Renault 5 Turbo 3E confirmed as 500bhp rear-drive production car

Renault has confirmed plans for a new Renault 5 Turbo, based on its new all-electric supermini.

The Renault 5 Turbo 3E will use a twin-motor rear-wheel-drive setup producing more than 500bhp, the French car maker has said.

Created as a rally-inspired EV reimagining of the Renault 5 Turbo and Turbo 2 of the 1980s, the Turbo 3E is a high-tech halo model that was first hinted at in the concept car at the 2022 Paris Motor Show.

That original show car had around 375bhp while the production car will boost that by more than 100bhp and bring motorsport-inspired technology to the road.

Unlike the Alpine A290, which is a relatively affordable hot hatch take on the Renault 5, the Turbo 3E is expected to be far more exclusive and expensive (think £100,000-plus). Its bodywork is entirely different from the regular five-door hatch, with a lengthened and widened three-door shell made from carbon composite.

The bespoke bodywork, finished in motorsport-inspired livery, echoes the swollen, squared-off lines of the 1980s cars. It features exaggerated wings, multiple rear spoilers and oversized bumper and side skirts wrapping around 20-inch alloy wheels. Unlike the regular Renault 5, the Turbo 3E’s charging port is hidden in the rear air intake.

The two-motor setup is also bespoke, with in-wheel motors delivering supercar performance. Renault says the finished car will be able to get from 0-62mph in just 3.5 seconds. We imagine it will probably be quite willing to go very sideways too, with all that grunt going to the rear wheels.

The car was revealed as an Easter Egg at the end of a new Prime Video documentary about Renault. Anatomy of Comeback traces Renault’s recent turnaround from the brink of collapse in the early 2020s to building a range of award-winning EVs just a few years later.