New Renault 5 Turbo 3E offers scorching electric performance

The new Renault 5 Turbo 3E is an electric hot-hatch with serious attitude. Described by the French carmaker as “a beast of a car built for rallying, drift and track performance”, it differentiates itself from the regular Renault 5 E-Tech with a host of bespoke features. 

Chief of these is an Alpine-developed rear-wheel drive chassis made from lightweight but rigid aluminium. The windscreen has been moved back, wheelbase extended and track widened: significant structural tweaks that give this hatchback a stance reminiscent of the original Renault 5 Turbo and Turbo 2 that terrorised Europe's streets in the 1980s.

A compact city car with the width of a supercar, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E wears an angry visage home to square LED headlamps fused with the edge of the bonnet, square LED daytime running lights and an aerodynamic splitter running around the front bumper.

Other retro-inspired details include a pronounced bonnet outlet said to optimise downforce as well as fabulously swollen front/rear wheel arches replete with scoops. 20" wheels are standard as is a roof spoiler and rear air diffuser that wouldn't be out of place on a Group B rally car. To minimise weight, body panels are made from carbon fibre. 

Matching this aggressive styling is similarly assertive performance. Armed with 800V technology, the 1,450kg Renault 5 Turbo 3E is fitted with a 70kWh lithium-ion battery pack powering two in-wheel motors on the rear axle. Pumping out a combined output of 400kW and 4,800Nm of torque, you can bank on 0-100km/h in less than 3.5 seconds and a maximum speed of 270km/h.

Four driving modes are on offer (Snow, Regular, Sport and Race), as well as four levels of regenerative braking. There's also a push-to-pass button on the steering wheel and a drift-assist function with a fancy rally-style vertical handbrake. 

Driving range? Piloted sensibly you're looking at 400km according to WLTP cycle testing. Full AC battery charging takes about eight hours with the on-board 11kW charger. Plugged into a 350kW fast charger, the battery will go from 15% to 80% charged in just 15 minutes.

The Renault 5 Turbo 3E gets a minimalist cabin built around the driving experience. As such you can look forward to a pair of carbon bucket seats complete with track-ready six-point racing harnesses. Behind them resides a rigid roll cage. Facing the driver is a pair of screens (10.1" and 10.25") displaying driving, navigation and multimedia information via an interface inspired by the dashboard of the original Renault 5 Turbo and Turbo 2 models. 

The Renault 5 Turbo 3E will be offered in a range of exciting exterior and interior colours, including classic options inspired by its 1980s forebears. These include Rouge Grenade, seen on production models, and the yellow, white and black racing livery of the 1982 Tour de Corse rally car.

Further personalisation options include interior details such as seats, dashboard, door panels and centre console. Working with Renault designers, customers will be able to mix and match variants to create a truly unique vehicle.

Limited to 1,980 units — honouring the original Renault 5 Turbo’s launch year — the new Renault 5 Turbo 3E will be available in key markets including Europe, the Middle East, Japan and Australia. Each vehicle will be individually numbered, with customers able to select their preferred number at the time of order. Reservations open in the coming weeks, with first deliveries expected to commence in 2027. Pricing is to be confirmed.