Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica review

Introduction

"There’s no such thing as bad publicity," said showman PT Barnum – a sentiment echoed by Alfa Romeo’s head of PR as the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica was launched after a bit of a gaffe over its name.

Why? Well, the Junior – which is Alfa Romeo’s first electric SUV – had been unveiled a few months earlier, but as the Alfa Romeo Milano. It was renamed the Junior after the Italian government objected to a car built in Poland being named after the city of Milan.

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54kWh Elettrica Veloce SUV 5dr Electric Auto (280 ps)

Expected annual mileage	5000
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Monthly payment	£288.31
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The Junior name refers back to the 1966 Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Junior – an attainable and fun compact car – and that’s what Alfa hopes its new Junior will be seen as.

While there’s a petrol-powered version (the Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida), for this review we’re focusing on the fully electric one. It’s called the Elettrica.

Similar cars from the Stellantis group include the Fiat 600e, Jeep Avenger Electric, Peugeot e-2008 and Vauxhall Mokka Electric. Meanwhile, the Renault 4 (R4) and Volvo EX30, alongside our favourite small electric SUV, the Kia EV3, are examples of other key rivals.

So is the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica the best of the bunch or would we recommend something else? Read on to find out…

Read more: Complete the What Car? Reliability Survey now and you could win a prize

What's new

- January 2026: Light updates to the Junior range announced, with Junior, Ti, Veloce and Sport Speciale trims making up the range. New 18in wheels introduced

- March 2025: Special edition Junior Elettrica Intensa features two-tone alloy wheels, a premium hi-fi, black or red paint and Alcantara trim highlights

- October 2024: 276bhp Junior Elettrica Veloce joins the range, with 54kWh battery

- June 2024: Orders open for Junior Elettrica and higher-spec Speciale, both with 154bhp electric motor and 54kWh battery

- April 2024: Alfa Romeo Milano unveiled, and renamed Junior within days after complaints from the Italian Government

Overview

The Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica is decent to drive, while the range-topping Veloce version is genuinely engaging. It’s just a shame that the Veloce is so pricey, especially next to the closely related Abarth 600e and Vauxhall Mokka GSE. We’d stick to the already-quite-expensive, entry-level Elettrica instead. Other negatives include its poor rear-passenger space and patchy interior quality. In short, competitors like the Kia EV3 make more sense.

Our pick

54kWh Elettrica Veloce SUV 5dr Electric Auto (280 ps) review

RRP £42,300

Pros

• Sharp steering
• Composed handling
• Optional body-hugging sports seats

Cons

• Cramped in the back
• Average range and charging speed
• Patchy interior quality

Our pick

54kWh Elettrica Veloce SUV 5dr Electric Auto (280 ps) review

RRP £42,300

Trims available

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Elettrica Veloce

If you’re after the sportiest Junior, top-spec Veloce is the one that you’ll want to go for. Not only does this get the most powerful motor, it also adds a host of performance upgrades including a mechanical limited slip differential and lowered suspension.

Ibrida

The entry-level trim has plenty of equipment, including 18in alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control and a 10.25in infotainment touchscreen.

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Performance & drive

What it's like to drive, and how quiet it is

How fast is it and which motor is best?

Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica is reasonably fast. Every version (bar the Veloce) has 154bhp and can sprint from 0-62mph in 9.0sec. It’s on a par with the Jeep Avenger Electric, Fiat 600e and Vauxhall Mokka Electric, but the Kia EV3 (7.5sec) and Renault 4 (8.1sec) are quicker still.

The Veloce, on the other hand, brings power up to 278bhp and the 0-62mph time down to 6.0secs. Acceleration is punchy and it feels just as fast as the closely related Abarth 600e Scorpionissima and Mokka GSE.

As the following sections explain, keen drivers will be tempted by the Veloce, although the regular Elettrica is more recommendable to the broader audience.

Is it agile and is the ride comfortable?

The Junior Elettrica has precise steering and it feels composed on a flowing country road. It’s more agile than its Stellantis cousins, plus the Renault 4 and EV3. However, the Ford Puma Gen-E, with its tighter body control, ultimately remains the sharpest handling car in the class.

If you want Gen-E-rivalling handling, you’ll need the Junior Veloce. It gets a raft of sporty upgrades, chief of which is a grip-enhancing limited-slip differential (LSD). The Veloce’s front wheels put down power out of tight corners very well – we never felt the need for four-wheel drive.

Is the Veloce the Junior to have? Well, there are a few caveats to mention. Firstly, there’s its firm, sometimes punishing ride. Regular Junior Elettricas are much more forgiving – comfortable, even.

Another problem with the Veloce is that the Abarth 600e and Mokka GSE are similarly fun to drive, yet they’re much cheaper to buy, despite effectively being a part of the same brood.

Is it quiet and how easy is it to drive smoothly?

Wind and road noise are well contained, but the Veloce (with its stiffer suspension and big, 20in wheels) does suffer from some suspension noise over bumps and potholes.

The brake pedal is a bit soft and spongey, so coming to a smooth stop isn’t super easy. The R4, with its firmer pedal, scores higher marks here.

What’s the range and efficiency like, and how quickly can it charge?

The regular Junior Elettrica has an official range of 256 miles, and though that’s ahead of the Renault 4 (245 miles), it’s inferior to the EV3, which can manage between 270-375 miles (depending on the chosen variant).

It’s worth noting that the sportier Veloce’s range is just 207 miles – that’s similar to its Stellantis stablemates, the 600e and Mokka GSE.

All Junior Elettricas come with an EV heat pump for more efficient warming of the interior.

Its 100kW maximum charge rate is average though, matching both the Renault 4 and entry-level EV3. The EV3 Long Range can, however, charge at a healthier 135kW, while the Volvo EX30 accepts between 134-153kW (variant dependant).

A 10-80% top-up of the Junior's battery should take around 25 minutes with a suitably powerful public EV charger.

"The Junior Elettrica’s spongey brake pedal holds the driving experience back. I found that in some driving modes it lacked feel and was inconsistent with the regen braking." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Interior

The interior layout, fit and finish

What does the interior look like and is it well made?

The Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica is suitably sporty and driver focused inside, with a high centre console, a central screen tilted towards you and two big semi-circles accentuating the digital dials.

There’s some leather on the dashboard, doors and armrests, while the optional Sport Pack adds Alcantara into the mix. These materials help the Junior feel more premium than the Fiat 600e, Jeep Avenger Electric and Vauxhall Mokka Electric.

But if you expand your view beyond the odd splash of leather or alcantara, you’ll find the same scratchy, cheap-feeling plastics in the Junior that you will in the Avenger, Mokka and 600e. As a result, the Junior’s overall quality is quite patchy.

The Kia EV3 and Volvo EX30 look more premium, and both of those cars also feel better built to the touch.

Is the driving position comfortable and is it easy to see out?

Every Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica comes with comfy and supportive seats. You get a good amount of front-seat adjustment in all versions – manual in the entry-level Junior, and electric in the Sport Speciale and top-spec Veloce. The Speciale gets adjustable lumbar support and has a massage function.

If you get the Sport Pack, which is optional with Ti and Veloce versions, then you get semi-bucket front seats manufactured by Sabelt. These seats are great, with huge side bolsters that do a great job of holding you in place through quick corners. Unfortunately you do miss out on adjustable lumbar support – plus the Sport Pack is quite expensive.

You sit quite low down in the Junior but visibility to the front and the sides is good, which is handy when negotiating junctions. On the minus side, over-the-shoulder visibility is really restricted by the rising window line and chunky rear pillars.

Every Junior comes with rear parking sensors, but you’ll need the Technology Pack to get a reversing camera. It comes as standard on Sport Speciale and Veloce trims, but is optional on other Juniors.

Are the dashboard and infotainment system easy to use?

Most of the Junior’s interior functions are controlled using the 10.3in infotainment touchscreen. It’s angled towards the driver but positioned awkwardly low down – it’s not in your eyeline. The system itself is often sluggish in its responsiveness and a lot of the icons are annoyingly small, but you can at least bypass the Alfa Romeo software and use your phone apps instead, thanks to standard Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

More successful is the bank of physical climate controls below the screen, which are easier and less distracting to use than the touchscreen-based buttons in the Volvo EX30.

"You don’t get built-in sat-nav with the entry-level Alfa Romeo Junior but I didn't find that a problem because of the wireless smartphone mirroring." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Passenger & boot space

How it copes with people and clutter

How much space does it have for people?

The Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica doesn't feel as open or airy inside as a Kia EV3 or Volvo EX30. Still, even tall front-seat passengers have plenty of head room and decent leg room.

The Junior feels cramped in the back, especially next to the EV3 and EX30. There’s barely any excess head or leg room for 6ft-tall people. On the plus side, the sports seats on the Veloce models have heavily carved-out seat backs, which does help with knee room behind them.

How much room does it have for luggage?

There’s a reasonable amount of storage space in the interior, including a couple of well-sized door bins and a surprisingly large storage tray at the bottom of the dash. The tray takes a hefty wallet or a large smartphone, and on Veloce models it includes a wireless phone-charging pad.

The boot is reasonably accommodating by small electric SUV standards, with 400 litres available. There should be enough room for your weekly shopping or several carry-on suitcases. The Junior is actually more generous on boot space than the Jeep Avenger Electric (355 litres), Renault 4 (375 litres) and EX30 (318 litres). The EV3 (460 litres) is more capacious still.

The Junior Elettrica doesn’t offer sliding or reclining rear seats. They're split 60/40 rather than the more versatile 40/20/40, limiting your options when you have passengers and luggage to fit in. There’s no ski hatch to allow you to carry long items with a couple of rear passengers sitting in comfort.

"I found the neat little compartment under the Junior's bonnet really handy. It's not huge but it is big enough to store the charging cables and saves you space in the boot." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Buying & owning

Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is

How much does it cost and what equipment do you get?

The Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica is quite pricey. It’s more expensive to buy than most of its Stellantis relatives, including the Fiat 600e, Jeep Avenger Electric, Peugeot e-2008 and Vauxhall Mokka Electric. It costs more than the Kia EV3 and Volvo EX30 (albeit only slightly), and it’s way more expensive than the Renault 4.

The entry-level Junior Elettrica (simply named Junior) comes with 18in alloy wheels, fabric seats and automatic climate control. The Ti adds heated front seats, with a massage function for the driver. The Sport Speciale gets the Technology Pack as standard (as we previously referenced), a black roof and ‘Sport Speciale’ badging. The Veloce sits at the top of the range, and it gets all the sporty upgrades we’ve talked about.

Is it reliable, and how long is the warranty?

The Junior Elettrica was absent from our 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey, but Alfa Romeo as a brand came 17th out of 30 manufacturers featured – a decent result. It placed above Renault and Volvo but below Kia, Peugeot and Vauxhall.

You get a three-year, unlimited-mileage standard warranty with the Junior Elettrica.

How safe is it, and is it easy to steal?

As of writing, there’s no Euro NCAP safety rating for the Junior, but every version comes with plenty of safety aids as standard, including automatic emergency braking (AEB) with cyclist and pedestrian detection. An alarm and an emergency e-call system comes as standard, too.

"I like the Veloce, but it’s quite pricey. The Abarth 600e and Vauxhall Mokka GSE are cheaper buys." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Buy it if…

- You like sporty exterior and interior styling
- You want a small SUV with a reasonably big boot
- You appreciate precise steering

Don’t buy it if…

- You need plenty of interior space
- You want a competitive pricing
- You want a class-leading electric range

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