Stunning Alpine A290 falls short on range

The Renault Alpine A290 is a high-performance, fully-electric, premium hot hatch based on the multi-award-winning Renault 5 electric car (voted 2026 Irish Car of the Year by the Motoring Media Association of Ireland). It blends a sporty fun drive with everyday practicality with five seats and five doors. The car is engineered for agility in urban areas.

That said, why would you opt for a high-performance car if you don’t venture far out from the suburbs? The answer is for the sheer fun of driving this A290 exclusively sold in Ireland by Windsor Motor Mall in Dublin.

This is the Alpine brand’s first all-electric model. Both Renault 5 and Alpine A290 models share the same small platform, but the Alpine is wider and more powerful, and is kitted out with a different, firmer, suspension and set-up.

The line-up includes a GT 180hp, GT Premium 180hp, GT Performance 220hp, GTS 220hp (my review car) and Premiere Edition 220hp. All versions share the same small 52kWh battery.

Absolutely gorgeous to look at in its unique shade of Matte Schiste Grey, the Alpine black logo on the bonnet and at the rear, the model’s aggressive styling, muscular bodywork, blue anodised roof line, stunning 19-inch black alloy wheels/blue Brembo brake calibers, the unusual four-light motif arrangement at the front with rally-inspired ‘X’ daytime running lights that flicker; the Alpine badges and peak mountain designs around the car, and there is a rear wiper.

The compact interior has many features carried over from the Renault 5, including the 10.1-inch central display system, which has Google built-in for maps and assistant, as well as wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. This screen is paired with a 10.25-inch digital driver display. Both have lovely graphics. Below is a row of physical switches for the climate control, fan, demisters, AC and air flow directions. Below again, are C-type USBs and a wireless charging pad. The Devialet audio system is quite superb!

The comfy sports seats, as well as dash and door panels, are in lovely blue and pale grey Nappa leather upholstery. Seats have the A290 logo and discreet French flag colours showing the car is made in France. My seat had manual adjustments and lumbar support.

Triangular graphics, on the central console around the three button transmission selector, I felt were too fussy. Unlike in the Renault 5 EV, where the transmission lever is on the steering wheel, the ‘buttons’ for the automatic transmission (N, D, R) are on the flat of the central console, taking up space for cupholders. Also there are the electronic parking brake and a dedicated slot for placing the flat key fob.

The Nappa leather-wrapped, steering wheel features a red ‘OV’ button just above the right-hand spoke, providing a maximum power boost when overtaking (that’s 220hp for 10 seconds on this version), a blue RCH (Recharge/Braking Control) toggle switch on the bottom left allows four different levels of regeneration and one-pedal driving, and a Drive Mode control on the lower right. Drive modes are Save, Normal, Sport, and Personal.

The radio/volume controls are on a lower stalk off the steering wheel. Features included front and rear parking sensors, and a good reversing camera.

Three adults in the rear will find it tight on space. No rear armrest, no cupholders or door bins, just pockets on front seatbacks.

Boot space is 300 litres with the audio system, standard on higher specced models like my car. There’s an underfloor area for the charging cables.

The charging port is at the front left side of the car. You can DC fast charge from 15-80 per cent in 30 minutes.

This top GTS trim delivers up to 220hp and 300Nm of torque, can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 6.4 seconds, and has a claimed range of 360km (which would be a decent range) but this was not the case with my review car which, when 100 per cent charged, offered just 188 kilometres of driving. This is not a practical range for a car now that automakers have gone way beyond the first adopter stage into real world use. It brings to mind the 160kms offered on the first generation Nissan Leaf introduced 16 years ago.

Other niggles included the lack of blind spot monitors, thick pillars, and how the middle seat headrest blocked most of my view out the rear view mirror.

Yes, the car was great fun to drive even on country roads, but I admit its poor range, and the fact I live many kilometres from a fast-charge meter, meant I regularly experienced range anxiety. The ride was on the firm side due to the car’s performance-led set-up that includes Micheline Pilot Sport tyres, but that’s part and parcel of a sporty car. Its neat size and agility helps when parking.

The A290 received a four-star Euro NCAP safety rating in 2024, sharing the same safety results as the Renault 5.

PRICE: Entry level from €36,690; my car from €42,500 (including SEAI grant and metallic paint). Road tax is €120.