The 540-Horsepower Renault 5 Turbo 3E Has Arrived — and It’s Ludicrously Expensive

Welcome to an era where a pint-sized coupé can cost more than your house, your car, and possibly your life’s entire financial résumé. Renault, historically not the stuff of grown men’s automotive fantasies—at least not since the demise of the Clio V6—has suddenly yelled “Hold the horses!” and unleashed a furious little electric brute: the Renault 5 Turbo 3E. It’s got 540 horsepower and a price tag so outrageous your credit card might flee your wallet out of pure self-preservation.

This isn’t some cutesy retro throwback. Renault affectionately calls it a mini-supercar, and for once, they’re not exaggerating. It rockets from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.5 seconds, sends power to the rear wheels, and is built from carbon fiber. You can drift it. Or at least try—until the car decides you’re simply not worthy.

And now, the price. €155,000. And that’s just the starting point. To even get in line, you must fork over a non-refundable €50,000 deposit—essentially a devotional offering at the altar of speed. The car itself? You’ll get it in 2027. Maybe. If the Earth is still spinning.

Renault promises they’ll call you in the meantime to discuss colors, trim materials, and “options”—each of which will come with an extra zero or two. So if you think €155,000 is the end of your spending, you’re as naïve as someone who believes one month of Netflix costs just one charge.

Production is capped at 1,980 units—a nostalgic nod to the original 1980 Renault 5 Turbo. A nice gesture, sure, but let’s not pretend this is a people’s car. That’s like McDonald’s releasing a €400 Big Mac and saying it’s a tribute to the first hamburger.

Beneath its tiny hood live two electric motors, delivering 540 horsepower and a preposterous 4,800 Nm of torque—more than some trucks pulling battle tanks. Top speed? 270 km/h. The 70 kWh battery promises up to 400 km of range—on a good day, with a tailwind, downhill. At full throttle? Maybe a brisk 20 km, if you’re lucky.

Inside, you’ll find two screens, bucket seats, Alpine-developed underpinnings, and—yes—a drift mode. Renault actually wants you to slide this thing around corners like a silk-suited getaway driver with a flair for the dramatic.