Renault 5 Turbo 3E has debut public road runs in Corsica
After attending its reveal earlier this year, Driven’s John Marcar called the Renault 5 Turbo 3E “the most exciting EV in recent history.” Order books opened soon after, and those who forked out a minimum of £140k on one of the 1,980 examples made available will receive their cars sometime in 2027.
Now, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E has had its first public outing on the road ahead of the Historic Tour de Corse rally in Corsica, Italy, where two advanced prototypes enjoyed runs and drifts in Calvi and on the routes of the Notre Dame de la Serra and Montegrosso stages.
As the first model in the electric ‘mini-supercar’ class, the Renault 5 Turbo 3E was fine-tuned for its debut appearance by engineers from Alpine, where it showcased the best of its 563 bhp performance with Renault driver ambassador Julien Saunier behind the wheel.
Its debut appearance occurred as Renault celebrated the 40th anniversary of French rally driver Jean Ragnotti’s win with the Maxi 5 Turbo in 1985. Saunier now defends his victory from last year’s Historic Tour de Corse behind the wheel of a Maxi 5 Turbo sporting the same iconic colours as Ragnotti’s winning car.
Saunier said afterwards: “Driving this Renault 5 Turbo 3E is such an incredible experience! It really does have everything you'd expect from a super sports car – it's a true rallying beast. 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.”
Renault driver ambassador Julien Saunier
The next steps
Following the opening of orders in April, Renault has confirmed that most characteristics of the 5 Turbo 3E are now frozen, and the homologation process is underway. An all-carbon superstructure weighing less than 100kg helps the car achieve a weight of just 1,450kg and boasts a 0-62mph sprint time of under 3.5 seconds.
Then, in early 2026, customers will be able to personalise their cars with the choice of historic colours or liveries from Renault’s history. Those who have placed an order will have the opportunity to meet with Renault’s designers for this process, and also kit out their interiors from a choice of colours and materials applied to the seats, door panels and dashboards.
words: Mike Booth
pictures: Renault