Written by Alan Taylor-Jones Updated: 26 March 2025

Overview

There are an ever increasing number of performance oriented electric cars available with ever decreasing 0-62mph times. The trouble is many of them focus too much on crushing acceleration over actual real world fun. The Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce is not one of those cars, shunning dual electric motors and explosive acceleration for a lighter, more delicate driving experience.

Sitting at the top of the Junior small SUV range, the Veloce shares its 54kWh battery pack with the Junior Electric but ups the ante elsewhere. Power is up from 154hp to 280hp with 0-62mph taking a quick 5.9 seconds, although driving range does take a hit. Official figures put it at 207 miles, but you could almost half that if you’re having fun.

It’s not just the extra power that drags the range down, there are also plenty of chassis changes to make it drive like a performance car. Most noticeable from the outside are a set of 20-inch alloy wheels with bigger brakes and colourful calipers. A new steering mechanism has been installed with faster responses, the suspension has been firmed up and lowered, it’s wider, and there’s a limited-slip differential (LSD) between the front wheels.

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This helps divert power to the tyre with the most traction and is found in all the best hot hatches. The Honda Civic Type R has one, as does the Hyundai i30 N and Volkswagen Golf R. It’s not something that’s common on electric cars, though. You won’t find an LSD in most electric rivals, with this crucial bit of chassis tech missing on the Cupra Born, MG4 XPower and MINI Cooper SE. You will in the Junior Veloce’s sister car, the cracking Abarth 600e, though.

To find out how it stacks up, we’ve driven it on track abroad, and on the road and track in the UK. If you’re wondering how we go about reviewing, have a look at our how we test cars page.

What’s it like inside?

That depends on where you’re sat and what seats you’ve got. All cars driven so far have been fitted with optional Sabelt sports seats which proved great for those up front, less so for rear seat passengers. They’re chunky items and have cutouts that are well placed for rear occupants’ knees. Even so, a six-footer will feel cramped or just won’t fit behind another similarly tall adult up front.

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Space in the front is good, although you’re aware of the Junior’s compact size from its width. Storage is perhaps not as good as it could be in the cabin, with too much space dedicated to the wireless phone charger and no cubbyhole beneath it. The 400-litre boot does help make up for it, as does a neat tray under the bonnet that’s just big enough to house your Type 2 charging cable. You don’t get that in an Abarth 600e.

While there is some very familiar switchgear, this is an interior that’s appreciably different in character compared to other cars on this platform such as the Abarth 600e, Vauxhall Mokka and Peugeot e-2008. The twin binnacle cowling for the digital display is very Alfa, and both infotainment and heater controls are canted towards the driver. The heating controls are worthy of note as they’re physical switches that make changing temperature a breeze.

The 10.25-inch screen is a little low for my liking, but I do appreciate the physical shortcut buttons and responsiveness of the system. Graphics for the driver’s display and main screen are sharp, and neither are particularly hard to navigate. It’s a huge step on from the dated system found in the Giulia and Stelvio, if some way behind the best in class.

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With the Junior range starting well below £30k for a hybrid, plenty of hard plastics are to be expected, although they perhaps could have been hidden a little better. Crucially, the steering wheel feels good with its Alcantara and leather coating, as do most other areas you interact with regularly.

Comfort

The Sabelt seats strike a fine balance between comfort and support, holding you in place well during cornering without causing aches and pains. Some may wish they went a bit lower, although we must remember that this is an SUV after all.

Automatic climate control is standard and does a great job of fending off 30-degree heat or warming up the cabin on a crisp Spring morning. It’s also reasonably quiet with not too much wind noise or road roar filtering in to the cabin. You do hear the suspension thudding away at times, but better you hear that than feel a jolt through your seat.

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Safety

At the time of writing Euro NCAP hadn’t crash tested the Junior. The closely related Vauxhall Mokka should give us some clues, having gained a four-star rating back in 2021. We’d expect the Junior to perform similarly well, although we’ll need to wait for the results to know for sure. To help prevent a collision, all Junior Veloces get automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and lane centring.

What’s it like to drive?

An absolute hoot, and far better than you might expect given the Junior’s underpinnings. Where the regular Alfa Junior, Jeep Avenger, and Vauxhall Mokka and others are inoffensive but unexciting, the Veloce immediately grabs your attention. The steering transfers far more information about the road’s surface to my fingertips, and it’s quick at only 2.6 turns lock to lock.

It’s also lighter than I was expecting especially after sampling the heavy MINI Cooper SE’s steering, taking a bit of getting used to. You feel the steering wheel wriggle in your hands when you’re heavy on the power thanks to the limited-slip diff, more so than in the Abarth 600e thanks to its heavier steering, although it’s not off-putting. The upshot is that I’m able to tighten my line in bends by trampling on the throttle and letting the diff pull me towards the inside of the corner rather than washing wide like rivals would.

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I also feel the Veloce tightening its line if I go quickly into a corner whilst braking or off-throttle, or lift mid corner. The stability control is always there to save you – with a little less intervention in Dynamic mode – but it’s judged well enough that both speed freaks and normal motorists should be satisfied. Grip levels are high, so I suspect most people will enjoy driving the Veloce near the limit rather than over it. I certainly had a riot on both road and track.

Performance is some way off the Volvo EX30 twin motor and MG4 XPower and I couldn’t be happier about it. Where they are fast in a straight line but overpowered in the bends, the Veloce is quick enough without feeling OTT. Brake pedal feel is OK Normal mode, yet still is far more confidence inspiring than other more expensive EVs. Dynamic mode turns off the regen braking, hurting efficiency but improving brake feel massively.

It feels more supple over ridges and poorly surfaced UK roads than the jarring Cooper SE, which does mean there’s a bit more body roll. If anything it makes it easier to judge the car’s limits, and feels appropriate on a road-biased SUV. While the Junior Veloce is massive fun, the Abarth 600e is a little bit sharper, a whole lot cheaper, and only slightly less comfortable.

Range and charging

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I can happily tell you than the Junior can recharge at up to 100kW for a sub-30 minute 10-80% rapid charge time. However, the performance tyres and extra power contribute to a range of 207 miles according to WLTP figures.

I drove it reasonably gently for around seven miles and managed 3.6 miles per kWh – good for a calculated range of 184 miles based on the 51kWh usable capacity of the battery pack. With the regen turned off and driven hard, you can almost half the range.

What models and trims are available?

There is a lesser Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica that uses the 54kWh battery pack with the usual 154bhp electric motor, and the Junior Ibrida which is a mild hybrid. The Veloce is electric only and costs just shy of £43,000. An equivalent Abarth 600e sneaks under the £40k luxury car tax, and there’s a less potent (if barely any slower) version that’s even cheaper.