2026 Alpine A390 GTS | PH Review

Extra muscle gives the A390 super-SUV credentials, but a grand doesn't come for free...

By Sam Sheehan / Tuesday, 16 June 2026 / Loading comments

You won’t need me to tell you that French hot hatches go down very well in the UK. Spend only a few minutes surfing the PH forums, classifieds and auctions and the evidence of this piles up like pain au chocolat in a patisserie window. Recent sales figures suggest the love affair remains strong as ever, with 2,452 examples of Alpine’s A290 selling on these shores in Q1 alone, securing Britain the top spot when it comes to the brand’s biggest markets away from home. Petrol or electric, we’re apparently still partial to un petit hot hatch.

What about electric SUVs though? Unlike privately bought hot hatches, this category of cars receives most demand from company car drivers, who tend to be more focused on maximising bang for your BIK than anything else. There’s a bit more of a demand for ‘status’ in this world too, hence why Mercedes, BMW and most recently Volvo have all recently launched new cars in the segment. Audi’s naturally also in the fight, and Porsche has the new Macan EV. There’s much money to be made - making it a tough nut to crack.

Which is a roundabout way of saying the success of Alpine’s A290 absolutely does not guarantee anything for the bigger A390. Indeed, while our drive in the regular GT variant last year confirmed there’s plenty to like about the A390, when company car buyers have plenty of alternative options - and as of 2026, several of them are capable of well over 400 miles between charges - you do have to wonder how many Brits are prepared to go full Francophile. Certainly they would need a persuasive excuse for eschewing the usual suspects.

Which is where the new GTS comes in. With more power this top-grade A390 promises super-SUV pace in a package that’s lighter and sleeker than its rivals. It’s more obviously focused on handling too, leaving the German brands to fight over power figures and Volvo to hold onto its battery range bragging rights. And while claims of ‘A110-like handling’ must be taken with a bucket of salt, the quicker GTS is said to be even more like its sports car sibling because of the extra power at the rear. There are even comparison lap time graphs in Alpine’s presentations to prove it.

Starting at £69,390 the GTS is only £8k more than the GT too, which for company car drivers benefitting from the UK’s business EV perks, probably means it’s a no brainer versus the regular car. Private buyers have plenty of reasons to go for the GTS too, of course, with it producing not only 470hp (70 more than the GT) but also 120lb ft more torque with a 608lb ft peak. That means 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds, which is nine tenths quicker than the GT - and it ranks the car alongside pricier versions of its rivals.

That is until you look at the range, because the A390 GTS uses the same three-motor and 89kWh setup as the GT. It does help to keep weight down to 2.1 tonnes, which is genuinely light by the portly standard of the class. But it means the car’s combined claimed range is 342 miles - and that’s only if you option on the 20-inch GT wheel for about three hundred quid. As standard the GTS gets 21s that trim on-paper mileage to 311. Don’t forget, the new iX3 and EX60 both offer up to 500 miles.

For those who spend time commuting up and down the motorway, that’s probably enough of a reason to remove the A390 from the list from the get-go. But for everyone else, there are some key pull factors. For starters it looks great, slimmer and more athletic than all of the alternatives. While the iX3’s design is bold, it’s unashamedly butch, while the GLC is, erm, not exactly easy on the eye. The Macan looks decent enough in the right spec, but if visual flair is important to you, the Alpine has more of it.

Inside, while the A390’s mix of leathers and suedes, and the bucket seats, are really very nice, the interior is recognisably Renault - which means it works well enough with its slick, Google-powered infotainment, and gets physical switches for the climate control (as well as a very welcome button for switching out the ADAS), it doesn’t feel anywhere near as special as the Porsche. That swoopy roofline also ensures that rear headroom and boot space are far from the best in the segment. As with the range, you’re sacrificing some functional practicality by choosing the Alpine.

But it does drive well. The extra GTS muscle is noticeable. It’s not as thump-you-in-the-back as the iX3’s torque delivery, but that probably means you’re likely to use the power more often and more effectively. The steering is quick and the nose responds keenly, and while our stints on and off track in Italy were conducted in perfect conditions, it’s clear even the clumsiest of power inputs don’t have the two motors on the rear spinning the wheels in lairy fashion. Even with traction control off, torque vectoring ensures the GTS is adjustable and agile, but completely manageable.

In fact, those wanting a livelier car on-power may be a little bit disappointed by this composure, as it means the A390 is nowhere near as wild as its rivals endeavour to be. But it’s also a signal of the car’s mechanical polish, which is backed by great refinement, and accentuated by a chassis that rides well over rough surfaces thanks to hydraulic bump stops, yet has terrific body control if you dial up the pace. You can, if you really want, get the car rotated into a corner with weight transfer (either through a trailed brake or quick lifted right pedal), and then follow that up with a heady dose of torque engage what feels like four-wheel drifting.

Which is all well and good, and tracks with Alpine’s claims about driver focus - but is it what a performance SUV buyer really wants? In Britain at least, I’m not so sure. I can picture it selling well in regions of Europe where the priority for buyers is different, like in northern Italy and Switzerland, and obviously its domestic market, where people are apparently happy to ignore M Sport that or AMG Line this. But here, for all our love of French cars in a narrow sense, we do tend to favour the way German SUVs drive.

That means, as with so many other models down the years, it’s easy to frame the A390 as a left field option. Which doesn’t deny the things that it’s good at - some of them famous strengths of the established French way - but even with the GTS, Alpine has failed to give electric SUV customers a class-leading reason to choose the flagship model over a glut of rangier (literally) alternatives. For now at least, the A290 is where your attention should be focused if you want evidence of Dieppe doing all the things it’s best at. Until the electric A110 finally arrives, of course…

SPECIFICATION | 2026 ALPINE A390 GTS

Engine: 89kWh battery, three electric motors
Transmission: Single-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 470
Torque (lb ft): 608
0-62mph: 3.9 seconds
Top speed: 137mph
Weight: 2,121kg
MPG: 342 miles WLTP range (311 with GTS wheels), 190kW max charge rate, vehicle-to-load capable
CO2: 0g/km (driving), 3.9miles/kWh efficiency
Price: £69,390