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Alpine A290<br>2025
Price from£33,500
Body typeHatchback
FuelElectric
Battery 52 kWh (usable)
Power 160 kW (220 PS) on GT Performance/GTS
0-62 mph 6.4 seconds (220 PS); 7.4 seconds (180 PS)
Top speed 106 mph (220 PS); 99 mph (180 PS)
Range (WLTP) 226 miles (220 PS); 236 miles (180 PS)
Charging (DC max) Up to 100 kW (15–80% in ~30 min)
Transmission Single-speed reduction gear
Drive Front-wheel drive
Boot space 326 litres
Kerb weight 1,479 kg
Insurance group 27E
Owner rating —

Why compare before you buy

Most car-buying decisions in Britain die somewhere between the second and third test drive. You fall for one car on Monday, discover a rival with a lower price on Wednesday, and by the weekend your notes have blurred into one anxious guess. The DrivePedia car comparison tool exists to end that dithering. It places up to three cars side by side — on-the-road price, power, 0–62 mph time, WLTP fuel economy, estimated yearly fuel cost, insurance, maintenance, road tax and five-year net ownership cost — so the differences stop being vibes and start being numbers you can trust.

This matters more in the UK than in almost any other market. Vehicle Excise Duty bands, insurance group ratings, petrol prices that drift from month to month and the sheer expense of running a car on British roads mean two cars with near-identical price tags can sit thousands of pounds apart over five years. A side-by-side comparison built on real UK data lets you spot that gap before you sign the order form, not three years into ownership when it is far too late. Whether you are torn between two hatchbacks, weighing a petrol car against a hybrid, or wondering if an electric car finally makes financial sense, comparing first is the cheapest motoring decision you will ever make.

How the comparison tool works

Comparing cars takes about a minute. Start typing a model name into any of the three slots and choose from the matches — the tool covers every car in the DrivePedia database, from superminis to family SUVs to electric cars. Once your shortlist is set, a single table lays out every key figure in parallel rows: price, power, acceleration, fuel economy, yearly fuel bill, insurance, maintenance and tax, topped off by the five-year net ownership cost that pulls it all together. The best figure in each row is highlighted, so your eye finds the winner instantly. You can swap any car out with a single tap and the table rebuilds in seconds — perfect for testing whether a cheaper rival really stays cheaper, or whether a pricier hybrid quietly wins once running costs are counted.

Worked example

Take the two cars that have defined this segment for decades: the Volkswagen Golf 2024 at £27,995 and the Ford Focus 2024 at £26,495. Lined up together, their differences crystallise immediately. The Golf brings 150 PS against the Focus’s 125 PS and reaches 62 mph in 8.7 seconds versus 10.0, so it is clearly the livelier car. But the Focus fights back exactly where your wallet lives: 48.7 mpg against the Golf’s 47.9, and a purchase price £1,500 lower. Over five years the net ownership cost lands at £28,397 for the Focus versus £29,522 for the Golf — a gap of £1,125, or about £19 a month (£473 versus £492). The comparison makes the trade-off explicit: the Golf sells you pace and polish, the Focus sells you savings. Neither answer is wrong — but now you can see precisely what your preference costs.

Popular comparisons

Frequently asked questions

Is the car comparison tool free to use?
Yes, completely. You can run as many comparisons as you like, with any combination of the cars in our database, without signing up or paying anything. There are no locked features and no premium tier — the whole point is to give every UK buyer the same clear numbers, whether you are spending £19,000 or £45,000.
How many cars can I compare at once?
You can compare up to three cars side by side. We chose three deliberately: two-car comparisons miss the dark-horse third option, while four or more turn the table into an unreadable wall of figures. Three is the sweet spot where genuine shortlist decisions happen — and you can swap any car in or out instantly to test new combinations.
Where do the comparison figures come from?
Core specifications such as price, power, acceleration and WLTP fuel economy come from manufacturer data for the UK market. Yearly fuel costs are estimated at 8,000 miles a year using current pump prices, while insurance, maintenance and road tax use typical UK averages per model. The five-year net cost combines them and subtracts estimated depreciation.
Can I compare petrol, hybrid and electric cars together?
Yes — and that is where the tool really earns its keep. Electric cars like the Tesla Model Y show estimated charging costs instead of fuel, so a £45,000 EV can be judged honestly against a £27,000 hybrid. The five-year net figure is the great leveller: it reveals when a pricier car’s cheap running costs quietly win the long game.
Does the tool cover used cars?
Not yet. The comparison tool currently covers new 2024 models in the DrivePedia database, where specification and pricing data is consistent and reliable. Used-car prices vary so much by mileage, condition and seller that honest side-by-side figures are much harder to guarantee. We are exploring a used-car mode, but only if we can do it without fudging the numbers.