Paying supercar money for a hatchback sounds like a punchline. Except buyers aren’t laughing — they’re writing €50,000 deposits. According to Autoblog, more than half of the 1,980 planned Renault 5 Turbo 3E units have reportedly been spoken for, despite the car still awaiting final homologation. The provisional launch price starts at €155,000 — roughly $181,000 — for the first 500 priority reservation holders, excluding options and personalization, and subject to change. The pull isn’t purely rational. It’s 1980s rally pedigree and 540 horsepower stuffed into a widebody hatchback, and buyers are convinced before a single production car has been delivered.
Two Motors, One Mission: Small Car, Serious Consequences
Renault has confirmed 540 hp, rear-wheel drive, and drift-oriented handling — though all final figures remain subject to homologation.
Two rear-mounted electric motors produce 540 horsepower. A 70-kWh battery sits on an 800-volt architecture with up to 350 kW of DC charging capability. Renault says charging from 15% to 80% takes roughly 15 minutes under suitable conditions. Target weight sits at approximately 1,450 kilograms, delivering a power-to-weight ratio of about 2.7 kg per horsepower. The platform is tuned for drift-capable handling — closer to a street-legal circuit tool than anything that belongs in a school-run lineup.
At a glance:
- 1,980 numbered examples, referencing the original car’s 1980 launch
- €50,000 reservation voucher, credited toward the eventual purchase price
- Optioned examples could reportedly exceed $396,000, according to Autoblog — not a confirmed Renault price
- Available in Europe, UK, Middle East, Japan, and Australia; not planned for US sale
- Configuration program expected to begin mid-2027; Renault’s earlier materials indicated first deliveries during 2027, though Autoblog reports that broader deliveries may follow in 2028
A €50,000 Voucher for a Car You Can’t Drive Yet
The collector calculus is straightforward: secure a numbered place before someone else does.
This is not a commuter car. It’s a limited production run with heritage branding, bespoke engineering, and a numbered chassis — closer in spirit to a rare vinyl pressing than a conventional EV launch. Renault’s configuration program is expected to begin mid-2027. Whether deliveries follow that same year, as Renault’s earlier announcement suggested, or slip into 2028 as Autoblog reports, remains an apparent open question. American buyers are not included in Renault’s listed target markets; neither the Turbo 3E nor the standard Renault 5 E-Tech is planned for US sale, according to available reporting.
Renault took an affordable, iconic ’80s hatchback, electrified it, priced it near Lamborghini Huracán territory, and the market said yes — before homologation is complete and before a single production example has been delivered. That says something about how powerfully scarcity and story can override price logic when the mythology is strong enough.
