New Alfa Romeo Junior on sale now: 278bhp Veloce still to come with hot hatch pace

Order books have officially opened for Alfa Romeo’s first-ever electric car. Prices for the new Alfa Romeo Junior (née Milano) start from £33,895 – almost £2,000 less than the cheapest Peugeot E-2008 – while the hot hatch quick ‘Veloce’ model with 278bhp has yet to be unleashed.

The new Alfa Junior is currently available with a choice of two specifications. The base model is simply called Elettrica and comes as standard with 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, LED headlights, automatic wipers and rear parking sensors. Inside, there’s twin 10.25-inch screens with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus eight-colour ambient lighting and Icona seats covered in black and blue cloth.

Every Alfa Junior uses a single electric motor to drive their front wheels. In the standard Elettrica, the e-motor produces 154bhp and allows for 0-62mph in exactly nine seconds. However the Junior Speciale that sits above it is powered by a 237bhp e-motor.

The Junior Speciale is considered the ‘launch edition’ car and has the more powerful motor, sports styling kit, dark-tinted rear windows and unique ‘Petali’ alloy wheels. The sportier theme continues inside with sports pedals and a set of kick plates, plus Spiga vinyl fabric and a leather steering wheel. The infotainment system is bolstered with sat-nav and a reversing camera. The Speciale is priced from £35,695 – £5 less than that entry-level Peugeot E-2008.

Arriving later this year is the range-topping Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce, priced from £42,295. Power jumps to 278bhp for this particular version, allowing it to sprint from 0-62mph in just 5.9 seconds – exactly the same time it takes the updated Volkswagen Golf GTI. 

The Junior Veloce also has a Torsen differential, lowered (-25mm) suspension, 20-inch wheels and sports brake calipers. Visual upgrades include a two-tone paint scheme with a black roof, and the same sports styling kit fitted to the Speciale. Inside, there’s a set of leather Sabelt seats. 

Alfa says three option packs will also be available: Technology, Premium and Sport. The Technology pack adds things like a hands-free tailgate, matrix lights and a connected nav system, while Premium throws in electrically-operated massage seats for the driver, plus the ambient lighting and sports pedals found on the Speciale. Sport brings many of the Veloce’s trim elements to lesser variants – presumably for those wanting the racy look for less.

All versions feature the same 54kWh battery as other Stellantis small EVs the e-CMP platform, such as the E-2008, Jeep Avenger, Fiat 600e and Vauxhall Mokka. The base Junior Elettrica offers up to 255 miles of range, however the Speciale and Veloce should do closer to 215 miles on a charge. And with 100kW DC fast charging, a 10-80 per cent top-up takes “less than 30 minutes” when needed.

For those who missed the news, the Junior was initially launched as the Milano, before unexpected Italian government backlash quickly forced the name change. 

Now discover the best electric cars currently on the market...