You can now buy the Alpine A290 hot hatch from £33,500

Good news for French hot hatch enthusiasts: you can now buy the all-electric Alpine A290, the sportier sibling to the Top Gear award-winning Renault 5, for £33,500 in its base ‘GT’ spec, rising to £38,500 for the range-topping ‘GTS Premiere Edition’.

Both versions get a single front-mounted motor and a 52kWh battery. In the GT, the key specs are 180bhp/210lb ft, 0-62mph in 7.4s and a top speed of 99mph. It’ll also return an estimated 236 miles of range to the GTS’ 226.

The GTS ups the power and torque to 220bhp and 221lb ft, cutting the 0-62 sprint down by a full second (6.4s) and bumping the top speed up to 105mph. Proper hot hatch numbers.

It shares the R5's AmpR 'Small' platform, along with its battery and multi-link rear axle setup. But this Alpine version gets a beefier e-motor, wider tracks, retuned anti-roll bars, stiffer suspension settings, bespoke Michelins and hydraulic bump stops for a better ride. Yes, it's heavy at 1,479kg, but that's still 200kg lighter than the equivalent e-Mini.

The A290 GT is the entry-level car, after which you step into ‘Premium’ and ‘Performance’ versions. Those trims build on the standard car’s 10in infotainment screen, wireless phone charging and privacy glass with goodies such as Nappa leather, better audio and sportier finishes like red calipers.

After that comes the more powerful GTS, in either standard trim or the 'Premiere Edition', which essentially gets bespoke styling bits like a customised front plate, blue accents, that sort of thing. Plus Safety and Driving tech packs that do… safety and driving things. The first customers will get their cars from April 2025.