- Renault takes two 5 Turbo 3E prototypes to Corsica where they please the crowds before the start of a historic rally.
- The 3E has in-wheel hub motors, 555-horsepower and advanced torque vectoring, allowing it to pull massive slides.
- Renault plans to deliver the first units in 2027 with a starting price of $185,000.
With 555 horsepower going to the rear wheels, the new electric Renault 5 Turbo 3E is very lively. There may be more powerful and quicker EVs out there, but for putting a smile on your face, Renault’s limited-run, rally-inspired EV might be better than all of them.
Renault took two 3E “advanced prototypes” to Corsica to showcase their capabilities, and it mostly involved going sideways, doing donuts and pleasing crowds. In the press release announcing the event, which took place before the Historic Tour de Corse Rally earlier this week, the manufacturer describes the 3E as being “a machine built for thrills.”
It touts the car’s 43/57 weight distribution, which is similar to a mid- or rear-engined car, as being the perfect balance for having fun.
Thanks to its two in-wheel hub motors powering the rear wheels, the car can also very precisely control power delivery to each of them. This ability to do advanced and very precise torque vectoring on the driven axle makes it easy and natural to slide the car around and have fun in it.
In-wheel hub motors—placing the electric motor inside the wheel, rather than between the front and/or rear wheels—is a nascent technology in the EV space. In theory, they would allow for what we see here: more direct control of electric torque going to each wheel for improved traction and handling. But like any new tech, it's unproven and depends on new designs and supply chains, which is probably part of why this Renault is limited-edition. Still, this car makes a strong case for this technology.
Julien Saunier, who was behind the wheel of one of the cars in Corsica, explains that “I was blown away by the acceleration, which doesn't fade when you gather speed, the braking that's ultra-powerful yet easy to modulate, and its ability to perform spectacular but controlled drifts. It was such a fun drive, with all sorts of new driving sensations.”
If there’s one EV that I hope to get the chance to drive in the future, it's the Renault 5 Turbo 3E. There’s nothing quite like it. With a planned production run of 1,980 examples, it will be quite a rare car, carrying a hefty price tag of €160,000 ($185,000). That’s before you add any options and choose any of the possible personalization paths.
That is a lot of money for a car that looks like a Renault 5 E-Tech with a widebody kit. However, this is actually a completely different car built around a bespoke carbon fiber shell. The car weighs less than 1,450 km (3,196 lbs) and it can accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.5 seconds.
Gallery: Renault 5 Turbo 3E at the Rallye Tour de Corse
Its platform also differs from the regular 5. The 3E runs on 800 volts, allowing it to charge at 330 kW, which is enough to bring its 70 kWh battery from 10% to 80% in 15 minutes. Renault expects the WLTP range to exceed 248 miles (400 km).
Although this is a very expensive electric Renault, the most expensive car ever from a brand typically associated with more affordable cars, there was a lot of interest in this special electric pocket rocket. It saw over 500 reservations on the day the order books opened, so it should have no trouble selling all of them. The platform to configure the car will go online next year and those interested will be able to finalize their orders in 2027 when the first cars are also expected to be delivered.
