Alpine A390 Review 2025
Alpine A390 At A Glance
Strong standard equipment level. Successfully translates Alpine's visual identity into an SUV setting. Quick, especially as a GTS.
Not massively fun to drive. Tight for rear-seat passengers. GT's rapid charging speed is nothing special.
After sprucing up the Renault 5 to create the A290, Alpine has made a more bespoke offering in the form of the A390, a fully electric 'coupe' SUV. The French brand is making bold claims of the car being a 'sports car in a suit', but is that actually the case? Spoiler alert – not really. Find out why in our full Alpine A390 review.
It seemed pretty unbelievable when Renault first revived its Alpine brand for an all-new, rear-wheel drive, mid-engined sports car. The Alpine A110 appeared to come from nowhere, and quickly won over the petrolhead population, but fast forward to today, and reality is starting to bite.
Alpine has become a mere trim level on some Renault models, while its second-ever model, the Alpine A290, is a worked-over version of an affordable electric hatchback in the form of the Renault 5 E-Tech. And then there's the subject of today's review, the Alpine A390, which is a fully electric SUV coupe. Because of course it is.
We can almost hear the collective sigh of car enthusiasts the world over, but this is a bespoke Alpine model of which there'll never be a lesser Renault version, and although it borrows a platform from the Renault Scenic, it's been extensively modified to house two motors at the back. It's also comfortably the most powerful road car Alpine has ever made, with the A390 GTS punting out 470PS for a 0-62mph time of 3.9 seconds.
While lightweight, two-seater sports cars like the A110 have all but died out, there's no shortage of fast, premium electric SUVs for the A390 to worry about. The Porsche Macan Electric looks like the Alpine's stiffest competition, as does the Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron, which shares quite a lot in common with the Porsche. There are some more leftfield options as well in the form of the Maserati Grecale Folgore and the Polestar 4.
Although the proportions necessary for a car like this aren't the best starting point for something classically beautiful, the A390 is a decent-looking car and does a good job of reimagining the low-slung coupe into an SUV setting.
The A390's shape doesn't look like it'd lend itself to practicality, so it might be a surprise to find out it has a 532-litre boot. It's not hugely accommodating for rear-seat passengers, though. But how is it for the driver? Unfortunately, based on our time in the GT (the GTS is arriving at a later date), a little underwhelming. It's fast and reasonably capable, but a more practical, slightly jacked-up A110 this is not.
Alpine A390: Range and charging times
| Alpine A390 GT | 345 miles (WLTP provisional) |
| Alpine A390 GTS | 313 miles (WLTP provisional) |
There is a slight range penalty for choosing the GTS model, but it's not massive. It manages up to 313 miles, compared to 345 miles for the lower-powered GT. These WLTP figures are still provisional and awaiting approval.
The GTS has the best DC rapid charging rate at 190kW, making for a 15 to 80% top-up possible in "less than" 25 minutes. The GT isn't too far behind, offering 150kW. A 22kW on-board charger is optional, and potentially worth having if you're likely to frequent destination chargers.
Fully charging the battery from empty should take about 12 hours if you have a home wallbox, and at least three times that from a three-pin socket, not that manufacturers recommend the latter method.
Reviews for Alpine A390's top 3 rivals
Alpine A390 handling and engines
Alpine A390 2025: Handling and ride quality
While all-wheel drive EVs usually feature a motor at each axle, the A390 has one at the front and two at the back – one for each rear wheel. We're talking about this in the handling section because it makes quite a bit of difference to the A390's dynamics.
In terms of production cars, the only ones to adopt a similar layout are the Tesla Model S Plaid and the Xiaomi SU7. The idea is that the power output can be varied at each side to make the car feel more agile, something called torque vectoring. Together, the rear two make quite a bit more power than the front motor.
In the less powerful GT, at least, this doesn't make for a car that moves around at the rear under power as much as we anticipated. In fact, it's generally pretty neutral, with only the occasional slight hint of things getting spicy up back.
It's generally pretty capable, with good levels of grip and traction, although you do feel the car's 2.1-tonne mass in tighter corners, and there is a bit of roll. There aren't any trick adaptive dampers that allow for a stiffer setting to keep the car more level, with Alpine electing to stick with passive suspension on the A390.
The setup is comfortable, though, reacting well to lumps and bumps in the road surface. It's definitely a car you'd be happy doing a lot of miles in, even if the wind noise at speed is more vocal than we'd like.
Alpine A390 2025: Engines
All versions of the Alpine A390 feature an 89kWh (useable) battery pack and the unusual triple motor layout mentioned earlier.
In the GTS, the combined output of the three motors is 470PS and a whopping 808Nm of torque, making for 0-62mph in just 3.9 seconds, on to an electronically limited top speed of 137mph. The GT is still plenty pokey, offering 408PS and 661Nm of torque, enabling 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds. The top speed is limited to 124mph.
So far, we've only tried the GT. Like a lot of fast EVs, it feels quite punchy from the off, but the feeling of acceleration still wanes. There's also a sci-fi-like noise accompanying the drive, but we don't actually mind that.
Alpine A390 2025: Safety
The A390 hasn't yet been tested by Euro NCAP. For now, all we can do is look at the array of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), which here include autonomous emergency braking (which also works in reverse), lane departure warning, a driver attention monitor and a safe exit system.
Perhaps what we're most interested in, though, given the foibles of lane assistance systems and speed limit warnings that frequently pick up the wrong limit and bong at you for no reason, is the 'My Safety' button. You can select which ADAS functions you want on and which you don't, allowing you to adopt your preferred settings with ease.
Alpine A390 interior
Alpine A390 2025: Practicality
The Alpine A390 offers 532 litres of boot space, which is only just behind a Porsche Macan 4 Electric's 540 litres, and much better than the 480 litres in the Macan Turbo Electric. There's also an underfloor storage area which will be handy for a charge cable.
The rear bench folds in a 40/60 split, although there isn't a figure for the total volume this opens up. Given the A390's fairly low, sloping roof line, we can't imagine the number being massively impressive.
There's a decent-sized cubby under the central armrest, a deep but quite narrow storage tray under the infotainment display, and between the two, a cupholder. Yes, just one, which feels a bit mean. Your passenger will have to just hold their oat milk latte, we guess.
Rear legroom is quite limited, while taller adults won't feel like they have much headroom. Visibility also isn't brilliant, thanks to some especially thick A-pillars and a very small rear windscreen.
Alpine A390 2025: Quality and finish
Up front, everything is pretty peachy in this regard, with a blend of quality-feeling materials that all seem to be put together well. Yes, the infotainment/instrument cluster combo is housed in a chunk of that nasty piano black plastic, but that doesn't detract from proceedings significantly. There are some cheaper plastics, but they're mostly below your eyeline.
Things aren't quite so nice in the back. The rear doors are clad in large plastic panels that don't exactly scream premium, and the same material has been used for the cheap-looking rear climate control vent.
Alpine A390 2025: Infotainment
The A390 features a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a portrait 12-inch infotainment system housed in one curved, L-shaped unit. If it looks familiar, that'll be because this same setup is used in multiple Renault models.
There is, however, an Alpine-specific 'skin' to all this, so you don't just feel like you're in a Scenic. A very fast Scenic. It also uses Android Automotive, which isn't the same thing as Android Auto. It's an operating system rather than a connectivity platform, so you can download all your favourite apps like Spotify and Google Maps without having to mirror them from a smartphone.
The system is easy to get your head around, and everything loads very quickly, keeping up with the responsive touchscreen nicely. And it should go without saying that Google Maps or Waze is always going to be better than an OEM system, so it's nice to see Alpine not wasting any effort on its own setup you'll inevitably end up ignoring.
Like the A110, the A390 eschews well-known audio brands that you'll often find in cars, like Bose and Harman Kardon, and opts for a French company you might not have heard of. In this case, it's Devialet, and the setup here includes 13 speakers, including a subwoofer. It offers a crisp, clear sound with a decent amount of low-end clout, but it's not mind-blowingly good.
Alpine A390 value for money
Alpine A390 2025: Prices
We're expecting the A390 to start somewhere a little north of £60,000, with the GTS model nudging £70,000. That makes the Porsche Macan Electric look conspicuously expensive. It starts at nearly £70k, topping out at almost £100k, and that's before you start adding options. Which, on a Porsche configurator, can quickly amount to a big uplift in price.
You might be tempted to get the A390 as a company car. Being an EV, it enjoys a benefit-in-kind (BiK) tax rate of just 3%, making for very low monthly payments. Or if you want another way to save money on one of these, it could be worth just waiting a bit until the first used and pre-registered examples come on the market. It's hard to tell what the residual values will be, but generally, premium EVs suffer a big initial hit of depreciation.
Alpine A390 2025: Running Costs
Provided you can mostly charge your A390 at home, it should prove very cheap to run. A full charge will cost about £23 on a typical electricity tariff, but you can slash that figure if you have a variable rate that gives cheaper electricity at off-peak hours. Time your charge sessions to suit, and you're laughing, but the caveat is that if you enjoy all the A390's performance too often, you won't be going very far at all on a full battery.
EVs are now liable for Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), so it's the same £195 for the A390 as any petrol, diesel or hybrid car. Worse still, EVs also don't escape the government's premium car supplement, and although the threshold is due to increase to £50,000 for EVs, the A390 is far beyond that. This surcharge adds £425 annually from years two to six.
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The two versions of the A390, the GT and the GTS, are differentiated not only in terms of their power outputs but also in their equipment.
The Alpine A390 GT comes with the following fitted as standard:
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- Matrix LED headlights
- Electrically adjustable heated front seats
- Heated leather steering wheel
- Adaptive Cruise control
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- 13-speaker Devialet sound system
- 360-degree parking sensors
- Tinted rear windows
- Powered Tailgate
- Heat pump
The Alpine A390 GTS includes all of the above plus:
- 21-inch alloy wheels
- Nappa leather interior trim
Model History
May 2025
Alpine A390 revealed
Alpine has unveiled the A390. It's the firm's second fully electric car, and joins the A290 in what Alpine calls its Dream Garage.
Described as 'a five-seat sport fastback with the agility and performance of the A110,' the A390 features up to 470PS and an electric range of 345 miles from its 89kWh battery.
The Alpine A390 will be built in France at the brand's Manufacture Alpine Dieppe Jean Rédélé factory and will go on sale in the UK in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Prices will be confirmed closer to the launch, but Alpine has stated that A390 GT and GTS versions will range from €65,000 (£56,500) to €76,000 (£66,000. Alpine A390 Première pass holders will get priority access to A390 orders.
The A390 is one of seven electric cars that Alpine plans to launch by 2030.
November 2025
Alpine A390 preview
There will inevitably be a collective sigh from some quarters that another sports car brand has opted to release a instead of something resembling a conventional sports car. That gasp of dismay conveniently ignores not only that electrification will continue to quickly march on but also that demand for traditional sports coupes has dwindled to unsustainable levels in many instances. With those latter points in mind the debut Alpine A390 makes perfect sense.
Renault's performance wing knows first-hand just how fickle sports car buyers are. Its Alpine A110 is one of the best-regarded performance coupes of the modern era, with praise heaped on it from every quarter. It would feel just if Alpine couldn’t build them quickly enough to sate demand but the truth is they trickle out of showrooms.
Hence why its second car of modern times was the — a Gallic chic take on the hot hatchback using the battery-powered as its excellent starting point. The A390 is an altogether different proposition, though, not least because there’ll be no Renault-badged version of it — it’s as much a pure Alpine as the A110 is.
Viewed from the side, the Alpine A390’s silhouette is strikingly similar to the A110’s, despite being larger in every dimension in order to accommodate a rear bench seat, an extra set of doors on either side and the zeitgeisty elevated stance necessary to be an SUV. Not that Alpine refers to it as such, instead choosing to label it a sport fastback.
Exterior details break fresh ground for Alpine — gone are the circular lights of the A110 and its forbears, replaced instead by slender slits of LEDs punctuated by tiny illuminated triangles. That shape, reflecting the ‘A’ of Alpine is repeated all around the A390, including at the crests of the wheelarches. The effect is well-judged and — despite their frequency — doesn’t feel overwrought.
One element that’s worthy of a specific mention are the — triangular, natch — back door handles nestled into the rearmost edges of the window frames, the effect of which replicates the A110’s recessed glass that channel air into ducts feeding the engine. Magnifique.
Inside the A390 is what appears more like an Alpine-trimmed version of a Renault dashboard, with a similar twin-screen arrangement as you’ll find in the family friendly Scenic E-Tech SUV. That’s not a bad thing given the quality of Renault’s recent cabins, the lift of the Alpine touches should prove sufficient to make it feel special.
It will need to feel more than simply a cut above the mainstream if Alpine’s going to convince would-be buyers that the A390 is a credible alternative to a diverse range of alternatives including the co-developed Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron and Porsche Macan Electric, the Maserati Grecale Folgore and the rakish Polestar 4.
So how do the Alpine A390’s performance credentials stack-up based on the provisional data revealed so far? Positively is the succinct answer.
Following a limited availability Premiere Edition, Alpine will offer the A390 in fast GT and faster still GTS guises, generating 400PS and 470PS respectively courtesy of a trio of electric motors. Up front a single motor drives the front wheels which each side at the rear has a motor of its own allowing Alpine’s engineers — and A390 drivers — to mete-out the torque with a greater deal of playfulness than is the norm. Fingers crossed that translates into a genuinely fun driving experience.
With 650Nm of torque at its disposal, the A390 GT is set to squirrel from a standstill to 62mph in 4.8 seconds, while the GTS’s boastful 808Nm quota trims that down to 3.9 seconds. Considering the lightest version of this Alpine is set to tip the scales at 2121kg, this promises to be a mightily brisk family car.
Electric cars famously chew through the energy reserves stored in the high voltage batteries rather gluttonously when their performance is maximised but when driven more gently, such as when going through the process of WLTP Combined cycle driving certification to officially confirm their range, they can prove to be impressively efficient.
We’ll see how things look once the A390’s been fully homologated but the provisional figures for both the GT and GTS indicate a range of 323-344 miles from the 89kWh battery they share.
Bidirectional charging — allowing external electrical devices to be plugged into the Alpine A390 as a power source — is part of the package with the 11kW AC on-board charger for domestic wallbox use as standard, while a 22kW version is optionally available. Ultra-rapid DC charging has a maximum flow rate of 190kW, although charging times have yet to be published.
We’re not expecting the Alpine A390 to be the most spacious of family SUVs despite its 4615mm length. Self-evidently that slinky roofline could well be a limiting factor to comfort for taller rear-seat passengers, while Alpine itself described the cabin as a ‘sporty cocoon for five’. Snug, then.
Its large, glazed tailgate will grace the 532-litre boot with a useful degree of practicality as does the fact the photos suggest it cuts down to a relatively low bumper level when needing to hoick heavy items in and out of it. How much volume’s available when the split-folding rear seat is tipped forwards will be confirmed in due course.
Pricing similarly remains unconfirmed at this stage but expect the Alpine A390 GT to start at around £60,000 with a further £10,000 needed for the GTS when order books open in the final couple of months of 2025. Customer deliveries will commence in early 2026.
