Alpine A290 review

The Alpine A290 hot hatchback is the French manufacturer’s follow-up to its fantastic A110 sports car. It’s a move guided more towards the mainstream; still chasing customers interested in stylish design, good driving dynamics and a decent level of performance, but with a little more practicality and usability for the day-to-day.

Based on the underpinnings of the new Renault 5, the A290 five-door hatch doesn’t possess breathtaking pace, but there’s enough power on tap to keep things lively, and it certainly lives up to Alpine’s focus on driver engagement – albeit not quite on the level of its two-seater sibling. With a slick interior and strong on-board tech, the competitively priced A290 is an impressive all-round package. 

Details, specs and alternatives

A sporty hot hatch is arguably a natural progression for Alpine to attract new customers to the brand and rival more established competition. The A110 sports car battles with the likes of the brilliant Porsche 718 Cayman and iconic Audi TT, and the A290 will have an equally difficult job in facing up to an increasing choice of electric hot hatchbacks that offer a premium feel.

UK prices are still yet to be officially confirmed, but we think they should start at around £33,500 for the entry model, increasing to £38,000 for the GTS, with the GT Premium occupying the middle ground between the two. There are a few hundred Premiere Edition cars set to come to the UK, and these are likely to cost an extra £1,000 over the GTS.

One of the A290’s more obvious rivals is the MINI Cooper SE, which offers similar power and pricing. It doesn’t feel quite as keen as the Alpine, although the model that will surely turn most heads is the John Cooper Works version, which comes with more power and pace, and even greater focus on driver engagement – all for around £39,000.

With a recent price cut across their respective ranges, reducing the starting point for each to under £30,000, the more diminutive Abarth 500e and slightly bigger Fiat 600e could attract more attention – although they’re down on power and don’t bring the same level of overall quality as the Alpine. 

Another option from the Stellantis Group could be the new Alfa Romeo Junior. In Veloce form, it packs 276bhp and is able to crack the 0-62mph benchmark in 6.0 seconds – although you’ll pay for the privilege, because it costs from around £42,000.

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Other fast, but relatively compact, choices include the Volvo EX30 Dual Motor, MG4 XPower and the more leftfield Brabus Smart #1. However, the Volvo and Smart come with a much higher price tag.

All A290 versions utilise a 52kWh battery and a single electric motor driving the front wheels, with the GT and GT Premium cars producing 178bhp, and the GTS upping the power to 216bhp. The lower-powered variants complete 0-62mph in 7.4 seconds, with the more potent GTS able to shave a full second from this sprint time.

Equipment is generous, whichever A290 model you decide on. The GT features 19-inch alloys, heated seats, automatic air-conditioning and a 10-inch infotainment display as standard, while the GTS adds black wheels, Nappa leather upholstery, an upgraded audio system and telemetrics data. The Premiere Edition stands out from the range with blue wheel centre caps, special floor mats and a naming plate, plus the inclusion of some optional packs to bump up the list of kit.

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Buyers interested in the Alpine A290 probably aren’t going to be prioritising overall range as one of their main concerns. With a 52kWh battery on board, Alpine claims the A290 is capable of up to 236 miles from a full charge (WLTP combined cycle), which means you’re probably looking at nearer 200 miles when you factor in the variables of real-world driving.

The A290’s 100kW charging rate is about average in this class, which means if you do have to stop at a rapid public charging point for a top-up, you’ll spend around 30 minutes taking the battery from 15-80 per cent.

During our own test with the closely related Renault 5 we averaged 3.6 miles per kilowatt hour, giving an overall range of around 187 miles – although this was during colder conditions and on a mixed driving loop. In town, this climbed to nearer 4 miles/kWh, which equates to a 208-mile range.

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We think more enthusiastic drivers may experience slightly higher running costs, mainly as a consequence of the A290’s specialist Michelin Pilot Sport S5 tyres, and the e-motor’s readiness to spin them under hard acceleration.

Although prices are yet to be confirmed, we’d anticipate the range kicking off at around £33,500, rising to £38,000 for the more powerful and well-equipped GTS cars – which makes the A290 decent value. And, charging the 52kWh battery from a home wallbox (from 0-100%), at a typical household rate of 0.30p per kWh, means a reasonable bill of around £15.60 – although it is possible to reduce this cost even further by taking advantage of cheaper overnight tariffs from certain energy suppliers.

If you’re regularly making trips into London, don’t forget that EVs will soon no longer be exempt from the Congestion Charge, though they are free from the city’s emissions-based ULEZ charges.

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One of the first questions potential buyers may ask is: “Why shouldn’t I just go for a cheaper Renault 5?”. Well, apart from packing more punch from its larger electric motor, the A290 features a unique front subframe and all-new suspension geometry, too. It’s also a little wider than the R5, and includes the innovative hydraulic bump stops used on the last-generation RenaultSport Mégane. 

There’s a noticeable difference to steering feel, with the A290 possessing a quicker rack and offering more driver engagement, but we think Alpine could have injected a little more power to elevate the experience into true hot hatch territory. 

Drive modes include Save, Comfort, Sport and Personal and these alter the engine mapping, steering weight and even the virtual engine noise. If you select Sport and floor the accelerator, you’ll experience some torque steer through the front wheels, which means you have to be a little bit more careful when exiting tighter corners. Renault has done a fine job with the A290’s brakes, which offer plenty of feel and are powerful enough to deal with hard stops – a quality helped by Alpine keeping overall weight down to 1,479kg.

The regenerative braking system is also well executed, with a blue toggle on the steering wheel controlling the four settings and offering near one-pedal driving through to a full-coast option.

Although the A290’s ride edges towards the firm side, it remains very well damped and able to cope positively with bigger undulations in the road. We’d appreciate a slightly lower driving position, although the car’s under-floor battery makes this tricky to engineer. There is good seat adjustment on offer, however, and you should be able to find a position that’s comfortable and individually suits.

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Although based on the Renault 5, the A290 isn’t as retro looking, and stands out with sharper detailing across its exterior. There’s a nod to its performance focus with rally-inspired running lights, while the sculpted rear door design is a reference to the original Renault 5 Turbo.

Interior quality is impressive, with the cabin featuring softer materials across high-frequency touchpoints, along with sporty-looking accents in blues and silvers.

We found that the dashboard is positioned quite high which, along with the A290’s shallow windscreen, might make visibility a little restricted for some. There’s no compromise in basic comfort, however, because the Alpine uses the same seats as the R5, which are superbly supportive.

The three-button gear selector is positioned on a redesigned centre console (compared with the stalk design you’ll find on the R5), but this means there’s no room for a cupholder, while the centre storage cubby is smaller, too.

What’s much more positive is the A290’s Google-based infotainment system. Responsive and easy to navigate via a centrally mounted 10.1-inch display, you’ll benefit from Google Maps and other services without needing to connect to your phone, although both wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are included if you prefer. If you’re a music lover, you’ll appreciate the upgraded audio system that comes with the GT Premium and GTS models.

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If you’re after an A290 model, then you’ll have to consider that it does come with certain compromises in terms of overall practicality. Rear-seat space is tight, and there’s not much extra room over an all-electric MINI Cooper – despite the fact the Renault has two extra doors. The flat floor helps to create some extra foot space, but fitting in three passengers across the rear won’t be an easy task.

The 326-litre boot improves the A290’s overall practicality (for context it’s 55 litres down on a Volkswagen Golf), after which storage options become limited. There’s no false floor, or ‘frunk’ space under the bonnet to store charging cables and, as mentioned earlier, the cabin isn’t flush with usable cubbies and doesn’t feature a cup holder.

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Industry safety body Euro NCAP tested the Renault 5 in December 2024, and awarded it a four-star rating – applying the score to the closely related Alpine, too, because it shares the same structure and safety equipment.

The A290 recorded an 80 per cent mark for both Adult and Child Occupant safety, in part due to the lack of a central airbag to prevent front-seat occupants from colliding with one another in a side impact. It also lost points in the Vulnerable Road Users category (76 per cent) due to a few poor results relating to its stiff windscreen pillars, while the Safety Assist score came in at 68 per cent. Although not a top five-star result, the A290 is still a safe car, and it’s worth remembering that the safety assessments are the toughest they’ve been.