Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce - Alfa's First EV

As someone who has made a profession around the motoring industry, it pains me to admit that I've spent alarmingly little time behind the wheel of many Alfa Romeos - a brand that many regard as a rite of passage for all true petrol/gear heads.

I've never owned one, and I've driven just a handful, so I decided I should probably put that right by testing one of the latest models from the Italian brand, and why not start with the first ever EV?

Alfa Romeo's First EV

For the past week, I've been driving the Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce, the sportiest version of Alfa's first fully electric car. The model name carries plenty of heritage as Alfa Juniors have existed since the 1960s and are famed for their sleek designs, gargling carburettered engines and driving positions in the ‘60s variants that are most kindly described as entertaining.

For 2024/25, the Junior name has returned; however, now it's fully electric and is being used rather fittingly on the smallest Alfa Romeo in the range.

Also available in Jeep, Fiat, Peugeot and Vauxhall...

The Junior makes use of Stellantis' E-CMP (Common Modular Platform), which is seen in other forms as a Peugeot 2008, Vauxhall/Opel Mokka, Jeep Avenger, Fiat 600, and DS3 (to name a few) but Alfa Romeo is making it very clear that the Junior, especially in Veloce form, has been tweaked to make it the sportiest and most engaging model in the range.

Veloce - (Italian for Fast)

In Veloce form (the top of the range model), the Junior rewards an impressive 280hp and 345 Nm of torque delivered via the front wheels. A 0-62 sprint is achieved in 5.9 seconds, and assuming you're not fussed about chomping through the electric range, the sporty little EV hot hatch will top out at 124mph.

Sporty Design Features

Being the sports version, the Veloce has Sabelt Sports bucket seats, an alcantara-draped dashboard, door cards, and steering wheel, and plenty of typically Italian red accents, which all give a nod towards performance.

Externally, the sporty theme continues with, most notably, some beautifully designed 20" alloy wheels draped in low-profile Michelin Sports Tyres and huge 32mm sports brake discs on the front gripped by large red 4-pot brake calipers.

Interior Quirks

The fit and finish of the interior is superb, and it is undoubtedly sporty. A central 10.25-inch touch screen dominates the centre console, which controls all settings, navigation and smartphone connectivity.

Unfortunately, the operating system is far from the best on the market, and at times can be frustratingly laggy to respond to touch inputs and prompts. Fortunately, for quick and easy adjustments to climate control, a line of physical buttons and switches is located just beneath the touch screen, which alleviates some of the annoyances.

An additional colour screen acts as the instrument cluster ahead of the steering wheel, which gives an overview of speed, range and driving modes. The design layout of the cluster is good, as is the controls and layout of physical buttons on the steering wheel.

Interior Space

Up front, the Junior offers a generous amount of space for the driver and front passenger, but the rear seats are less accommodating. With the driver seat in a comfortable position for me at 6'1/185cm, there is very little chance of anyone being able to sit behind. Interestingly, Alfa Romeo has prioritised boot space and in doing so can boast the largest rear boot in the segment; however, I feel that for passenger comfort, a smaller boot in exchange for rear legroom might have been a better choice.

The Drive

The Junior Veloce is an eye-catching, sporty and engaging EV, and the sporty ethos is carried through to the suspension and handling. For the Veloce, stiffer springs and a model-specific anti-roll bar have been added to the chassis for pin-sharp precision. Distributing power to the front wheels is a mechanical Torsen differential; the steering, as a result, feels sharp and beautifully direct and carries through all the desirable characteristics of a good old-fashioned hot-hatch.

For day-to-day driving, the Junior Veloce has plenty of tech to assist with driving, including assisted cruise control, which detects speed limits by reading road signs and adjusts the cruise control speeds accordingly with a prompt and a click of a button to confirm the change. The system also allows for lane assist, radar cruise control and assistance in start-stop traffic, and the system is overall very intuitive and impressive.

Battery, Range and Charging Times

The Junior Veloce boasts a maximum WLTP range of 215 miles if driven in the most sedate driving mode, and the 54 kWh battery can accommodate a 20-80% charge with a 150kW charger in just under 30 minutes. An 11kW wall charger fitted at home will charge the car fully from empty in just shy of 6 hours, making it ideal for overnight plug-ins.

Performance Drawbacks

The 280 hp power looks impressive on paper, and it does reward a brisk pull from a standstill; however, the torque does peter out once 50mph has been achieved. A close competitor to the Junior Veloce is the Mini John Cooper Works, which has 258 HP, and yet has the same 5.9-second 0-62 time. The sporty handling certainly helps keep things engaging, but for some, the ride may be a little too firm for day-to-day use. The stiff ride isn't helped by the 20" wheels and low-profile tyres, which have a tendency to crash into potholes rather than rumble over them.

The other drawback to the performance is, as you might expect, the range. Even with a full charge and what many would class as sensible driving, the best I could achieve as a predicted range was 190 miles. In reality, the range was lost at a greater rate than miles consumed and on one occasion, a 25-mile commute with 35 miles of predicted range left on the battery, my journey had to be cut short with 8 miles remaining when the battery range indicator exclaimed 'critical low', reduced power, and 0 miles of range remaining prompting a frustratingly expensive emergency fast recharge.

Conclusion: A pricey package likely to lose out to competitors

The Junior Veloce is a smart and stylish sporty EV, but is best suited as a city car rather than one that might be used for longer drives in the country. I'd go so far as to say the firm ride is a little too firm to be classed as comfortable on bumpy roads, and the lack of practicality in the rear seats cancels out any use for families or car sharing.

Buyers wanting an around-town run around might be best suited to the Veloce, however, with a starting price of £42,295, other choices on the market, such as the Mini John Cooper Works Electric (£34,905), Cupra Born V3 (£37,305) and Volvo EX30 (£31,560), all offer similar performance, range and practicalities whilst undercutting the Alfa Romeo by up to £10,000.

words by John Marcar
photography by Henry Faulkner-Smith