Production-ready Renault 5 Turbo 3E to fly up the Festival of Speed Hill

A year after we got a first look at this upcoming electric hot hatch, labelled by Renault as a ‘mini supercar’, at the 2025 Festival of Speed, the Turbo 3E returns in 2026 fully realised in its production specification. 

In terms of styling, it’s a stunning homage to the Renault 5 Turbo, a cult classic hot hatch with remarkable pedigree both on public roads and the global rally stage.  

But while the original Turbo was propelled by a mid-mounted 1.4-litre turbocharged engine producing 160PS (118kW) the Turbo 3E harnesses the power of two electric motors, mounted on the rear axle, to unleash more than three times the output and a scarcely believable 4,800Nm of torque. 

It’s the most powerful road car Renault has ever built, and with a carbon fibre chassis it weighs only 1,450kg, making 0-62mph possible in 3.5 seconds, which ought to look pretty spectacular on the Hill if it can keep its savage torque delivery in check. 

Designed primarily with sideways action and the Renault 5 Turbo’s rallying heritage in mind, we can expect to see the Turbo 3E tearing through plenty of tyres during its four-day stay at the Festival of Speed. 

All of this is going to come at quite the price, though. Each Renault 5 Turbo 3E will be built to order and sold for upwards of £140,000. Production will also be limited to 1,980 units, making for a level of exclusivity that’s bound to pique the interest of collectors. 

The 5 Turbo 3E will be joined at the Festival of Speed by two more of Renault’s latest creations. The exciting new Twingo E-Tech electric will also making its dynamic debut on the Hill, representing a much more attainable option next to the rather exclusive 3E. 

Expected to be priced at around £20,000, the rebirth of the Twingo is bound to be a popular one, and with a 163-mile range it’s also likely to be pretty useful for city drivers. 

The Renault 4 E-Tech electric will also return to the Festival of Speed in 2026, although this year we’ll be able to see it in ‘plein sud’ convertible spec. 

Those dynamic debuts will of course be supplemented by static displays of the Renault 5 E-Tech electric and the Renault 4 E-Tech electric on the Renault stand, where we’ll all have the chance to poke around this new generation of machinery of the famous French marque. 

Tickets for the Festival of Speed are limited. Friday, Saturday and four-day passes are now sold out and Thursday tickets are selling fast. If you’re not already part of the GRRC, joining the Fellowship means you can save ten per cent on your 2026 tickets and grandstand passes, as well as enjoy a whole host of other on-event perks.