Alpine A290 vs MINI JCW Electric: an electric hot hatch clash

Can a hot hatchback be a hot hatchback without an internal-combustion engine? We reckon yes, because apart from the occasional outlier (an Audi RS 3, for example) pretty much every option has a turbocharged four-cylinder engine. It’s a layout that isn’t exactly abundant with character or excitement – and no amount of cringeworthy pop-and-bang exhaust maps can change that.

What really sets a modern hot hatch apart is an engaging chassis – and a couple of new electric hot hatches are keen to stake their claim as the superMINI for the keen driver. The Alpine A290 is based on the Renault 5 E-Tech, and tuned by a team that in a previous life worked magic as RenaultSport. 

MINI has produced many a sparkling hot hatch in its time, and the very best wear the John Cooper Works badge. The latest electric MINI JCW is the fastest-accelerating car in the current MINI hatchback line-up. But can this pair really deliver on the hot hatch front?

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Alpine A290

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Alpine has committed to a fully electric future, and while that makes those of us fortunate enough to sample the sublime A110 a bit glum, there’s plenty of opportunity for those chassis magicians to turn their hand to something for everyday use – and the A290 is the first fruit of their labours. Prices start from £33,500 for the entry-level powertrain. The most potent model starts from £36,000, with the GTS version tested here costing £37,500.

Latest Alpine A290 deals

Tester’s notes

Downsides are hard to find in the A290, but one comes from the car on which it’s based. The Renault 5 E-Tech is a brilliant machine that’s great to look at, beautiful to sit in and good to drive. The Alpine A290 is without a doubt an even more focused driver’s car; in essence, it’s able to deliver all of the fun of the 5 – and more – while carrying much more speed both along the straights and through the turns. But I can’t help feeling that the £10,000 premium over the Renault version is hard to justify.

For all its handling prowess, we’d love to see the A290 equipped with a limited-slip differential. Other high-performance compact EVs such as the Abarth 600e and Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce both use such a diff to brilliant effect, allowing the driver to hop on the accelerator to deploy their cars’ significant, instant torque to the road even while plenty of steering lock is applied. 

The systems of the A290, on the other hand, give the distinct impression that they’re just holding things back to prevent unwanted wheelspin. And when you’re pressing on over a back road, you can’t help but feel slightly impatient as you wait for full power to arrive.

MINI JCW Electric

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The John Cooper Works name has graced some of the best hot hatchbacks of all time. While it first denoted highly tuned original MINIs that delivered giant-killing performances on world rally stages, in more recent years those three letters have been applied to some highly engineered spin-offs – look no further than the brilliant JCW GP of 2006 for JCW at its best. This current model is the first electric JCW, with prices starting from £34,905 – before any costly option packs are added.

Latest MINI JCW Electric deals

Tester’s notes

We’re glad that MINI is one of the few brands still sticking with a three-door bodystyle for its hot hatches – it just feels right. Of course, what it loses in versatility – especially compared with the likes of the Alpine A290 – it makes up for in style and desirability. Those who do need a little more space and practicality are not left out, though; the MINI Aceman JCW Electric uses the same powertrain set-up; its slightly larger body means that it takes half a second more to for the benchmark 0-62mph sprint, taking 6.4 seconds.

Many safety assist systems are now a mandatory feature that must always be switched on when the car restarts. This can be a pain when a lot of traffic-sign recognition tech can frequently miss signs altogether or read the wrong ones, often presenting the driver with incorrect information. 

Fortunately, MINI makes the speed warning tech easy to turn off; a long press on the ‘Set’ button on the steering wheel does the trick. However, we still slightly prefer the Alpine A290’s set-up, because it allows one button to be programmed to disable the lane-keep assist system at the same time.

Head-to-head

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On the road

There  are two different approaches to the hot hatch formula here. The MINI feels fast and frantic; strong pace brings lots of torque steer, and sensitive steering makes it feel like a wrestling match. It’s a giggle, if divisive. Less divisive is the ride; every tester agreed it’s punishingly firm. The A290’s chassis is much better resolved; on a challenging road where the JCW struggles, the Alpine excels.

Tech highlights

Alpine is proud of the fact that feel and feedback ranked so highly among its priorities during the A290’s development. Although it’s based on the Renault 5, aspects of the car’s chassis – steering, braking response plus ride and handling – have been tuned for the Alpine. Things don’t feel quite so involved for the MINI, although the JCW gets firmer suspension and stickier tyres than the standard Cooper Electric.

Price and running

There was very little to separate these two when it came to efficiency; the A290 just pipped the MINI at 3.6 miles/kWh to 3.5 miles/kWh. However, the MINI offers stronger residual values, holding onto roughly 53 per cent of its original price compared with the Alpine’s 49 per cent. Both cars come with competitively priced service plans; although they run for different durations, both cost roughly £150 per year.

Practicality

Neither of these cars is outstandingly spacious, but the A290 is the more practical option of the two. For a start, its five-door layout makes it much easier to get into the back, and once there, the Alpine offers a little more head and knee room, plus space for three along its rear bench. The MINI’s, meanwhile, is suitable for only two. However, the MINI’s back seats are slightly more supportive than the Alpine’s.

Safety

To get the full driver-assist kit, Alpine buyers need to spend an extra £300 for the Safety Pack (adding blind-spot warning), and £700 for the Driving Pack (with self-steering tech). MINI buyers must fork out for the Level 3 pack (£2,500 more than the Level 2) for interior monitoring and augmented-reality navigation. Even so, the MINI scooped a five-star Euro NCAP rating, while the A290 earned four stars.

Ownership

Not only is the MINI not quite as efficient as its rival, its 49.2kWh usable battery capacity is smaller than the 52kWh of the A290. As a result, the Alpine has the better real-world range: 187 miles versus 172 miles based on our test results. Charging speeds top out at 100kW for the Alpine, pipping the MINI’s 95kW maximum rate. Both cars come with a three-year warranty that’s backed up with three years’ roadside assistance.

Verdict

Winner: Alpine A290

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The Alpine A290 builds on the talents of the brilliant Renault 5 E-Tech and turns the stylish retro superMINI into a genuinely engaging performance car with feel, feedback and sophistication. 

Judged purely on its merits, it’s a hugely desirable thing to both look at and sit in, while its superb speed across a challenging road hasn’t come at the expense of comfort and refinement. Great though it is, we can’t help but remind ourselves that the Renault 5 offers 90 per cent of the fun for much less cash. If the A290 had a trick differential or a touch more punch, our score would creep up an extra half star.

Runner-up: MINI JCW Electric

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There’s one thing that really holds the MINI John Cooper Works Electric back, and that’s its ride quality. Our initial test drives brought concerns about just how irritating that could become in everyday life, and those concerns were certainly confirmed during our second, much longer encounter.  

It’s a real shame, because in many ways it’s more fun to drive than any other MINI you can buy today – petrol or electric. Playful handling, strong performance and that lovely cabin mean that, should you be lucky enough to live somewhere exclusively surfaced in lovely, smooth asphalt, then there’s an awful lot to like.

Prices and specs

What we would choose

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Alpine A290

The £300 safety pack is a good upgrade for the blind-spot detection tech it adds. That aside, the remaining options on the GTS come down to the cosmetic; there are four colours, with a contrast black roof offered for £400 extra.

MINI JCW Electric 

Customisation has always been a strength, and the JCW offers buyers scope to play with their car. Six exterior colours, four roof finishes and two wheel designs (each offered with a choice of finishes) are available.

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