It’s hard to believe it’s been eight years since the Alpine A110 first went on sale in Europe. For most of that time, Irish enthusiasts could only admire it from afar.
But that changes in 2025. Alpine now has an official presence in Ireland, coinciding with the arrival of the brand’s first electric hot hatch, the A290.
The good news? You can finally buy an A110 here. The bad news? It won’t be around for much longer. With Alpine committing fully to an all-electric future, production of this petrol-powered sports car is ending next year. And with Irish taxes pushing the price to €92,495, this really is a niche, aspirational car. But what a way to say goodbye.
To mark the occasion, I took one for a final blast through the Wicklow Gap, one of my favourite driving roads.
The Alpine A110 is on sale in Ireland nowStyling
The A110 is simply beautiful. Its design draws heavily from the classic Alpine sports cars of the 1960s and 1970s, with distinctive twin front headlights, bonnet spine and a graceful wraparound rear screen.
Finished in signature Alpine Blue with subtle French Tricolour badges and 18-inch alloys, it’s a car that looks as special as it feels to drive.
Alpine A110 Interior
The cabin of the A110 is snug and built for drivers, not passengers. The Sabelt bucket seats are superb, providing real support without sacrificing comfort. The design is simple and unfussy, with plenty of soft leather across the dashboard, though you will find hard scratchier plastics in places.
A digital driver display provides uncomplicated graphics, while the central touchscreen (now with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto) handles connectivity. It’s not the most high-tech system out there, but it’s functional and not distracting, which is exactly what you want in a driver’s car.
A few quirks remind you how single-minded this car is: you’ll need a spanner to adjust the seat height, and there’s no reversing camera. But again, that’s part of its charm.
The cabin of the A110Practicality
Let’s be honest: the Alpine A110 is not built for practicality. You’ll need to travel light, with just 96 litres of boot space behind the engine and another 100 litres under the bonnet. Packing for a weekend away requires a little creativity.
Driving the Alpine A110
The Alpine A110 has one of my all-time favourite engines. It’s the same 1.8-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol used in the last generation Renault Mégane RS and RS Trophy, which are cars that helped define the last great hot hatch era around 2017–2018.
On paper, the Alpine’s 252hp and 320Nm of torque might sound modest, but this is a featherweight. The A110 tips the scales at just over 1.1 tonnes, with the engine mounted behind the seats and power sent to the rear wheels through a 7-speed, dual-clutch automatic. It sprints from 0–100 km/h in 4.5 seconds, but raw numbers only tell part of the story.
The A110 is expected to go out of production in 2026The A110 is all about purity and feel. There’s no gimmicky drive mode menu or adaptive this-and-that; just Normal and Sport modes to toggle between The chassis is 96% aluminium, which keeps things tight and communicative. You sit low, almost on the ground, with the kind of connection to the road that many modern cars just can’t replicate.
On Irish roads, it’s firm so you feel every undulation and ripple on rural roads in particular, though things smooth out as the road quality improves. Despite its performance credentials, it’s surprisingly refined when cruising. It can even return respectable fuel economy: as low as 6.7 litres per 100 kilometres. Motor tax is €280 per year.
Verdict
The Alpine A110 is a rare gem: light, tactile and refreshingly simple. It’s a driver’s car through and through, offering a purity and connection that’s increasingly hard to find. Yes, it’s expensive and not the most practical choice, but it’s also one of the most engaging sports cars you can buy today – and soon you won’t be able to buy one at all.
Alpine has committed to a fully electric future with the brilliant A290 soon to be joined by the A390 SUV, expanding the brand’s reach even further. But it’s clear racing is in Alpine’s DNA and that means the future is bright.
Alpine A110 Video Review
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Written by Caroline Kidd
Founder and Editor of Changing Lanes, Juror for Irish Car of the Year