Electric hot hatches are few and far between. Models that spring to mind include the Abarth 500e, Cupra Born VZ, Mini John Cooper Works, and the lesser-known MG4 XPower. Renault wants to overshadow all of them—including its very own Alpine A290—with a ludicrously powerful iteration of the reborn 5. Yes, the Renault 5 Turbo is back, and just like the Porsche Taycan, it's an electric car with "Turbo" in its name. Confusing, I know.
Although it may send a concept vibe, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E is not just for show. The automaker with the diamond logo intends to put the car into production. The tiny-but-mighty hatchback will be rear-wheel drive, much like its 1980s ancestor. Instead of having the original car's mid-mounted four-cylinder engine, it'll rock a pair of rear electric motors. That turbo 1.4-liter mill made about 160 horsepower, whereas its EV spiritual successor has more than three times the power.
The French tout a combined output of over 500 hp, or a whopping 285 hp more than the Alpine A290 we mentioned. The power gap between the 5 Turbo 3E and a standard Renault 5 is even greater, at a ludicrous 350 hp. Torque isn't mentioned, but we know the electric hatch will need only three and a half seconds to hit 62 miles per hour from a standstill. It makes it 0.3 seconds quicker than the MG4 XPower, which packs "only" 429 hp.
The spectacularly muscular body deletes the regular Renault 5's rear doors in exchange for side vents. Renault adds bulging fenders as a throwback to the original R5 Turbo. We're also noticing massive 20-inch wheels on what remains a diminutive car. The two-tone alloys are wrapped in 245/35 ZR20 tires at the front and meaty 275/35 ZR20 rubber at the rear.
Although it's the first Renault-badged electric hot hatch to go into production, there have been one-offs in the past. Some of you will recall the 2017 Zoe E-Sport with 460 hp and the 2022 R5 Turbo 3E with 375 hp. The road-going model will trump both, presumably for an exorbitant price tag and low production numbers.
Since the regular Renault 5 has a front-wheel-drive layout with a single motor, it's safe to say there are some major changes underneath the skin. The dual-motor, RWD performance version uses a "carbon superstructure," claimed to be "lightweight and extremely stiff." Weight isn't mentioned, but the preceding concept car–which also had two motors at the rear–tipped the scales at 3,306 pounds. The Alpine A290 is a smidge lighter, at 3,260 lbs.
We can draw parallels between the new Renault 5/Turbo 3E and the cars sold decades ago when America got the first-generation 5 rebadged as the Le Car. Back then, the regular model also had FWD with a front-mounted engine, whereas the homologation special Turbo model put the engine behind the seats, with power going to the rear wheels.
Surely, there isn't a big market for this kind of car, but we're glad it exists. It's expected to go on sale in 2026. Renault, while you're at it, can we have another mid-engine Clio?
