Renault 5 Turbo 3E vs Peugeot e-T16: Which Electric Group B Revival Actually Wins?
Forty years ago, a Group B rally car was a small hatchback with a turbocharged engine where the rear seats used to be, bodywork wide enough to hide a second car, and a reputation for making spectators forget to breathe. Telling a crowd at a 1985 forest stage that Renault and Peugeot would one day rebuild those exact cars without a single drop of petrol would have earned you a polite laugh and a step backwards.
Yet that is precisely what has happened. Renault turned the idea into a genuine, numbered production car. Peugeot answered with a concept so complete that its own management keeps talking about building it. Both wear French badges, both borrow their names from mid-1980s rally folklore, and both produce far more power than the originals ever did on a rally stage.
The crucial difference is this. One is a finished product with a price, a build number and a delivery window. The other is a spectacular argument that has not been signed off. That single fact shapes almost every part of this comparison.
A note on sourcing: every figure below comes from statements by Renault, Peugeot or Stellantis, or from reporting by established outlets including CarScoops, Autocar and Evo. Where a number is an estimate, a manufacturer claim or still unconfirmed, we say so plainly. Nothing has been invented to fill a gap.
Key takeaways
- Renault 5 Turbo 3E: a real production car, capped at 1,980 units, from about €160,000, dual motor rear wheel drive, roughly 555 hp.
- Peugeot e-T16: a concept only, three motors, 816 hp, all wheel drive, no price and no confirmed build decision.
- The Renault is a standalone halo model. The Peugeot is a preview of the next 208 hatchback.
- On paper the Peugeot wins the acceleration argument. In the real world the Renault wins simply by existing.
- No journalist has driven the two cars back to back yet, so nobody can honestly call a handling winner.
The two cars at a glance
| Renault 5 Turbo 3E | Peugeot e-T16 | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Production car, 1,980 units | Concept, production under study |
| Drivetrain | Two motors, rear wheel drive | Three motors, all wheel drive |
| Power | 555 hp (410 kW / 563 PS) | 816 hp (600 kW / 805 bhp) |
| 0 to 100 km/h | Under 3.5 seconds | 2.5 seconds (claim) |
| Battery | 70 kWh, 400 volt class | 85 kWh, 800 volt |
| Kerb weight | 1,450 kg | Not published, roughly 1,610 to 1,630 kg |
| Platform | Bespoke aluminium tubular chassis by Alpine | Stellantis STLA One |
| Price | From €160,000 (about $180,000) | Not announced |
| Availability | Europe, UK, Middle East, Japan, Australia | Nowhere yet |
Figures as published by Renault and Peugeot. Weight for the e-T16 is derived from Peugeot's stated power to weight ratio, not from an official kerb weight.
Why Group B still sells cars four decades later
Group B ran from 1982 until the end of 1986. The rulebook was almost absurdly permissive, asking only that manufacturers build a small number of road cars to qualify. Engineers answered with mid-mounted engines, enormous turbochargers and four wheel drive systems that had barely existed five years earlier. The category was shut down for the 1987 season after a run of fatal accidents, the most notorious being Henri Toivonen's crash on the Tour de Corse in May 1986.
What survived was the romance. Short wheelbases. Lag before boost. Road cars that felt like racing cars with number plates. Peugeot's 205 T16 took the world championship in 1985 and repeated it in 1986. Renault went a different route with the 5 Turbo, keeping the engine behind the driver and driving only the rear wheels, and Jean Ragnotti made it famous on the same Corsican roads in 1985.
That contrast is the reason this comparison is interesting rather than merely nostalgic. Rear drive against all wheel drive was the defining technical argument of the era, and both new cars have preserved their ancestor's answer. If you want the full backstory on the Peugeot side, our archive piece on the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 and its Group B legacy covers the homologation special, the 200 road cars and the two championship titles in detail.
Design: same brief, two completely different answers
Both cars are three door hatchbacks in an age when almost every production supermini has five doors. That alone tells you how seriously each brand took the assignment. Beyond that shared decision, the philosophies split.
Renault 5 Turbo 3E: the Maxi Turbo, modernised
The Renault reads as a direct evolution of the 5 Maxi Turbo rather than a reimagining of it. You get 20 inch alloy wheels, unusually intricate LED lighting, a bonnet with a deep central vent, blistered arches with integrated air channels, aggressive bumper intakes, a front splitter, deep side skirts, a roof spoiler and a diffuser. Nothing is subtle and nothing looks accidental.
The production car also carries a proper motorsport livery. Autocar noted that the blue and red scheme on the road car references the 5 Maxi Turbo that won the Tour de Corse in 1985, which is exactly the kind of detail collectors respond to.
Peugeot e-T16: a costume over a future hatchback
The Peugeot is a different kind of object. It wears a matte grey finish with a single red pinstripe running the full length of the car, three slot full width LED graphics at both ends, and boxy taillights that deliberately echo the 205. Peugeot has said those three slot light signatures will become a family trait across future models.
It rides on 21 inch wheels, with wider tyres at the rear than the front, and the greenhouse carries recognizable 205 DNA. More importantly, it is not a standalone fantasy. Peugeot describes the e-T16 as the ultimate expression of the next generation 208, and the production car due in 2027 will inherit much of the thinking underneath. We have already broken down the technical case in our preview of the 2027 Peugeot 208 and its STLA One platform, including the 800 volt hardware and cell to body battery construction.
Interiors: bucket seats and a vertical handbrake in both
Here the two cars converge, and the reason is obvious. Both were designed to be slid sideways into a hairpin rather than to lap a motorway quietly.
The Renault is the more conventional of the two because it is a finished product. It uses a normal round steering wheel and a digital cockpit adapted from the R5 E-Tech, which means you can actually operate it without a briefing. The Peugeot, being a concept, goes further: the Hypersquare steering control with an integrated display replaces a conventional wheel, and the instrument panel is an ultra wide 21 inch screen.
Both adopt a strict two seat layout with heavily bolstered bucket seats and a brightly coloured roll cage. Both feature a vertical hydraulic handbrake mounted between the seats. That single component tells you more about the intent than any press release.
Practicality is where they part. The Renault has a normal boot. The Peugeot's entire rear body section tilts open to expose the electric motors and parts of the suspension, which is dramatic, fascinating and completely useless for carrying luggage. Peugeot has not confirmed whether a production version would keep that party trick.
Powertrain: this is where the argument gets serious
Both brands used electric packaging to recreate something the original engineers achieved with a combustion engine behind the driver: a low centre of gravity and a rear-biased feel. They got there by very different routes.
Renault: rear drive, aluminium chassis, honest weight
The 5 Turbo 3E uses a bespoke aluminium tubular chassis developed by Alpine, with a 70 kWh battery mounted in the floor. That layout gives it a 43/57 front to rear weight distribution, and Renault quotes a kerb weight of 1,450 kg (3,197 lbs). Dual electric motors produce a combined 555 hp (410 kW / 563 PS) and drive only the rear wheels, just like the original.
The claimed 0 to 100 km/h time is under 3.5 seconds. Autocar has also reported a wheel torque figure of 3,540 lb ft, along with a 0 to 120 mph time below nine seconds and a track limited top speed of 168 mph. Treat that torque number as a headline figure rather than something you would feel at the contact patch, because a small fraction of it actually reaches the road.
Peugeot: three motors, all wheel drive, 816 hp
The e-T16 sits on Stellantis' new STLA One architecture and sticks with the all wheel drive layout of the 205 T16. Three motors, one at the front and two at the rear, produce a combined 816 hp (600 kW / 805 bhp). Peugeot quotes 0 to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds and 0 to 300 km/h in 16 seconds.
The battery is an 85 kWh unit with an 800 volt architecture, and Peugeot claims it holds enough energy for three consecutive laps of the Nürburgring. Peak WLTP range is quoted at up to 400 km, or roughly 249 miles. Brakes are 380 mm discs at each corner, with 275 mm wide front tyres and 315 mm rears from Michelin.
If you want to go deeper on the hardware and on how close this is to a showroom car, our dedicated analysis of the 805 hp Peugeot e-T16 and its production chances separates what Peugeot has actually confirmed from what is still speculation.
| Powertrain detail | 5 Turbo 3E | e-T16 |
|---|---|---|
| Motors | 2 | 3 |
| Driven wheels | Rear | All four |
| Power to weight | About 2.6 kg per hp | Under 2 kg per hp (claim) |
| DC charge window | 15 to 80 percent in about 15 minutes | 10 to 80 percent in about 15 minutes |
| Wheels | 20 inch | 21 inch, wider rear tyres |
| Quoted range | Not published in launch material | Up to 400 km WLTP (claim) |
The number that decides everything: power to weight
Peugeot has not published a kerb weight for the e-T16. It has published something more useful for comparison purposes: a power to weight ratio of under 2 kg per horsepower. Work backwards from 816 hp and you land somewhere around 1,610 to 1,630 kg. Evo reported 1,610 kg, and CarScoops calculated roughly 1,632 kg from the same claim. Either way, the Peugeot is carrying well over 150 kg more than the Renault.
Divide power by weight and the gap narrows. The Renault's 555 hp against 1,450 kg works out at about 2.6 kg per horsepower. The Peugeot's claimed figure is under 2.0. That is a genuine advantage of roughly 20 to 25 percent, and it explains the 2.5 second acceleration claim, but it is not the chasm the raw power numbers suggest.
That distinction matters. A reader who only sees 816 hp against 555 hp will assume the Peugeot destroys the Renault everywhere. It probably wins the traffic light drag race and it almost certainly wins a wet roundabout. Whether it wins on a tight, bumpy rally style road is a completely different question, and one that depends on chassis tuning, steering feel and how much of that mass the driver can actually feel. Nobody knows yet.
Charging, range and whether either car is usable
Both can charge from roughly 15 percent to 80 percent in about 15 minutes, provided you find the right charger. The Peugeot has the theoretical advantage of an 800 volt architecture, which is what allows that speed with a larger 85 kWh pack. The Renault relies on a 70 kWh pack and a conventional architecture.
Range is where the two cars differ in intent rather than capability. Peugeot quotes up to 400 km on the WLTP cycle. Renault's launch material for the 5 Turbo 3E does not treat range as a headline claim, which tells you what the car is for. It is a collector object with a charging port, not a touring car. Neither model is being sold on efficiency, and neither should be judged on it.
Video: Caradisiac sets the two cars against each other at the Paris Motor Show. The commentary is in French, but the side by side walkaround needs no translation.
Price, availability and the production question
This is the section that settles the argument for most buyers, because only one of these cars can actually be purchased.
The Renault 5 Turbo 3E is limited to 1,980 units. Pricing starts at €160,000, which is roughly $180,000 at current exchange rates. Renault is taking orders in Europe, the UK, the Middle East, Japan and Australia, with first customer deliveries expected during 2027. There is no confirmed plan for the United States.
The Peugeot e-T16 has no price, no confirmed volume and no market list. Peugeot's leadership has said publicly that production could happen as early as 2027, and that the STLA One platform makes it technically feasible. That is a meaningful statement, but it is not a commitment. Anyone quoting a price or a firm launch date for this car is guessing.
For context on how quickly this class of small electric car is moving underneath both of these flagships, including where the Renault 5 E-Tech sits against newer arrivals, our Hyundai INSTER electric review benchmarks the current small EV field on the criteria buyers actually use.
Editor's note: read the specification sheets carefully
Three things are worth flagging before anyone quotes these numbers in an argument, because the figures circulating online do not all agree.
- Renault's output figure has moved. Renault's own communications have quoted about 535 hp at one stage and 555 hp (410 kW / 563 PS) later. Some outlets still list 533 or 547 bhp because they convert from metric horsepower, and others quote different transmission losses. The working range is 540 to 555 hp. The final homologated number is the one that counts.
- The Peugeot's 816 hp is a metric figure. That is 827 PS in European marketing language, 805 bhp in British usage and 600 kW in engineering terms. All four describe the same car. Nobody is lying, they are just using different units.
- The weight comparison is derived, not published. Peugeot gave a ratio rather than a mass, so every kilogram figure you see for the e-T16 is somebody's arithmetic. It is reasonable arithmetic, but it is still arithmetic.
One further point of honesty: no independent journalist has driven these two cars back to back. Every performance claim in this article is a manufacturer claim. That is normal for a comparison published this early, but it does mean the interesting half of the story is unwritten.
Pros and cons
Renault 5 Turbo 3E
Pros
- You can actually order one
- Rear drive keeps the original's character
- Lightest of the two at 1,450 kg
- Bespoke Alpine developed chassis
- Genuine boot and a recognisable cockpit
Cons
- €160,000 and already allocated in limited numbers
- Down on power against the Peugeot
- Not sold in every market
- Range is not a selling point
Peugeot e-T16
Pros
- 816 hp and all wheel drive traction
- 800 volt architecture and an 85 kWh pack
- Dramatic design with a clear 205 lineage
- Preview of technology coming to the 208
Cons
- Not on sale and not confirmed for production
- No price, no volume, no market list
- Heavier by a significant margin
- The tilting rear body removes any luggage space
- Hypersquare control is unproven on the road
So which one is better?
There is no single winner, and anyone telling you otherwise is picking a side for emotional reasons. What there is, is a clear set of answers depending on what you value.
- If you want to own one: Renault, without hesitation. It exists, it has a price and it has a production slot.
- If you want the most extreme engineering: Peugeot. Three motors, all wheel drive, 800 volts and a 21 inch screen make the Renault look almost conservative.
- If purity matters more than numbers: Renault. Rear drive and less weight is the more faithful reading of the 5 Turbo brief.
- If you want traction and a launch experience: Peugeot. All wheel drive and a sub three second claim are hard to argue with.
- If you are thinking about future value: Renault, by default. A numbered car with a confirmed build beats a concept whose future is a press statement.
My own read, as an editorial position rather than a measurement, is that Renault won the harder contest. Building a low volume, rear drive, bespoke chassis electric hyper hatch and getting it through homologation at a profit is a far more difficult commercial act than revealing a stunning concept on a motor show stand. Peugeot's car is the more spectacular object. Renault's is the more impressive achievement.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Renault 5 Turbo 3E a real production car?
Yes. It moved from a 2022 concept study to a limited production model confirmed in 2025. Renault has capped output at 1,980 units with first customer deliveries expected during 2027.
How much does the Renault 5 Turbo 3E cost?
Pricing starts at €160,000, which is roughly $180,000. Renault is accepting orders in Europe, the UK, the Middle East, Japan and Australia. No US launch has been confirmed.
Is the Peugeot e-T16 going into production?
Not confirmed. Peugeot has called the concept technically feasible and its leadership has suggested production could happen as early as 2027, but no formal decision, price, volume or market list has been announced.
How much power does the Peugeot e-T16 have?
Peugeot quotes 816 metric horsepower, which equals about 805 bhp or 600 kW, from three electric motors: one on the front axle and two at the rear.
Which is faster, the 5 Turbo 3E or the e-T16?
On manufacturer claims the Peugeot is quicker, with 0 to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds against under 3.5 seconds for the Renault. Neither figure has been independently verified in a back to back test.
Are these cars all wheel drive?
Only the Peugeot. The e-T16 uses three motors to drive all four wheels, matching the 205 T16. The Renault 5 Turbo 3E drives only the rear wheels, matching the original 5 Turbo.
Will either car be sold in the United States?
There is no confirmed plan for either. Renault has announced markets for the 5 Turbo 3E that exclude the US, and Peugeot does not currently sell passenger cars in the American market.
What was Group B rallying?
A World Rally Championship category that ran from 1982 to 1986 with very permissive rules. It produced cars such as the Peugeot 205 T16 and the Renault 5 Turbo, and was discontinued after a series of fatal accidents.
Image gallery
The verdict
Renault and Peugeot have both proved something worth taking seriously. Heritage is not a marketing costume you put on for a motor show; it is a genuine technical brief, and it can produce cars that would not otherwise exist. A rear drive, aluminium chassis, 1,450 kg electric hyper hatch with a hydraulic handbrake is not the product of a spreadsheet. Neither is an 816 hp three motor tribute to a car that won the world championship twice.
Where they differ is in seriousness. Renault committed money, factory time and homologation paperwork. Peugeot committed a concept car and an encouraging sentence from its leadership. That may change, and if a production e-T16 arrives with most of the concept's aggression intact, this comparison will need rewriting in a hurry.
For now, the honest answer to the question in the headline is this. Peugeot built the more exciting promise. Renault built the more impressive car. Only one of them can be delivered to your garage in 2027.
If you enjoy watching the affordable end of the electric market develop just as quickly as the exotic end, our regularly updated guide to the best electric vehicles on sale covers the models that most buyers will actually consider, including the Renault 5 that lends this hyper hatch its silhouette.
Which side of the Group B revival are you on?
Rear drive purity with a real boot, or three motors and 816 hp on a platform that does not exist yet? Tell us in the comments, and follow AutoNewsLine for the moment either car finally gets driven in anger.
Image credits: Renault and Peugeot press material, compiled via CarScoops. Specification sources: Renault Group, Peugeot and Stellantis communications, with cross checks against CarScoops, Autocar and Evo reporting. Figures reflect information available on 1 November 2026 and may be revised by the manufacturers.
