Here are nine electric hot hatches from the past, present and future

We begin with a car that looks as though it could have been launched yesterday. The BMW i3, launched in 2013, was significant for much more than just its quirky looks, with its carbon fibre shell and lightweight aluminium chassis the perfect backbone for an urban EV.

Four years after it was launched, BMW gave it a mid-life facelift, and introduced this… the hotter i3S. It received a 14bhp and 15lb ft power hike over the standard car for 182bhp and 199lb ft and a 0-62mph time of 6.9secs (up four tenths on the regular i3), as well as 10mm lower sports suspension, a 40mm wider track, and 20mm wider 20in wheels.

BMW wasn’t done there either, with the i3S getting a dedicated Sport mode to prove its hot hatch credentials. And it worked: the i3S was actually fun to drive. Sadly, it wasn’t enough to protect it from the chopping block, with the final model rolling out the doors in 2022. RIP.

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While the BMW i3S perhaps didn’t look like a bonafide hot hatch, there can be no such arguments with the Renault Zoe e-Sport. Born at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, it was a concept designed to prove there was hope for the hot hatch in our new electric world.

Under its carbon body (which helped keep weight to 1,400kg, 80kg less than the standard Zoe despite a 450kg battery pack on board) lay two electric motors, good for a combined 456bhp and 472lb ft of torque, a 0-62mph time in 3.2secs and 0-130mph in under 10secs, a tubular steel chassis, double wishbone suspension, and adjustable Ohlins dampers.

Unusually for a concept car it was fully functional, so much so that Renault lent us the keys to have a go. We long hoped that Renault might be persuaded into turning it into a production car, though the Zoe's recent demise means this is now... unlikely.

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Proof, if it were needed, that Renault just gets it when it comes to concept cars. And hot hatches in general, to be honest – see the Renault 5 Turbo and Clio V6. And it’s the former that’s inspired this: the Renault 5 Turbo 3E.

Under its carbon fibre flanks lies a tubular chassis, FIA-approved rollcage and a pair of rear electric motors, delivering 375bhp and 516lb ft of torque, plus a 42kWh battery. Total weight is 1.5 tonnes (520kg of which is the battery), while Renault claims 0-62mph in 3.5secs and a 124mph vmax. But speed isn’t the outright goal here, drifting is – and drift it very much will.

Indeed, it features a ‘Donut’ mode, steering with 50° of lock, a hydraulic handbrake, and plenty of Easter eggs including an LED lightbar that dances and flickers in tune with your drift, plus plenty of TikTok friendly camera mounts. We thought it'd be a one off, until...

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... Renault surprised us with this. Yep, a real life Renault 5 Turbo in electric guise you can actually buy. And doesn’t it just look the part? No mistaking its roots either, from the squat stance to the flared wheel arches, but there’s plenty of modern touches too.

Take those classy fog lights. The vented bonnet. Whopping wheels. Round the back there’s a subtle roof spoiler and in-yer-face venturi tunnels. Hard to miss. Under all that sits a ‘carbon superstructure’ promising “lightness and maximum rigidity”. Oh yeah, and an outrageous 500bhp, sent entirely to the rear wheels. No battery size yet, but who really cares.

We’ve not sure exactly how many of these new R5 Turbo 3Es Renault will build, but our best guestimate is somewhere in the region of 2,000, with prices stretching well into the triple figures. Expect to see it some time in 2026. We can’t wait.

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And so we arrive at the first of the cars on our list that you can buy here and now. The 500e is Abarth’s take on the all-electric Fiat 500 (surprise!), with the headline stats 152bhp and 173lb ft, 0-62mph in seven seconds flat and a top speed of 96mph.

You’ll have noted the slightly more assertive looks of course – bodykit, bigger wheels, front lip, rear diffuser etc – and the somewhat garish paintjob, but what you can’t see is the waterproof, mudproof speaker under the rear bumper designed to mimic the exhaust note of a petrol Abarth 695. Fun at first, but quickly gets annoying.

More numbers? It weighs in at 1,410kg – hardly featherlight, but not bad for an EV, and it happily holds its own down a B-road too – while under the skin it gets a 42.2kWh battery for up to 164 miles of range. Prices start from £34,195, and the Cabrio from £37,195.

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We were big fans of the old Mini Electric so replacing it was never going to be easy, but the new Mini, which arrived early in 2024, takes the car on in all the right ways, we reckon. Mini kept us waiting for a John Cooper Works variant, but finally it’s here.

Naturally it gets a fairly aggressive bodykit and chunky rear wing, plus JCW specific suspension for “Mini go-kart handling”. Eurgh. Underneath it gets a single electric motor sending 254bhp and 251lb ft of torque to the front wheels for a 0-62mph time of 5.9 seconds on to a vmax of 124mph, plus a 54.2kWh battery good for a claimed 251 miles. 

Prices start from just shy of forty grand with first deliveries expected spring 2025. Mini hasn’t told TopGear.com that there’ll be a fully fledged GP variant, but it also hasn’t said there won’t be. So for now, it’s watch this space…

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We first heard Alpine – Renault’s performance arm – was to make a hot version of the Renault 5 EV back in 2022, before the A290_β (Beta) was revealed in concept form spring 2023. Just over a year later and the production version was born.

As expected, it gets a fettled version of the 5’s platform and adopts the Megane E-Tech’s powertrain, only here it’s available in two states of tune – 178bhp or 217bhp – and is powered by a 52kWh battery. Weighing under half a tonne, the more powerful iteration is good for 0-62mph in 6.4secs. Alpine reckons up to 236 miles of range.

And doesn’t it look the part? Pick out the front spotlights, ‘X’ signature graphic headlights, and 19in wheels. Inside it gets a three-spoke steering wheel, 10.25in digital instrument cluster, 10.1-in infotainment display, five seats and a 326-litre boot. The want is strong.

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Launched back in 2019, the Cupra Born was the Spanish firm’s first all-electric model and, based on our six-month ownership, a pretty likeable one at that too. Now, there’s a hotter version: meet the Cupra Born VZ, short for ‘veloz’, or ‘fast’ in English.

It gets a 40 per cent power boost to 322bhp and 75 per cent torque boost to 401lb ft compared to the regular Born, resulting in a 0-62mph time of 5.6 seconds (down a whole second) and a limited top speed of 124mph (up by 25mph) compared to the previous quickest version. Still single motor, front-wheel drive only, note.

That extra performance is complemented by chassis tweaks including a revised damper and spring setup, recalibrated steering and brakes, and bigger 20in rims, while Cupra quotes 366 miles of range thanks to its 79kWh battery capacity. Prices start from around £45k. 

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Many thought our brave new electric era would signal the end of the GTI badge, but Volkswagen has now confirmed that it’ll live on, beginning with this: the ID.GTI. Hardly the most imaginative of names, but at least it’ll be easy to remember.

Smart looking thing too, isn’t it? Based on the ID.2all concept revealed in March 2023, it retains several much-loved GTI design cues, including the red grille surround, tartan seats, and golf ball finish to the rotary dial on the interior console. We’re told it’ll measure 4.1m long, 1.8m wide, and 1.5m tall, and get five seats and a 490-litre boot.

If you’re wondering why we haven’t given you any powertrain specifics yet, it’s because, well, aside from being FWD and getting the electronic front locking differential that debuted on the GTI and GTI Clubsport, there aren’t any. Should be... quick, though.

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