Renault has turned its 2022 Turbo 3E show car into a limited-production electric hyper hatch, the R5 Turbo 3E, priced from €160,000 and capped at 1,980 units. Orders are open in Europe, the UK, the Middle East, Japan and Australia, with first deliveries expected in 2027.
The car is a modern tribute to the mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive Renault 5 Maxi Turbo rally car, and it arrives alongside a Peugeot counterpart, the e-T16 concept, that revives the 205 T16 lineage in electric form.
Two French takes on the Group B idea
Renault's car is a flagship performance EV that sits between the classic R5 Turbo and the new R5 E-Tech road car. Peugeot's e-T16, by contrast, is a disguised preview of the next 208 hatchback due in 2027, and the brand's boss has said it could become a production model as early as that year.
That difference in intent matters for buyers. Renault is selling a finished, numbered special; Peugeot is still showing a concept whose production form, and whether it keeps its tilting rear bodywork, has not been confirmed.
Renault's powertrain and chassis
The R5 Turbo 3E uses a bespoke aluminium tubular chassis developed by Alpine and a floor-mounted 70 kWh battery, giving a 43/57 weight distribution. Dual electric motors produce a combined 555 hp (410 kW/563 PS), good for 0-100 km/h in under 3.5 seconds.
It weighs 1,450 kg and drives the rear wheels only, matching the layout of the original. Renault quotes a 15-80% charge in about 15 minutes on a suitably powerful charger.
The car rides on 20-inch alloy wheels and wears wide fenders with integrated vents, deep side skirts, a large rear diffuser and a roof spoiler, and it keeps a three-door layout. Inside are two heavily bolstered bucket seats, a roll cage, a conventional steering wheel and a digital cockpit derived from the R5 E-Tech, plus a vertical hydraulic handbrake for hairpins. It also has a regular boot.
Peugeot's concept counters with more power
The e-T16 concept uses Stellantis' STLA One architecture and three electric motors making a combined 816 hp (600 kW/827 PS), with all-wheel drive in the spirit of the 205 T16. Peugeot claims 0-100 km/h in 2.5 seconds.
Its 85 kWh battery is said to be enough for three consecutive laps of the Nürburgring, and Peugeot quotes a 10-80% charge in about 15 minutes. The company has not published a kerb weight, but states a power-to-weight ratio of under 2 kg/hp, which points to roughly 1,632 kg.
It sits on 21-inch alloys with wider rear tyres, and its styling includes three-slot full-width LED graphics front and rear that Peugeot intends to make a signature of future models. The interior features a Hypersquare steering wheel with an integrated display, a 21-inch digital cluster, two bucket seats, a roll cage and the same style of vertical hydraulic handbrake. Its entire rear bodywork tilts open to expose the motors and suspension.
What buyers still cannot know
No back-to-back driving comparison of the two has been published yet, so the specs are the only basis for choosing between them for now. Peugeot has also not confirmed final production specifications, pricing or market availability for the e-T16.
On paper the Peugeot's three-motor, all-wheel-drive layout and 816 hp outgun the Renault, and its sub-2 kg/hp claim suggests a power-to-weight advantage despite the extra mass. The Renault's answer is the lighter kerb weight, the rear-drive layout that echoes the original Maxi Turbo, and the fact that it is a real, orderable car rather than a show stand preview. For a collector weighing up a place in the garage, that last point is the one that counts today.
