Is the Alpine A390 the most interesting electric SUV?
Alpine has taken a very different approach to the electric SUV with the A390, but does its mix of performance, range and style make it a better choice than more established rivals?
Why the Alpine A390 is different
Alpine has taken a slightly unusual route into the electric SUV market with the A390, a car that looks more like a sports car that happens to have five doors than another attempt at a sensible family EV. Starting from £61,390, it sits in an awkwardly interesting part of the market, with enough performance to worry cars costing considerably more and enough range to make it a realistic everyday proposition.
The A390 is certainly not short of numbers to attract attention. The GT gets three electric motors, four-wheel drive and 394bhp, with a claimed 0-62mph time of 4.8 seconds, while the range is up to 345 miles from an 89kWh battery. Higher-powered versions take that output to around 470hp and cut the 0-62mph sprint to 3.9 seconds, putting the A390 firmly into performance-SUV territory.
How much does the Alpine A390 cost?
The price is where the A390 becomes harder to categorise. The entry-level GT costs £61,390, while the Première Edition is £65,390, with the range eventually stretching to the more powerful GTS at around £69,390. That puts it firmly into premium territory, but it’s still below the starting price of a Porsche Macan Electric and not far from BMW’s new iX3.
Alpine is also currently advertising 3.9% APR finance on the Première Edition, with 48 monthly payments of £640 after a customer deposit and Alpine contribution. The offer runs on orders placed between 1 July and 30 September 2026, subject to the manufacturer’s terms. That makes the A390 more interesting from a buying perspective, though the monthly payment shouldn’t distract from the overall cost, a car at this price needs to offer something buyers can’t get from a more established electric SUV.
How does the A390 compare with the BMW iX3 and Porsche Macan?
The obvious alternatives are the BMW iX3 and Porsche Macan Electric, and they highlight exactly what Alpine is trying to do. BMW’s new iX3 starts at £58,755 and promises up to 500 miles of range, while the Porsche Macan Electric starts at around £69,800.
Dig into the detail and the gap widens further. The iX3’s 800-volt architecture charges at up to 400kW, enough to add over 200 miles in ten minutes, and it has a frunk on top of its main boot. The A390 tops out at 190kW on the GTS (150kW on the GT), takes around 25 minutes to get from 15-80%, and has no front boot at all, its motor layout uses the space instead. On boot space the A390 actually holds its own, at around 530 litres it’s a little ahead of the iX3 and within touching distance of the Macan, but on charging speed and outright range, both German rivals have a clear technical edge.
If range and charging are the priority, the BMW makes a strong case, and it’s worth knowing it was named World Car of the Year for 2026, not a small endorsement. The Porsche brings an established performance-SUV reputation and the badge that goes with it. The A390 sits between them on paper, with less range and slower charging than the BMW, but a more obvious focus on performance and driving character than many electric SUVs at this price. Alpine isn’t trying to win by offering the biggest boot or the longest range, it’s trying to make an electric SUV that feels like it’s been designed around the driver as much as the battery.
What’s the Alpine A390 actually like to drive?
This is where it gets more complicated than a spec sheet suggests, because the reviewers who’ve actually driven it don’t fully agree with each other.
Top Gear came away enthusiastic, praising the handling as sumptuous and the car as quick and agile, while still noting a cramped rear cabin and a ride that could do with a softer edge. CAR magazine and Electrifying were similarly positive about how it drives, with Electrifying’s reviewer going as far as calling it one of the best EVs they’d driven, genuinely engaging rather than just quick in a straight line. Auto Express found real-world efficiency well short of Alpine’s official range claims on faster roads, though closer to the claimed figure around town.
Not everyone agrees. Honest John was considerably more lukewarm, describing the actual driving experience as underwhelming and not especially fun, and pointing out that the cabin feels cheap in places for the money being asked. That’s a genuinely split verdict from people who’ve spent real time in the car, which is worth knowing before you go in expecting a unanimous thumbs up.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Distinctive styling that stands out from every other electric SUV at this price
- Genuinely strong performance, with most reviewers rating the handling well above the class average
- Boot space that beats the iX3 and comes close to the Macan
- Competitive 0% and low-APR finance offers currently available
Cons:
- Charging speed lags well behind both the iX3 and Macan Electric
- Real-world range falls short of the claimed figure at motorway speeds, according to independent testing
- No frunk, and reviewers have flagged tight rear-seat space
- At least one major reviewer found the interior quality and driving experience underwhelming for the price
Is the Alpine A390 a good electric SUV?
The honest answer is that it depends who you ask, and that split is itself useful information. The reviewers who rate it highly, Top Gear, CAR and Electrifying among them, all land on the same theme: this is one of the more genuinely engaging electric SUVs currently on sale, built by people who cared about how it drives rather than just how it charges. Honest John’s more critical take is worth weighing too, particularly if outright interior polish matters more to you than dynamics.
What isn’t in dispute is the technical trade-off. You’re giving up meaningful range and charging speed compared with the iX3 and Macan Electric to get a car that a majority of testers found more rewarding to actually drive. If you’re after the longest possible range or the most obvious premium badge, the BMW or Porsche are the safer picks. If you want an electric SUV that’s been engineered with a driver’s brief rather than just a spec sheet, and you’re comfortable with slower charging as the price for that, the A390 is the one on this list worth going to see for yourself.