Kim Henson reports…
(All words and photographs © Kim Henson).
On the occasion of a multi-vehicle driving day organised annually by the Western Group of Motoring Writers, I recently had the opportunity to briefly test drive Alfa Romeo’s Junior Elettrica Sport Speciale, a compact all-electric SUV.
To put the model in context, the Junior models are offered with a choice of two electric powertrains. The Elettrica, Ti and Sport Speciale versions are equipped with a 156 hp motor and have a range of up to 250 miles (WLTP) when fully charged.
By contrast the Veloce is powered by a 280 hp motor, and also features a Torsen limited slip differential, lowered suspension and a more sporty steering set-up.
At the end of May 2026 it was announced that the UK government’s Electric Car Grant of £1,500 was to apply to the Elettrica, Ti and Sport Speciale variants (but not to the Veloce). This is in addition to Alfa Romeo’s own EV grant of £1,500 per vehicle, applicable to all these versions (and in this case including the Veloce).
The ‘On the Road’ prices of the Elettrica models (before deducting the relevant grants) are £33,900 for the Elettrica, £36,400 for the Ti and £39,100 for the Sport Speciale – the version that I test drove. After deducting the £1,500 Electric Car Grant and Alfa’s own £1,500 EV grant, the price of the test car model is £36,100.
(For comparative purposes it is useful to note that the Veloce carries an ‘On the Road’ price of £42,300, and after taking off Alfa’s £1,500 EV grant, costs £40,800).
Alfas are renowned for their sporty performance and agile dynamic progress, and I found that the Sport Speciale is no exception to this general rule.
The driver has a choice of three separate drive modes – ‘Dynamic’ (i.e. sporty), ‘Naturall’ and ‘Advanced Efficiency’. During my test drive the car provided eager acceleration, even with the ‘Natural’ setting applied, and felt faster still when ‘Dynamic’ was selected.
For the record the car will accelerate from rest to 62 mph in 9.0 seconds.
Progress was hushed and the car cruised easily at 60 mph on the non-motorway roads on which I drove it.
Standard-fit equipment is comprehensive, and includes… Matrix LED headlights, Level 2 autonomous driving systems, electric tailgate with hands-free opening, 180-degree rear-view camera, 360-degree parking sensors and keyless entry.
The interior features new alcantara seats plus a leather/alcantara-trimmed steering wheel. There’s also a multitude of connectivity/information systems, a wireless smartphone charger, foldable and heated exterior mirrors with blind spot functions and courtesy lights, an auto-dimming interior mirror and a six-speaker audio system. There are USB ports for both front and rear seat passengers.
The wrap-around front seats look good and were comfortable. The ride quality was commendable too, and the interior of the vehicle was quite spacious for a compact SUV, with the exception of rear seat legroom, best described as ‘somewhat limited’ or perhaps ‘just about adequate’.
Luggage space is good, with a long, wide and deep boot (with a capacity of 400 litres or 14.13 cu.ft) and split folding rear seats to increase carrying capacity as/when required.
Frankly I was not impressed by the driving range; a maximum of 256 miles may be okay for urban use but not great for long runs, during which time-consuming recharging stops would be required.
That said, Alfa Romeo claims that less than 30 minutes is required to recharge the 54 kWh battery from 20 per cent to 80 per cent, using DC fast charging. With the battery recharged to 80 per cent the potential range is just over 200 miles. Incidentally there’s an eight year/100,000 mile warranty on the battery.
VERDICT
A well-equipped and sporty, enjoyable vehicle to drive, as one would expect from an Alfa.
Negative points are the limited mileage range and less than generous leg room for rear seat occupants.
