Skip advert
Advertisement

The Renault 5 Turbo 3E looks like a concept, but you can actually buy one

The Renault 5 Turbo 3E is a 533bhp, rear-drive revival of one of the world’s most iconic hot hatches, limited to 1980 units

It’s no secret that high end, high performance electric cars are a tough sell these days, but Renault doesn’t seem to be put off. In spring this year, it’s bringing a radical electric interpretation of the iconic Renault 5 Turbo to market. Called the Turbo 3E, the new model promises supercar levels of performance and a huge dose of fun to go with it, being a 533bhp rear-drive hot hatch built for track driving – and drifting. 

Advertisement - Article continues below

Despite looking like a fantasy concept, the show car in these images is very close to the final production car, which will go on sale in spring with first deliveries scheduled for 2027. Pricing hasn’t been announced, but is touted to be significantly below that of a conventional supercar – Renault names the Lotus Emira (£89,500), the Caterham Project V (sub-£80k) and the Nissan GT-R among the Turbo 3E’s potential competitors, although there’s currently nothing like it on the market. 

That’s because the Turbo 3E is a highly bespoke electric hot hatch that shares almost nothing with the base Renault 5. The exterior mirrors, door handles, tail lights, windscreen (albeit cut down) and the infotainment system are the only major shared components, with the Turbo 3E getting significantly widened, redesigned carbon bodywork and a unique aluminium EV platform. At 4.08 metres long and 2.03 metres wide, it’s as short as a supermini but the width of a supercar. The final design will see minor tweaks to improve aero performance, but by and large, what you see here will reach showrooms. 

Skip advert
Advertisement
Advertisement - Article continues below

Like the original 5 Turbo, the 3E is rear-drive, but its source of propulsion couldn’t be more different. Being an EV it swaps the classic’s midship turbocharged four-pot for batteries and motors, with a 70kWh pack mounted in the floor powering a pair of rear e-motors with a combined 533bhp. In a first for a production EV, these are in-wheel items mounted within 20-inch rims and forming part of the sprung mass of the car, with the suspension pick up points and arms (double wishbones all round) reinforced and the dampers tuned accordingly. They supposedly provide even more instantaneous response than a conventional EV drivetrain and no transmission losses, and allow for torque vectoring across the rear axle. 

Advertisement - Article continues below

The engineering of the Turbo 3E is being carried out by Alpine, despite the car wearing a Renault badge. Reducing weight has been key in its development, with the 3E tipping the scales at 1450kg – about the same as a Honda Civic Type R – with a 47:53 front-to-rear split. That helps it achieve a 3.5sec 0-62mph time and a 168mph top speed, with 249 miles available from a full charge. 

Part of the Turbo 3E’s brief is to perform several hot laps on track between charges, with 20 minute sessions followed by 20 minute recharges. Thanks to an 800-volt architecture, the peak charging rate is 350kW which tops up the battery from 15 to 80 per cent in 15 minutes, with vehicle-to-grid and external device charging available too.  As well as being capable of fast laps on track, the Turbo 3E has a wilder side, accessed via a drift mode and hydraulic handbrake. 

Skip advert
Advertisement
Advertisement - Article continues below

Inside, you’ll find elements from existing cars (a steering wheel borrowed from the Alpine A290 and the R5’s dual display panel, for example) baked into a redesigned cabin architecture. There’s a new dashboard, door cards with fabric pulls and a high central tunnel sprouting a vertical handbrake lever. 

The seats are carbon buckets with six point harnesses, and the driver is presented with a digital dash display that mimics the original 5 Turbo’s square dial pack. You also get a boost button marked OV (for overtake) on the wheel, as well as a switch to cycle between four regen modes and a button to change from Snow, Regular, Sport, Race and the aforementioned drift mode. Being a strict two seater, the Turbo 3E features netting and a half cage behind the seats, and a surprisingly generous luggage area (made possible by the compact in-wheel motors). 

Customers will be able to personalise their cars from the paint livery and interior upholstery, with the option of securing a specific build number from the 1980 production run. Pricing hasn’t been disclosed yet, but whatever it costs, the Turbo 3E so far seems every bit as mad and intriguing as the original 5 Turbo – we can’t wait to drive it. 

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Lexus RZ 550e F-Sport has 402bhp and totally virtual steering
Lexus RZ550e front
News

Lexus RZ 550e F-Sport has 402bhp and totally virtual steering

A first for Europe as a car that uses steer-by-wire tech, with no physical connection between the steering wheel and front wheels
11 Mar 2025
Alpine A290 v Alpine A110 – how much DNA do they really share?
Alpine A290 v Alpine A110
Group tests

Alpine A290 v Alpine A110 – how much DNA do they really share?

Alpine would like us to believe that the A290 shares much of the same DNA that makes the A110 a great driver’s car. Time to put that claim to the test
8 Mar 2025
Electric Alpine A110: exclusive details on the Porsche Cayman EV rival
Alpine A110
News

Electric Alpine A110: exclusive details on the Porsche Cayman EV rival

The end is in sight for the Alpine A110 in its current form, but an electric version is just around the corner to take on Porsche’s Cayman EV
6 Mar 2025
Maserati MC20 Folgore electric supercar cancelled for now
MC20 Folgore
News

Maserati MC20 Folgore electric supercar cancelled for now

The electric version of the sublime Maserati MC20 has been a long time coming. Now it’s probably not coming at all
6 Mar 2025
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Ferrari 296 Challenge 2025 review – Maranello's hybrid supercar goes V6-only
Ferrari 296 Challenge
Reviews

Ferrari 296 Challenge 2025 review – Maranello's hybrid supercar goes V6-only

Stripped of the road car’s heavy and complex hybrid technology, Ferrari’s entry-level competition car provides a glimpse of an alternative universe
15 Mar 2025
New Mercedes CLA revealed – BMW 2-series rival packs EV and hybrid power
2025 Mercedes CLA front
News

New Mercedes CLA revealed – BMW 2-series rival packs EV and hybrid power

Mercedes’ junior four-door saloon will reappear in its third iteration in 2025, with electric and AMG guises to follow
13 Mar 2025
Porsche's EV U-turn means more new petrol cars and hybrids are coming
2025 Porsche 911 GT3
News

Porsche's EV U-turn means more new petrol cars and hybrids are coming

The 911 will get even more exclusive and desirable variants with increased customisability going forward
12 Mar 2025