Alpine A290

Alpine offers some old-fashioned charms in this otherwise high-tech, zero-emissions hatchback

This is the Alpine A290, the sporty variant of the Renault 5, and it feels to me like the return of the hot hatchback.Maybe I’ve said that before, about the electric Abarth 500 or even the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, much larger, more expensive and powerful though that is.But sufficiently few are the approachable, hot, practical electric cars that it feels appropriate to mention it. Along with the A290, anyway, these strike me as the three EVs that talk to the enthusiast.The A290 will go on sale in the UK in March next year. Prices will be confirmed in January 2025, but are almost certain to have the meat of the range in the mid-£30,000s.There’ll be two power options, 178bhp and 217bhp, but mechanically they’re identical, as compact, fun front-drive hot hatchbacks at less than 1500kg and, as we’ll see, more entertaining that probably anything similar on the market.

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