It’s got its work cut out though, as fans of the genre are likely to refer to EVs as boring or white goods that are nothing more than appliances. To date, the Hyundai Ioniq 5N is the only solid entry to the hot hatch genre, with models like the Abarth 500e falling way short.  

Its aim? Simple. To take all of that Alpine brilliance we’ve seen instilled into its brilliant A110 coupe in a small, compact, hot hatchback that’s fun to drive. But is the A290 good enough to tempt diehard petrolheads away from ICE hot hatchbacks? Read on to find out. 

Wait, it looks quite familiar?

It is, of course, based on a Renault 5 E-Tech, the winner of the SGMW’s Car of the Year title in our 2026 New Year’s Honours. Alpine takes the ordinary 5 and jazzes it up with a punchier powertrain, sportier looks, and a stiffer chassis. It still sits on the same AmpR small platform, which is also used in the Renault 4 EV, and retains the compact dimensions of the car it’s based on, measuring in at 3,997mm long, 1,823mm wide, and 1.512mm tall. Meaning it sits firmly in the supermini sector. 

Here though, Alpine has firmly put its stamp on the exterior with sportier-looking front and rear bumpers, larger alloy wheels, and very cool-looking ‘X’-stamped rally-style daytime running lights on the nose. The only other major difference is a pair of creases in the rear doors, completing the go-faster look. In the metal, I think it looks really good. With a distinctive sportiness about it that separates it from its Renault sibling. 

But does it go like a hot hatchback?

Absolutely, yes. 0-62mph comes about in 6.4 seconds, a figure that plonks it firmly within the territory occupied by the Ford Fiesta ST (0-62mph in 6.5 seconds) and the Hyundai i20 N (0-62 mph in 6.2 seconds). 

This is down to its 216bhp electric powertrain, which incorporates a larger electric motor on the rear axle. This setup is standard in the top-spec GTS I tested, as well as the GT Performance spec car. There is also a lesser 178bhp variant available too in the GT and GT Premium specs, and this runs the 0-62mph sprint in 7.5 seconds. 

Pffffft, small EVs don’t offer enough range

Not quite; while the 225-mile range figure of the GTS isn’t the best in class (the Renault 5 E-Tech can manage up to 252 miles), it’s still pretty decent. All A290s use the same 52kWh battery pack, and if you opt for the lower-powered model, the range increases to 235 miles. As I said, while neither figure is exactly groundbreaking, a 200-mile-plus range figure should make the A290 easy to live with. 

All versions are equipped with a heat pump, which will help eke out more range in colder temperatures. When connected to a rapid charger, charging speeds top out at 100kW, meaning a 10-80 per cent top-up takes around 30 minutes. Plenty of time to pick up a coffee at a motorway service station. When charging at home, a top-up will take a little over 8 hours. 

Can an electric hot hatchback be as good to drive as an ICE-powered one?

Having driven the Renault 5, the A290 takes all of that brilliance and adds a sporty edge to it with a slightly firmer ride that is never uncomfortable. This pays dividends on the road, though, where it feels far quicker in the corners than the car it’s based on, with a sophisticated and agile feel about it that encourages you to drive it hard. Alpine has made the axles 60mm wider than the 5, which undoubtedly helps with the planted feel on the road. 

The steering is a bit on the numb side, but it does have a little more weight compared to the 5. The level of engagement is also stronger here, as it feels more involving to drive on fast twisty roads, and the increased power output gives more oomph to get up to speed with a continually smooth torque curve. 

Like in most EVs, there are four levels of regen for the braking, which are operated by the ‘recharge’ dial, and while the brake pedal lacks feel, the brakes do feel powerful enough when you stand on them, allowing you to pull off late braking into corners with ease. That aside, and this is very much a hot hatch thing, the A290’s driving position felt a little bit upright for me, as while the seat can go quite low, it doesn’t go all the way to the floor as I would have liked. 

But is it as fun to drive as the benchmark in this class, the Fiesta ST? No, but it’s not far away from it at all. The combination of the powertrain and slick chassis setup made it great fun to drive for me, leaving me grinning after just a few corners. 

What about the inside?

Inside, the A290 sports a very similar cabin design to what you’ll find inside the 5, except here, it’s been given the Alpine treatment. There are the two-tone synthetic leather-trimmed seats, and instead of the column-mounted gear shifter, Alpine has fitted a button-operated selector in the centre console, a design that reminded me of the one found in the Aston Martin DB9. 

A 10.25-inch digital dial cluster sits alongside a 10.1-inch infotainment screen. Both feature Alpine-specific colour schemes and graphics and are powered by the same Google-based OS. Here, Alpine has added its own sporty readouts, including a G-force meter in case you want to know how many G’s you’re pulling on the way to the shops, and a lap timer so you can lord it over friends by bragging about how fast you managed to get around Brands Hatch. As with the 5, operating either screen is simple to do with an intuitive layout and easy-to-read menus. 

In terms of space, no surprise, it’s a Renault 5, which is decent but not exactly huge inside. Still, my 6ft 3inch frame managed to fit just fine with a bit of seat adjustment, and I even managed to squeeze myself into the rear seats behind my driving position. Although I wouldn’t recommend the latter for anything other than shorter journeys. 

Practicality is reasonable as well, with 326 litres of boot space, meaning you can put things in it and drive to places. However, with the rear seats in place, the boot is triangular in shape, meaning larger items will be harder to stow. Notably, the A290 thrashes its electric competition into the weeds for storage space when compared to the 185 litres on offer in the Abarth 500e and the 210 litres available in the MINI Cooper E. 

Verdict: The Alpine A290 is absolutely worthy of the ‘hot hatch’ moniker 

The Alpine A290 is fun, fast, and engaging to drive, exactly what you’d want from a hot hatchback. With a starting price of around £34,000 for the top-spec GTS model here (after the EV grant deduction), it’s keenly priced against its nearest rivals. Adding to its appeal are its practicality and cheap running costs, as it will cost peanuts to charge it at home. Alpine has done a great job with the styling and chassis makeover, which makes it great to look at and to drive, and I have to say, this little Alpine is one of the most fun to drive EVs yet. A real electric hot hatchback that is easy to live with on a daily basis.

Alpine A290 GTS: gallery

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Its arrival marks a significant milestone for the JCW badge, as the first proper electric model to wear the name. One that takes its origins from the regular MINI hatchback, with the promise of far improved performance combined with sporty driving appeal in an everyday usable package. 

To put it to the test, the lovely people at BMW/MINI UK invited us to the Cotswolds for the day to test it out.

The 2025 MINI JCW Electric: the full lowdown

In John Cooper Works guise, the normally humble-looking F66-generation MINI is transformed on the outside. To set it apart from the standard car, the JCW gets a sportier stance, bigger 18-inch alloy wheels and sportier looks thanks to a more aggressive-looking bodykit. 

Other go-faster design highlights include the deeper front spoiler, a rear splitter, a very angular rear spoiler, and chequered flag decals on the rear hatch. In the metal, it looks aggressive and sporty, exactly how a hot hatchback should be. Of course, being a modern MINI, there’s an array of personalisation options such as bonnet stripes, various roof decals, and a choice of six paint colours. If this isn’t enough there’s also a catalogue of JCW Performance parts available including aero parts, side skirts, alternative wheel designs, and decals. 

Inside you’ll find the MINI’s latest interior design carried over from the standard car with a centre-mounted circular OLED infotainment screen that spans over nine inches in diameter and the option of a heads-up display for the driver in place of a conventional dial cluster. Other JCW specific additions include sports seats in the front and more splashes of red trim dotted around the interior including a chequered flag decal on the dashboard. This is contrasted by bronze speaker grilles and door handles – a subtle styling departure from the usual grey or silver trim. 

Is it a real John Cooper Works underneath?

Power comes from a single front-mounted electric motor which sends a maximum of 254bhp and 340Nm of torque to the front wheels via a single-speed gearbox. While battery size has often been a source of criticism in EVs due to weight figures, here, the JCW Electric is powered by a 54.2 kWh battery, which is officially capable of 251 miles of range. With a kerbweight of 1,725kg, which is around 300kg heavier than the petrol JCW, the battery size is a decent compromise that offers respectable on-paper range with a bearable weight increase.

Other specific JCW-only changes to enhance the hot hatch feel of the car include a sportier suspension setup with a lower ride height and additional camber on the front axle. It also sits on sporty Hankook Ion Evo performance tyres from the factory which are specific to this model.  

How does an electric hot hatch drive?

Since the JCW Electric was unveiled, the “go-kart’ handling mantra has always been mentioned. And we’re happy to report that this new model delivers exactly that with a few distinctive hot hatch traits and a few compromises.

Pin the throttle hard in a straight line, and the car reacts with a flurry of hyperactivity, giving you plenty of torque steer. Initially, this behaviour leaves you gripping the wheel tightly to ensure the car stays straight. After a bit of practice, the torque steer is still very much present but controllable with a bit of careful modulation of the throttle pedal under hard acceleration. While modern suspension and electronic aids have sought to nullify this trait in most front-wheel-drive performance cars, it does add a bit of hot hatch character to the JCW Electric that forces you to be involved in driving it in order to make quick progress.

It’s not lacking in performance either. Learn to control the torque delivery, and the JCW Electric sprints to 62mph in 5.9 seconds. A figure 0.2 seconds quicker than the petrol-powered model and one that makes it the quickest production MINI ever. It produces 227bhp normally, but a quick click of the “Boost’ paddle to the left of the steering wheel adds another 27bhp (254bhp total), along with a video game-style 10-second graphic countdown on the infotainment screen, which we liked very much. To add to the excitement, you also get a distinct whooshing engine noise to let you know you’re in maximum velocity mode.

Without a petrol engine in the nose, and despite the extra weight, it feels accurate in the corners. Take on a quick corner and the turn-in is keen like an oversized go-kart with the tyres providing plenty of grip. 

The steering is very quick but has little feel or feedback, making it feel a bit disconnected at times. At first this left us struggling to work out the amount of turn-in required when cornering, with minor inputs needed to correct the direction of travel. However, once mastered, the steering makes it easy to accurately place the car in a corner, although the lack of feedback as to what’s going on does detract from the fun factor slightly. 

The suspension is also very firm, as are the sports seats. Normally in a hot hatch these are things you want, but here they combine to upset both the ride and the driver. As on several occasions during our test drive in the Cotswolds, the tarmac appeared to be fairly smooth at a glance, before the chassis decided to transmit almost every imperfection through to the cabin and the driver’s seat, resulting in the driver bouncing around in the seat.

When the road surface is smooth the chassis setup offers excellent accuracy when mixed with the ‘all at once’ torque delivery and the potent acceleration. Elements that combine to make the JCW Electric plenty of fun to drive on a twisty B-road

OK, it’s a real hot hatch, but what are the drawbacks?

As we’ve already mentioned, the ride quality is one thing that could be jarring on longer journeys. Also, being a MINI, and not entirely unexpectedly, full-sized adults will find the rear seats cramped and difficult to get into. 

The boot offers 210 litres of storage up to the parcel shelf, decent enough for a supermini hot hatch, and likely best suited for two people and luggage, with the MINI’s compact dimensions making it a challenge if you need to carry four passengers and luggage at the same time.

MINI claims the JCW electric can manage up to 251 miles on a full charge. During our test we managed 3.4 miles/kWh, which is a range of around 165 miles – some way off the official range figure. As a caveat, this figure was recorded after some somewhat spirited driving with the air-con on high on a warm day, meaning we’d expect it to improve during normal driving in cooler temperatures.

When a smaller battery is a benefit; charging

With a relatively compact 54.2kWh battery, charging should be a simple process. The MINI can be charged at speeds of up to 95kW with a 10-80 per cent charge taking around 30 minutes.

How much is all of this electric hot hatchery?

Prices start from £34,905. A pretty reasonable figure, considering the Abarth 500e Turismo started at nearly £34k and the much faster Hyundai Ioniq 5 N starts at around £65k.

Aside from the optional stripes and colours, buyers can choose from two main options packs for more kit. The Level 2 pack costs £1,300, adding useful comfort functions like heated front seats, wireless smartphone charging, and keyless entry. Other additions include adaptive LED headlights and a heads-up display, tinted windows and a panoramic sunroof. Opting for the Level 3 pack costs £3,800 and adds extra safety tech, including adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, a 360-degree parking camera and augmented-reality navigation.

2025 MINI JCW Electric verdict: rapid, fun, and slightly compromised

Rating 3.5/5

There is no doubt the JCW Electrics benchmark stats are impressive. On the road it’s capable, offers rapid performance, and is genuinely fun and involving to drive. Combine this with the hyped-up looks and decent official range figure, and it has the makings of a proper electric hot hatchback.

However, the unsettled ride quality and the lack of feel and feedback from the steering detract from the overall driving experience. While other issues, such as the lack of space for passengers and storage and that the range figure is potentially impacted by any kind of spirited driving, are likely to make it a hard sell for both enthusiasts and regular buyers.

2025 MINI JCW Electric: Gallery

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The SGMW New Year Honours go to the manufacturers and PR teams and individuals whose outstanding efforts have gone the extra mile to make motoring memorable and help SGMW members over the past 12 months.

SGMW members were keen to make sure manufacturers, teams and individuals received the acclaim they deserved with some keenly-fought contests and a record number of people voting.

SGMW chairman Ian Robertson said: “The SGMW New Year Honours continue to go from strength to strength. This year we had a record number of votes from our members which highlights how much we all appreciate the efforts of the manufacturers and PR teams.

“There were some clear winners while other categories were unbelievably close, going right to the wire as the votes came in.

“Electric cars, or one in particular, made a big impression with our members but it was also good see to see a lot of support for a legendary petrol-powered hot-hatchback.”

The MG4 EV, pictured above, was a double winner, taking the coveted SGMW Car of the Year crown by a clear margin. But it also scooped the Dark Horse of the Year trophy with members seeing this more affordable electric hatchback as a potential game-changer and the next MG to entice drivers to EVs.

Genesis won a hat-trick of trophies with press officer Sam Buckingham taking the Best PR Newcomer title by just one vote in a close contest after a very busy start to his career.

And Genesis also won the Best in PR Innovation award for the international launch of the all-electric GV60 SUV. Invited guests experienced the Genesis We Come To You promise with a GV60 delivered straight to their hotel balcony in Frankfurt, Germany.

The brand’s third award went to Genesis Motor UK head of PR and communications Simon Branney who won our O.B.E. (Operating Beyond Expectation) award for the second year running and the third time in his career which highlights how much his combination of going the extra mile for so many people and making motoring PR fun is appreciated.

With EVs an increasingly big part of the motoring scene, it was good to see so many people looking forward to driving the 2023 Honda Civic Type R which topped the One to Watch 2023 category. It will be interesting to see the impact of the latest version of this petrol-powered hot-hatch as the Civic celebrates its half-century.

Meanwhile, Kia UK continued to dominate the Best PR Office category and won the top award again this year, building on several years of success for this slick team.

The final SGMW award, the Southern Star, is an in-house accolade for a member who has made a big difference.

This year it was a poignant contest with the winner being a member we sadly lost. Sue Baker touched the lives of so many SGMW members, and the whole motoring world, over the years with her friendship, guidance, encouragement and humour. She really was a shining star.

The full results for the SGMW New Year Honours 2023, with opinions from voting members, are:

BEST PR NEWCOMER – awarded to someone who made a special impact in liaising with the media during the past year and is either new to the industry PR scene or has taken on a new role/position.

Winner – Sam Buckingham (Press officer, Genesis Motor UK)

“‘Thrown in at the deep end’ could be a phrase invented for Sam Buckingham. In his first PR posting, he has risen to the challenge of representing the Genesis brand brilliantly as it establishes itself in the UK. Sam has integrated seamlessly into one of the most charismatic PR teams in the industry with a level of enthusiasm and professionalism that is truly appreciated by SGMW members.”

Runner-up – Tamara Better (Product communications section manager, Nissan GB)

THE SGMW OBE (OPERATING BEYOND EXPECTATION) – for acting above and beyond the call of PR duty during the past year. It can be for consistent high performance, a memorable one-off effort, or a thoughtful gesture towards one of our members caught in a bind.

Winner – Simon Branney (Head of PR and communications, Genesis Motor UK)

“Simon Branney, Genesis. Made sure Pro Driver had a GV80 for our CoTY event ahead of the press launch. And it won!”

Runner-up – Jess Grimditch (Press officer, Suzuki GB)

BEST PR OFFICE – awarded to the operation consistently delivering the best all-round or forward-thinking service to SGMW throughout the year.

Winner – Kia UK

“Kia again! Consistently supportive in providing a professional service to showcase an excellent product range to our members.”

Runner-up – Suzuki GB

BEST IN PR INNOVATION – awarded for an unusual or particularly excellent launch, driving route, or any imaginative addition to an event of the PR year in general.

Winner – Genesis GV60 international launch

“Genesis for the ‘Car Hotel’ at the GV60 launch. Park and recharge on your balcony!”

DARK HORSE OF THE YEAR – a car that surprised SGMW members, either by its arrival or just how good it was.

Winner – MG4 EV

“MG4 simply exceeded expectations on all fronts.”

ONE TO WATCH – the car that SGMW members most look forward to driving in the coming year.

Winner – Honda Civic Type R

“As the Honda Civic celebrates half a century, and in an era of electric vehicles, it is great to see that a high-performance hot hatchback can still excite the motoring world. A fitting tribute and a brave move.”

SGMW CAR OF THE YEAR

Winner – MG4 EV

“A very pleasantly surprising car. An unbelievable price, with a driving experience, equipment list and all-electric driving range to shade major rivals.”

SGMW Southern Star – for the group member who has done most for the organisation or its profile or done something praiseworthy or beyond the call of duty.

Winner – the late Sue Baker

“As for SGMW Southern Star, I’m not sure if posthumous votes are allowed, but I really think it should go to the lovely and much-missed Sue Baker.”

Congratulations to our winners and we wish you all a healthy and happy new year.

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Simon Branney, head of PR and Communications at Genesis Motor UK, welcomed a dozen SGMW members, ably supported by Sam Buckingham and Emily Evans.

The fabulous St Michael’s Manor hotel, in the shadow of the cathedral at the heart of the historic city of St Albans, was our base on a gloriously sunny day in November.

The Hertfordshire roads provided a welcome variety of driving opportunities, while nearby Redbournbury Mill offered a great backdrop for photography.

Top of most people’s list to drive were the new all-electric Genesis models. The electrified GV70, a large SUV, was a revelation to most members of the group, while the electrified G80 proved how relaxed and refined a luxury saloon could be with full-electric power.

The GV60 electric SUV had already been tested by most SGMW members but this was another welcome reminder of the energy, power and capability available in the Genesis range.

SGMW secretary Chris Rees especially enjoyed the Sao Paulo Lime version, as it matched his sartorial outfit on the day.

An evening meal and overnight stay provided a great chance to catch up with the Genesis team, as well as SGMW colleagues.

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