The 2026 Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce Review – When Electric Cars Have Soul
Ok, I have a bit of a confession – I thought that the Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce would be a typical electric car that Alfa brings to the market in the bid to bridge an “electric vehicle” gap, but I believe that they may be onto something here.
The few electric cars that I have had the chance to test have seemingly ‘lacked’ something – they are all filled with technology and seem to not have any distinguishable character from the next one. One might go as far as saying that they seem to be the exact same car, just a different body & manufacture badge.
I did not get with the Junior – in fact, I was pleasantly surprised from the moment I first drove the car till it had to leave. It is also worth noting that the good, just as with any car, does can with a ‘not so good’ unfortunately.
But let’s start with the highlights.
The Junior Veloce is not only the ‘smallest’ model offered by Alfa Romeo, but also the one that is electrified; and this stunned die-hard fans of the brand who believed that Alfa may have been doing a full swing into the electric vehicle market. Personally, I believe that this car is a means to test the waters, which might be a good start for the brand.
Starting with the drive – it feels like an Alfa. I genuinely thought I was driving a combustion vehicle to a point where I turned the radio down, then reality hit.
There is so much Alcantara in the interior that one feels like this car was built for the track, though the rough 300KM in travel range might hinder ones plans on doing that – which was the major downside that I experience, the second being that I struggled to get Apple CarPlay up and running on the 10.25” infotainment screen(though it has wireless CarPlay and Android Auto enabled).
Further on the drive, it generally feels like a more engaged drive than the typical electric vehicle and manages to stop quiet well, considering that my first drive was on the wet tar with rain pouring. Thank goodness it has larger front brake discs with four-pot calipers to assist in that regard.
The steering has faster feedback, and one would feel more connected to the drive, which was needed when dodging potholes hiding in the rain. The seating does feel a bit cramped, especially when one has full occupants in the vehicle. The Sabelt sports seats do make for a ‘snug’ sporty drive for the front occupants, and the 6-speaker audio system does bang for buck.
Standard equipment also include:
- Dual 10.25-inch screens — instrument cluster and infotainment
- Alfa DNA drive modes — Dynamic / Natural / Advanced Efficiency
- ‘Hey Alfa’ voice assistant
- Electrically adjustable front seats with heating and massage function
- Sports pedals, leather steering wheel
- Black contrast roof + dark-tinted rear windows
- ‘Veloce’ badging and sports styling bodykit
- Adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring (ADAS)
- Level 2 autonomous driving safety features
- Keyless go and ambient cabin lighting
The is Alfa DNA written all over the vehicle, and though the biggest hindrance seems to be the size of the vehicle, let alone the travel range, it would do well as base at which Alfa would work from.
I personally like the Junior and I am rather conflicted on the price-tag that sits just below R1 million, with the Electtrica starting at R799 900 and the Veloce starting at R999 900 for a car that would best fit being a daily runner – a fun daily runner at that. The Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce comes with a 5 year/ 100 000km vehicle warranty, an 8 year/ 150 000km warranty on the battery and a 5 year/ 100 000km services plan which is included in the purchase price of the vehicle.
