen quite gradually, however, and a bit gingerly at higher speeds – so it isn’t always as useful a tool to influence the car’s transient handling balance as it might be. But brake pedal feel and progression is quite firm, responsive and intuitive.

As regards the higher-spec, 215bhp version: that has a claimed 0-62mph time of 6.4s to the 174bhp car’s 7.4sec, but they’re both pretty mechanically the same, so the difference is all software.

It's the extra torque you notice. The 221lb ft is enough to trouble the steering wheel with torque steer mid-corner, or if the road is anything other than smooth.

Brake feel is excellent because it's a by-wire system – you’d be pushed to tell when regen slowing stopped and mechanical braking started. However, we would have liked a proper one-pedal mode. 

RIDE & HANDLING

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Alpine A290 GTS review 202520 rear pan

The A290’s lively, buoyant-feeling chassis lives up to high expectations and – just like the A110’s – it’s probably slightly better enjoyed on road than track. 

The ways in which the driving experience feels different, not only from that of a Renault 5 but also from other small EVs, are numerous. 

I love that there is a dedicated ESC off button, but there is a knack to using it. You have to hold it until 'ESC off' flashes up on the screen, but if you hold it too long, it will reactivate and the button won't work anymore until you turn the car off and on.
Illya Verpraet
Road Tester

At the top of the list is steering. Alpine’s mechanical tweaks deliver a noticeably communicative rim that isn’t rapaciously fast-geared but is meatily weighted and incisive, and a great invitation to explore the car’s pointy, responsive handling. The system communicates bump and camber really faithfully and, with plenty of apparent contact patch off set tugging you tighter into bends under power, comes right out of the classic performance front-drive playbook.

The car dives around tight bends and roundabouts with lots of directness and enthusiasm, and at least begins to pivot its rear axle around on cue. The ride is quite taut and terse at low speeds but feels freer out of town, where it becomes more vivacious and animated, yet still nicely controlled.

On track, meanwhile, the chassis responds with wilful doses of lift-off oversteer when prompted, but that could actually be more satisfying with a more purpose-developed ‘track’ or ‘sport’ stability control mode. As it is, the electronics are either fully on or off; and while they’re not total killjoys while on, they don’t quite give you enough latitude to explore modest angles of oversteer. Instead, they narrowly beat you to the punch just as the car takes some playful positive attitude by braking wheels before your steering corrections can take effect.

The systems can be turned off; but when they are, the car’s limit handling becomes scruffier, as the ungoverned front wheels run short of traction right when you need them to haul you straight. A happy-medium ‘halfway off ’ ESC mode would seem to be ripe for the taking, and it does feel like the missing piece in an otherwise complete and compelling dynamic picture.

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MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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Best fun EV Alpine A290

The UK Electric Car Grant has made the Alpine A290 much more competitive on value, but it is still not an exceptional bargain. The 54kWh Mini Cooper SE is the car’s closest notional competitor – and while a base-tier Mini, with no options, is marginally cheaper than the A290 GT, it’s the Alpine that would probably cost less after de rigueur options.

More widely, an Abarth 500e is cheaper but also smaller, shorter of range and even less usable; while the Mini’s range and usability are quite closely matched with the Alpine’s.

A real-world UK motorway range for the A290 of only 140 miles is a bit disappointing, and would certainly slightly limit how – and how often – you could use this car. But as long as they conclude that’s the inevitable compromise of a truly engaging, compact affordable EV in 2026, plenty of enthusiasts should be ready to accept it.

VERDICT

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Alpine A290 GTS review 202521 rear static

The Alpine A290 is yet further proof that affordable compact EVs can be fun to drive. A chunky stipend from HMRC has brought it in line with key rivals on price, while its perky, poised front-drive handling lifts it well clear of them for driver appeal.

There is at least as much swivel-hipped balance here as an electric Mini Cooper offers, but also a more fluent ride and more enticing steering. 

What there isn’t, of course, is the range, space or usability provided by a Cupra Born or Peugeot e-308. But as long as small and fairly short range suits your needs, the A290 is certainly special. We like it a lot.

Illya Verpraet

Illya Verpraet Road Tester Autocar
Title: Road Tester

As a road tester, Illya drives everything from superminis to supercars, and writes reviews and comparison tests, while also managing the magazine’s Drives section. Much of his time is spent wrangling the data logger and wielding the tape measure to gather the data for Autocar’s in-depth instrumented road tests.

He loves cars that are fun and usable on the road – whether piston-powered or electric – or just cars that are very fit for purpose. When not in test cars, he drives an R53-generation Mini Cooper S or a 1990 BMW 325i Touring.

Matt Saunders

Matt Saunders Autocar
Title: Road test editor

As Autocar’s chief car tester and reviewer, it’s Matt’s job to ensure the quality, objectivity, relevance and rigour of the entirety of Autocar’s reviews output, as well contributing a great many detailed road tests, group tests and drive reviews himself.

Matt has been an Autocar staffer since the autumn of 2003, and has been lucky enough to work alongside some of the magazine’s best-known writers and contributors over that time. He served as staff writer, features editor, assistant editor and digital editor, before joining the road test desk in 2011.

Since then he’s driven, measured, lap-timed, figured, and reported on cars as varied as the Bugatti Veyron, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Tesla Roadster, Ariel Hipercar, Tata Nano, McLaren Senna, Renault Twizy and Toyota Mirai. Among his wider personal highlights of the job have been covering Sebastien Loeb’s record-breaking run at Pikes Peak in 2013; doing 190mph on derestricted German autobahn in a Brabus Rocket; and driving McLaren’s legendary ‘XP5’ F1 prototype. His own car is a trusty Mazda CX-5.