Alpine A290 Review & Prices

If you’re after a small sporty runaround, the Alpine A290 takes the Renault 5 hatchback and dials its attitude up to 11. It’s pretty much the French Bulldog of the car industry: small, aggressive, playful and… French.

There aren’t many electric hot hatchbacks out at the moment, save for the chic Abarth 500e and the crazy fast Hyundai Ioniq 5, and the A290 seems to bridge the gap between the two in both size and performance.

It’s a traditional hatchback too, so it’s compact and low to the ground rather than the more typical mini SUVs you might also be considering. Combined with its aggressive bumpers, little roof spoiler, flared wheel arches and contrast detailing the A290 looks very purposeful and legitimately sporty.

And that’s without mentioning the old-school ‘crosshair’ LED headlights and driving lamps, or its vertical LED taillights. The A290 is a genuinely handsome little car; an example of retro styling done right.

Alpine A290: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 224 miles
Efficiency: 3.7 miles per kWh
Battery size: 52kWh
Max charge speed: 100kW
Charge time AC: 4hrs45mins, 10-100%, 11kWh
Charge time DC: 30mins, 15-80%, 100kWh
Charge port location: Left side rear
Power outputs: 174-215hp

The sporty theme continues inside the Alpine, with semi-bucket seats hugging both driver and passenger. More retro goodness comes in the form of either horizontal stitching on the fabric seats, or contrasting colour blocks on the leather items. A flat-bottomed steering wheel completes the look, with a leather 12 o’ clock accent and aluminium-look spokes.

The cockpit is driver-focused, with the dashboard controls and infotainment screen angled to face the driver. Physical heater control buttons are a nice touch too; often simpler to use than a touch screen interface. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality come as standard.

Whilst the cabin looks great and airy at the front, it won’t be quite as spacious in the rear, if the Renault 5 is anything to go by. The A290 is a small car at the end of the day, so expect legroom and foot space to be rather tight for adults.

A 326-litre boot is about average for a small hatchback. That’s over 60 litres down on a petrol Renault Clio but a whopping 115 litres more than the Mini Cooper Electric and more again over the Abarth 500E.

Performance is key to the Alpine A290 though, otherwise it would just be a Renault 5 with a styling pack, and there are two motor options available. Entry level cars have 180hp and can crack 0-60mph in 7.4 seconds whilst higher spec cars have 220hp and bring the time down to a blistering 6.4 seconds.

A 52kWh battery promises up to 234 miles of range which is about average among alternatives, and the A290 can go from 15-80% charge in 30 minutes on a 100kW rapid charger too.

This review will be updated once we get behind the wheel of the A290, so keep this page bookmarked so you can read it once we do. Can't wait? You can check out the latest Alpine A290 deals on Carwow, as well as our best new Alpine deals or consider other used Alpines. Carwow can even help when you decide to sell your car, too.

The Alpine A290 starts at around £33,000 in GT trim, climbing an extra £5,000 for the limited-run ‘Premiere Edition’ at the top of the range - with three other trim variants in between. That means the top-spec A290 costs less than the sporty John Cooper Works version of the Mini Cooper Electric, though the Alpine starts at about £3,500 more than the basic Abarth 500E.

The Alpine is a usable five-seater though, with a much bigger boot than the Abarth making it a more practical choice.

All A290s come on 19-inch wheels, with LED headlights and phone connectivity as standard. Stepping up to GT Premium adds a little more standard features, such as leather seats and interior trims, a heated steering wheel and blue brake calipers. GT Performance trim gets you the more powerful motor and Michelin Pilot sport tyres, whilst GTS is the best of both worlds - with more performance and more standard features.