Production Renault 5 Turbo 3E 'Mini-Supercar' Has In-Wheel Motors With 536 HP, Weighs Under 3,200 Pounds

At the end of last year Renault showed off its electric 5 Turbo 3E, a wild-looking prototype evocative of the old mid-engined 5 Turbo and Group B rally cars. Though it shares styling with the smash hit 5 E-Tech, the Turbo 3E is more of a bespoke rear-wheel-drive EV that just looks like it's based on the 5 — Renault describes it as a "mini-supercar," which I think is apt. Renault promised that the 5 Turbo 3E was going to become a production car, which seemed kinda ludicrous, but now the production 5 Turbo 3E has been revealed and it looks just like the show car.

Renault has also taken the wraps off the 5 Turbo 3E's two-seat interior and divulged all sorts of juicy specs and performance facts, which totally back up the French brand's supercar claims. The 5 Turbo 3E will be the second production car to use in-wheel motors — after the ill-fated Lordstown Endurance — and it'll be far more common than you might be expecting. Renault is building 1,980 of the 5 Turbo 3E, with order books opening in a few weeks and deliveries set to start in 2027. There will be hundreds more 5 Turbo 3Es in the world than Ferrari F40s, 841 more of these Renaults than Bugattis with the W16 engine. That rules.

Man, does this thing look freakin' awesome. Nothing about the design has changed over the past few months, which I'm not complaining about. Though some details like the taillights are shared with the basic Renault 5 E-Tech, the Turbo 3E has a unique body with ridiculously wide fenders inspired by the 1980s 5 Turbo. Its headlights are more retro than the normal 5, almost identical in look to the '80s car, and the dramatic bumper and skid skirt designs make it look like a Cyberpunk Group B car. Elements like the rear fender intakes and giant diffuser are functional, too. Renault moved the windshield further back and increased the wheelbase by about an inch compared to the 5 E-Tech, and the Turbo 3E is about three inches longer, eight inches wider and five inches lower in height than the Alpine A290 version of the 5 E-Tech.

The Turbo 3E uses its own specially developed aluminum platform instead of sharing the 5 E-Tech's Renault-Nissan AmpR Small architecture. The 70-kWh battery pack (18 kWh more than the A290) is under the floor for a low center of gravity and so the suspension engineers to "fully develop their ideas for real driving thrills," and the car's superstructure is made from carbon fiber to keep weight down. Renault says the 5 Turbo 3E weighs just 3,127 pounds — 133 pounds less than the A290, 100 pounds less than a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS.

As was the original Renault 5 Turbo, the 3E is rear-wheel drive in contrast to the front-wheel-drive layout of the normal 5 E-Tech. Instead of using traditional electric motors, the Turbo 3E uses in-wheel motors behind those 20-inch rear wheels that are said to deliver even more immediate power than a normal motor. Renault says the Turbo 3E makes 536 horsepower (268 hp per motor), which gives the car a power-to-weight ratio of about 6 pounds per hp, and it'll be able to sprint from 0 to 62 mph in under 3.5 seconds, quicker than a 992 Carrera. An overtake button on the steering wheel provides a power boost, and there are four different regenerative braking modes, including a Race setting.

Renault says the Turbo 3E will have a range of around 250 miles on the European WLTP cycle, in the same realm as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, and thanks to an 800-volt architecture it has 350-kW DC fast-charging capability, which can juice the battery up from 15 to 80 percent in fifteen minutes. Using the onboard 11-kW charger it'll take about eight hours to fully charge at home. The Turbo 3E will be able to complete "several" hot laps before needing to recharge, even if you reach the car's 168-mph top speed. It'll even have bi-directional charging and plug-and-charge functionality.

If you've driven a Renault 5 Turbo in real life (or a video game like me), or have just read reviews or watched old rally YouTube videos, you know the French hot hatch was known for being very tail-happy. I mean, a mid-engined rear-wheel-drive car with a curb weigh of less than 2,200 pounds and 160 hp from an engine with a big turbocharger will do that. The new 5 Turbo 3E will continue the model's drift-happy personality, but hopefully with more purpose and control this time.

Renault

The car features a drift-assist function, though Renault doesn't give any specifics. Having separate control of the two rear motors is a boon for agility and performance, along with saving weight and space. And as you can see from the image above, the Turbo 3E also has a rally-style vertical handbrake, which is a rare sight in any road-going car, let alone an EV. 

The interior is almost totally distinct from the normal 5 E-Tech as well, only sharing the rectangular surround that houses the recessed digital gauge cluster and more prominent touchscreen, which is angled at the driver. The Turbo 3E's shelf-like dashboard, pared-down door panels and carbon-fiber racing bucket seats are covered in Alcantara that has a sweet plaid pattern. You still get a row of physical climate controls, though the tall center console seems to have almost no storage space. Renault also redesigned the infotainment system and gauges to have a more retro look, but you still get all the same Google Built-In system and other tech features as the normal road car.

Renault

Remember how I talked about the packaging benefits of in-wheel motors and the custom platform? Another big benefit is in cargo space, which the Turbo 3E has a ton of. The normal Renault 5 is a really tiny car, and there isn't much room behind the second row of seats (or even with the seats folded). The Turbo 3E is just a two-seater, and unlike the old 5 Turbo that had an engine taking up most of the cargo space, the Turbo 3E has a wide expanse of open space, even taking into account the bolted-on roll bar. 

If you've been reading through this story and can't believe this thing is real, I'll reiterate it for you: In a few weeks Renault will be opening up order books for the 5 Turbo 3E in "key markets" like Australia, Europe, Japan and the Middle East, with deliveries to start in 2027. Renault says that "as privileged partners, the dealers who reserve the car will participate in its pre-financing, according to the 'upfront funding' principle," which I assume means Renault will try and fight markups.

Only 1,980 of these will be built, a tribute to the year the 5 Turbo came out, and not only will each one be numbered, but customers will be able to pick which number they want. The Turbo 3E will be offered with a bunch of heritage color and livery schemes, like the red-and-blue Rouge Grenade from the original 5 Turbo, but you'll also be able to choose from all sorts of personalization options for the interior and exterior and work with Renault's designers on your dream spec. We don't yet know how expensive the Renault 5 Turbo 3E will be, but I have a feeling it'll be a lot.

Renault

Renault

Renault

Renault