Rally successes in the 1950s, ’60s, and early ’70s helped put Alpine on the map, and now the brand has released the competition-ready A290 Rallye to remind us that going electric is no barrier to sending mud, snow, and gravel flying.

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The Rallye isn’t some wild Group B-style monster, but an entry-level rally car that’s eligible for entry in local competitions. So it sticks fairly close to the road-going A290 hot hatch, which together with its Renault 5 brother pulled off a victory in the 2025 Car of The Year competition.

Powertrain Tweaks and Track-Focused Hardware

That means it has a single motor under the hood that sends the same 217 hp (220 PS / 160 kW) to the front wheels as the top-spec production A290 (the entry-level road car makes do with 178 hp / 180 PS / 132 kW). But the ponies reaching those wheels are now dished out by a ZF mechanical limited-slip differential, and the rest of the chassis features some key upgrades that ought to keep it on the wiggly and narrow.

ALP Racing Suspension shocks control wheel and body movements, the 18×8-inch Evo Corse wheels are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport A tires, and the front brakes are upgraded from 320 mm rotors and four-piston callipers to 350 mm discs and six pots. Alpine’s engineers have also tweaked the ABS setup and fitted a hydraulic handbrake to boost agility on hairpin bends.

Purpose-Built for the Stage

FIA compliance and common sense mean the Rallye has Sabelt bucket seats and a welded roll cage, but there’s one more tweak that’s got nothing to do with safety and everything to do with putting on a good show for watching rally fans.

The A290 already features a synthesised soundtrack, but for the Rallye Alpine, a new external sound generator was developed that emits noises which change depending on the EV’s speed and throttle position.

Price, Availability, and What Comes Next

The €59,990 (equal to about £51,900 / $70,800) price puts it at the accessible end of the customer rally car scale, although it’s still 40 percent more expensive than a stock A290 with the more powerful of the two available motors. But besides the upgrades, you’re also buying an A290 that is hand-built in the competition workshop at Alpine’s Jean Rédélé factory in Dieppe.

Alpine is unveiling its first electric racer aimed at private customers at the Rallye Rouergue Rodez Aveyron Occitanie this weekend, after which it’ll be trucked to the UK for an appearance at Goodwood, followed by a showing at the Rallye Mont-Blanc Morzine.

Furthermore, A290 Rallye buyers will get the chance to compete in a one-off event in France later this year, which Alpine promises will be backed by technical support and, just as importantly, a specific charging infrastructure.

Alpine