'Mini-supercar' Renault 5 Turbo 3E gets 533bhp

On sale 2026 | Price from £100,000 (est)

Race on Sunday, sell on Monday. That’s the reason so many car makers invest in expensive racing programmes. They know the kudos generated by a chequered flag helps not only shift cars, but endows a sense of glamour that’s hard to beat.

Ferrari was built on this ethos, and it’s been crucial to more humble success stories such as the BMW 3 Series, Ford Escort – and the Renault 5.

The resulting car, the Renault 5 Turbo, and the Renault 5 GT Turbo which followed, became an icon of the hot hatch scene in the 1980s and 90s – and it’ll return in 2027, reimagined as an all-electric, 533bhp hot hatch.

Renault has claimed the dimensions and thrilling performance of the 3E Turbo mean that it falls into its very own category – a 'mini-supercar'.

Production will be capped to just 1980 models, evoking the year the original car was launched, and will have a price tag of between £100,000 and £150,000. However, buyers will be offered a huge range of bespoke customisation options for the interior and exterior, meaning the price some buyers will pay could be far more.

Engineered by Renault’s performance car brand, Alpine, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E will accelerate from 0-62mph in less than 3.5sec; less than half the 8.0sec the regular car takes. That's faster than an entry-level Porsche 911 Carrera. The Turbo 3E will also achieve an on-track top speed of 168mph.

Significantly, the Turbo 3E will see power switched from the front to a rear-wheel drive setup in order to improve agility and driver involvement. The original Turbos and the later Renault Clio V6 had their engines located in place of the rear seats, so it seems fitting the motors in the new car will also be mounted in the rear – although in this case, they’ll be fitted in the wheels rather than in place of the back seats.

Yet while the car may bear a resemblance to far more humble versions of the electric Renault 5, almost all of the bodywork is new – and it’s completely different under the skin. The chassis is made from lightweight and strong carbon-fibre, and the twin motor setup produces a combined output of 533bhp, marking a huge increase over the 148bhp, single motor model that currently tops the range.

Powered by a 70kWh battery, the Turbo 3E will manage an official 250 miles between charges, although Renault has said it's only likely to last between 15 and 20 minutes when driven flat-out on track.

The Turbo 3E's 800V charging technology will allow the hot hatchback be charged at speeds of up to 350kW – making it among the fastest charging electric cars in the UK. At that rate, a 15-80% charge should take as little as 15 minutes using the fastest public chargers.

The Renault 5 Turbo 3E has styling echoes of the large-rumped, mid-engined Turbos of the 80s, and its motorsport pretensions are laid bare by the yellow and white paintwork, so reminiscent of Renault’s works rally cars. In pure rally fashion, the Turbo 3E will get a vertical hydraulic handbrake for drifting.

An overtake button on the steering wheel will provide a boost in power. Drivers will be able to select one of four driving modes: Snow, Regular, Sport and Race, the latter of which comes with a drift-assist function.

Renault’s designers have evolved the silhouette of the regular R5 to incorporate wildly exaggerated wheel arches and 20in alloy wheels. The charging socket has been cleverly integrated into one of the rear air scoops.

Evoking the spirit of the Renault Clio V6, the Turbo 3E is available exclusively with a two-door, two-seater set-up. Inside, it embraces its supercar status with bucket seats and six-point harnesses. It borrows the same 10.1in digital instrument display and 10.25in infotainment touchscreen from the regular car, though the former will have slightly different styling inspired by the car from the 1980s.

The new model follows the reveal of the laboriously-named R5 Turbo 3E E-Tech 100% electric in 2023. That model more closely followed the design of the original Turbos than the latest Renault 5, and weighed less than a tonne, excluding batteries. The key difference is that the 2023 model was conceived as a wildly-styled drift car, designed to generate smoky donuts; the new car will be a more conventional performance car.

Read more: Best hot hatches >>

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