Renault Has About 1,000 Orders For Its $180,000 Electric Hot Hatch

Some buyers are plunking down close to $400,000 for fully customized cars.

Photo by: Motor1.com Deutschland | C. Otto

By: Adrian Padeanu

Oct 15, at 4:09am ET

Comment

Renault has found more than 1,000 people willing to spend a not-so-small fortune on an electric hot hatch. The French automaker has booked more than half of the planned 1,980-unit production run for the wacky 5 Turbo 3E, despite a starting price of €160,000 (roughly $180,000 at current exchange rates). That's a lot of money for a car wearing a Renault badge, but this isn't your average subcompact hatchback.

The latest update comes from the 2026 Paris Motor Show, where Renault has brought the feisty EV in new paint schemes ahead of its customization program. Speaking to UK magazine Piston Heads, Florent Ingargiola, the car's product leader, confirmed that the company has already secured orders for more than 50 percent of the planned production run.

The production cap isn't arbitrary, either. The French automaker plans to build 1,980 examples as a nod to 1980, the year the original Renault 5 Turbo debuted. The modern interpretation swaps the mid-mounted combustion engine for an all-electric powertrain, but it retains the original's rear-wheel-drive layout and outrageous attitude.

Renault 5 Turbo 3E the 2026 Paris Motor Show

Photo by: Motor1.com Deutschland | C. Otto

The Most Expensive Builds Verge On $400,000

Even more interesting is how much customers will pay for personalization. Renault CEO François Provost says some fully customized examples are expected to cost more than €350,000 (nearly $393,000). That's supercar money for a small hatchback.

Buyers won't be able to finalize every detail immediately. Renault plans to launch the full customization program in mid-2027, with the first deliveries scheduled for 2028. The company is still developing the 5 Turbo 3E and completing final homologation, so more work remains before customer cars are ready.

Renault is also going beyond the usual paint-and-trim options. The extensive personalization program covers exterior finishes, interior materials, and other details, requiring a larger design team than the company initially anticipated. Renault has even invested in two dedicated locations in the Paris area to welcome customers and help them configure their cars.

Renault 5 Turbo 3E the 2026 Paris Motor Show

Photo by: Motor1.com Deutschland | C. Otto

Renault Is Offering A Supercar-Like Buying Experience

The idea is to offer an experience closer to what buyers expect from established luxury and supercar brands. That makes sense when customers spend six figures on a vehicle built in strictly limited numbers. It also marks a departure from Renault's traditional business model. The company is better known for affordable hatchbacks than ultra-expensive collector cars, but the Turbo 3E gives it a chance to explore a different market without abandoning its heritage.

Make no mistake, the 5 Turbo 3E isn't simply a regular Renault 5 E-Tech with a body kit and a bigger battery. It's a much more serious machine, with rear-wheel drive instead of FWD. It packs two electric motors mounted inside the rear wheels, delivering a combined 555 horsepower. That's enough punch to propel the electric hot hatch to 62 mph (100 km/h) in under 3.5 seconds and to a top speed of 168 mph (270 km/h).

A 70-kWh battery provides an estimated WLTP range of more than 249 miles (400 kilometers). The 800-volt electrical architecture supports rapid charging at up to 350 kW, enabling a 15-to-80-percent charge in around 15 minutes.

Renault 5 Turbo 3E interior

Photo by: Renault

What do you think?

View

Comments

Renault Has Other Exciting EVs (As Concepts)

Hopefully, the Turbo 3E will be the beginning of something bigger. Provost has hinted that Renault is exploring other ambitious projects, including a possible production version of the gorgeous Alpine A310 Vision concept unveiled at the same Paris Motor Show. It's not the only retro-flavored concept we'd love to see reach production, either. The Renault 8 Gordini Concept is a rear-wheel-drive electric coupe that could make for another compelling addition to the lineup.

The Turbo 3E is already helping make that case. More than 1,000 orders suggest there's an audience for unusual, emotionally appealing electric performance cars, even when the price climbs well beyond what most people would consider reasonable for a diminutive hatchback wearing the diamond logo.