- The Alpine A290, which was jointly awarded the 2025 Car of the Year title with its less performance-oriented sibling, the Renault 5, has now opened for orders in the UK, with prices starting from £33,500 on the road.
- The starting price marks a £10,000-plus increase over the most affordable Renault 5, which is also now on sale at a starting price of £22,995.
- With the price difference, the A290 will likely remain a reserve for enthusiast drivers – but does it still represent value compared to other electric performance cars on the market?
Alpine A290 opens for orders in the UK
Depending on specification, prices for the A290 will vary between £33,500 and £38,500. At the starting price of £33,500, the Alpine A290 comes equipped with a 180 horsepower electric motor, along with a quoted range of 236 miles – a relatively impressive range figure for such a compact car. Moving up to £36,000 for the ‘GT Performance’ version grants the more powerful 220 horsepower motor, with range dropping slightly to 226 miles – though that’s in exchange of a reduced 0-60mph time of 6.4 seconds. Crucially at that price, it’s still cheaper than what is likely to be a key rival in the electric hot hatch space, the Mini John Cooper Works Electric hatch, which starts at a higher £39,120.
The A290 launch represents a significant opportunity for Renault Group to grow the Alpine brand – being the first electric, cheapest, and most practical performance offering launched by the sub-brand yet. Additionally, its position as Car of the Year alongside the Renault 5 should also go some way to boost sales of the electric hot hatch. The first UK customer deliveries of the Alpine A290 are expected to arrive in April – a similar time to when customer deliveries of the Renault 5 will also start arriving in the country.
It’s not the only EV Alpine has in the pipeline to target a more mainstream audience – last year, the brand also teased its A390 concept – an all-electric, four-door blend between coupe and SUV. By 2030, Alpine is aiming to have seven specific EV models on the market.
