Renault 5 E-Tech and Alpine A290 win Car of the Year 2025
A joint win for the French brands
Yes, you read that correctly. There are two winners of the prestigious Car of the Year 2025 award. Both the Renault 5 E-Tech and Alpine A290 were built on the same AmpR Small platform from Ampere in Europe, meaning they were entered jointly in the first round of voting in November.
The winning duo were revealed at the opening day of the Brussels Motor Show in Belgium, with 60 motoring journalists from 23 countries picking the hot hatches ahead of six other finalists; the Alfa Romeo Junior, Citroën ë-C3/C3, Cupra Terramar, Dacia Duster, Hyundai Inster and Kia EV3.
The final tally
Renault 5 E-Tech & Alpine A290 - 353 points
Kia EV3 - 291 points
Citroën ë-C3/C3 - 215 points
Dacia Duster - 172 points
Hyundai Inster - 168 points
Cupra Terramar - 165 points
Alfa Romeo Junior - 136 points
Eighth win for Renault, first for Alpine
The win means the Renault 5 E-Tech becomes the eighth car from the French brand to win the award, after the Renault 16 (1966), Renault 9 (1982), Clio I (1991), Scenic (1997), Megane (2003), Clio III (2006) and last year’s winning Scenic E-Tech electric.
Alpine’s first car of its 100% electric era becomes the first to win Car of the Year and will soon be joined as part of the ‘Dream Garage’ by the A390 sports fastback and new A110.
Hot Hatches rejuvenated
The success of the Renault 5 E-Tech and Alpine A290 is justification for the joy that hot hatches bring in an automobile world increasingly crowded with new SUVs. Renault and Alpine have brought back iconic vehicles from their past and tailored them to the modern day, with both delighting the critics and fans alike.
For a starting price of around £22,995, the Renault 5 E-Tech especially offers tremendous value for a new car and is available in three trim levels with two powertrains from launch.
Fabrice Cambolive, CEO Renault brand: “Within the Group, the Renault brand and Ampere, we all feel immensely proud to have taken the prestigious Car of the Year award for the second year running. If there’s one car with the potential to transform the electric market, it’s this one.”
words: Mike Booth
pictures: Renault & Alpine