Alpine A390 GT: French, fast and fun. A sporting EV with a real sense of occasion

There is a definite sense of occasion to sidling up and sliding into an Alpine A390. In a year when so many anonymous-looking new electric vehicles launched with brand and model names you probably haven’t heard of, the A390 stands apart. And although Alpine itself is something of a rare name in motoring, the French marque is certainly not new, with a credible motorsport-inspired history dating back 70 years and F1 and endurance racing teams more recently.

The A390’s sense of occasion comes from a coupé crossover exterior design that looks sleek, honed and racy. It’s defined at the front by slim and focused daylight running lights framed above by a thick and body-coloured floating ‘monobrow’ bar that curves around to link up with bulging front wheelarches on each side. Behind this bar, two wide bonnet scoops dive down forwards towards two central holes to help channel air and also reduce visual mass.

Various other fractured lighting and graphic elements gravitate visually towards a precisely creased centre line, with headlights tucked away in the top section of large side air vents. With concave sculpting to the bodyside and flush front doors handles and hidden rear ones, plus a well-defined, full-width, wraparound rear red lighting signature at the end of its sloping roofline, the A390 – especially in electric blue – gets a lot of attention on test.

Which is important, because the all-electric 4.6m-long Alpine is seeking premium customers in a segment it has not competed in before and who might currently be driving or considering an Audi Q4 Sportback, Tesla Model Y or Porsche Macan. That’s quite a leap for a brand within the Renault Group stable which shares parts – notably its underpinnings and interior screen – with the Renault Scenic.

However, Alpine’s designers have worked hard to extend that exterior ‘wow’ factor and brand differentiation deep inside the A390’s interior too. Thoughtful details include air vents framed and neatly flush on each side of the driver display screen plus colour-coded racing-style controls on the steering wheel, including a red lever for overtaking boost and a blue dial for brake regen adjustment. It’s all very motorsport-inspired and unlike any other car at this price point.

Despite its strong driver focus and firmly cocooning feel upfront, the A390 also offers decent leg and headroom for a six-footer in the rear passenger seats and some flexibility in the boot floor height with 532 litres of luggage space available with all seats up.

But what’s most impressive about the A390 is that its initial sporty visual impression is fully backed by an excellent driving experience. One of the car’s unique selling points in this size and price range, is the use of three motors – one at the front and two at the rear – making it rear-biased but all-wheel drive, and with torque vectoring allowing the power to be directed to just where it’s required.

Press the Drive Mode button on the steering wheel to Sport and this system really comes into its own, delivering more power to the outside rear wheel on any turn and providing great control, stability and agility and thus driver confidence through twisty corners.

Alongside firm, but not too firm steering, the A390 makes going fast feel easy, really fun and very safe. Drilling down into the figures, the A390 GT can dispatch 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds from its 400hp triple motors – the forthcoming GTS is quicker still at 3.9 seconds – while its 89kWh battery can store enough energy to drive up to 345 miles on a single charge.

Factor in a crisp sound system from the niche French audio expert (and relative newcomer) Devialet plus simple Apple CarPlay pairing and an easily accessed physical button to turn off the safety bleeps and boings when safe to do so, and the A390 offers functionality and creature comforts to go with its undoubted fast fun.

Sitting alongside the already acclaimed lightweight petrol-powered A110 two-seater sportscar and A290 sporty supermini (based on the Renault 5) Alpine now has a mini range to choose from. And although the brand will still be a rare sight on British roads, as Alpine has no plans to over-saturate the market, expect more examples of the distinctive range to appear – likely with discerning drivers at the wheel – in 2026.

Alpine A390 GT, from c£60,000, A390 GTS, c£70,000, Alpine-Cars.co.uk, @AlpineCars