Introduction to the 2025 Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida
The Alfa Romeo Junior is destined to become the answer to a pub-quiz question. And that question is: what car had to be renamed at the last minute because an Italian politician got stroppy about it being built in Poland?
You see, the Junior was originally going to be called the Milano - Alfa Romeo's home town - until someone decided that would breach the same EU rules that says you can only make champagne in the actual Champagne region, and that Parma ham can't come from Offaly.
All of which gave us this, the Alfa Romeo Junior, which went on sale first in fully electric form, with either 156hp in standard guise, or 280hp in Veloce form, and with a really engaging, enjoyable driving experience either way. It's not the longest-range electric car around - circa 400km according to official figures - but it's a decent small electric crossover, with more than a dash of style about it.
That electric model - badged with some Italian flair as the Elettrica - is now joined by a petrol-powered version, called the Ibrida, or hybrid. It uses a turbocharged 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, which is familiar from other Stellantis Group products, and here it's in 145hp form with mild-hybrid assistance, so it's not quite the full hybrid that its badge might have you expect.
Aside from the addition of an exhaust pipe, the rest of the Junior is unchanged, so you get the same rather handsome lines on the outside, set off by a traditional Alfa Romeo grille that can be altered to your tastes with different takes on classic Alfa badges.
Our test car has a smart-looking version which riffs on Alfa's 1930s handwriting-style badge.
So, is the hybrid version of the Junior as good to drive as the Elettrica? And is it a more sensible choice for Irish buyers?
Pros & Cons of the 2025 Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida
Pros: Looks good on the outside, solid quality
Cons: Lacks the driver involvement of the Elettrica, cramped
Irish pricing for the 2025 Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida
The Junior Ibrida comes in only one specification and that's the basic level for the Junior range, with a price tag of €34,995 - the same as the cheapest electric model.
Standard equipment includes a synthetic leather steering wheel, 'Icona' fabric seats, a 10.25-inch digital driver's instrument cluster, a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen, 17-inch alloy wheels, single-zone automatic air conditioning, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking with cyclist and pedestrian detection and rear parking sensors.
Neil's take on the 2025 Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida
I am an unabashed Alfa Romeo fan. My grandmother had an Alfasud when I was very young, and it's one of the first cars I remember being driven around in. Since then I've been a card-carrying member of the Alfisti, forgiving faults along the way, and fully buying into the Alfa Romeo mythos. Ferrari? Pah! A mere arriviste.
So it might come as a bit of a surprise that I don't much like the Junior Ibrida, and that's a bigger surprise to me because I absolutely love the electric version. I'm not talking about the top-spec 280hp Veloce model, either, but the standard 156hp battery-powered model, which is superb fun to drive, with sharp steering and genuinely rewarding chassis balance. For all its lack of twin-spark combustion power, the Junior Elettrica feels every inch the proper Alfa.
The Ibrida doesn't. In a rational sense, it's a perfectly decent car. The 1.2-litre hybrid is far from the quickest powertrain around, but it's reasonably economical (I managed an average of 6.2 litres per 100km) and it does have a major advantage over the electric model that you're not worrying about where and when you're going to plug in and charge up.
It's OK in the front, although slightly cramped for someone as big as me, and the fabric on the seats feels really rather cheap and almost plastic-like. It would be well worth spending extra (quite a lot extra...) and getting the fabulous Sabelt bucket seats that are fitted to higher-spec Juniors.
Space in the back seats is a bit tight, but the boot is fine.
So far, so pretty normal, but then why am I on a downer when it comes to the Junior Ibrida? Because it just feels like an ordinary car. You walk up to it, taking in that fantastic 1930s-style 'Leggenda' V-shaped grille and assume that you're in for some old-school Italian fun.
But then you start driving it and you suddenly realise that all of the fun that the Elettrica provides has been surgically removed. The biggest culprit is the steering, which feels sharp and responsive in the Elettrica, but detached and dull here.
You could be driving almost any other Stellantis Group product fitted with this same hybrid system, and that's something which should really never happen with an Alfa Romeo. This is a brand built on excitement and thrills, and the occasional phone call to a recovery service.
In contrast, the Junior Ibrida just feels... ordinary. Normal. Uninteresting. I've always said that if Alfa Romeo could divest itself of its faults and flaws, it could rival BMW. Well, it seems that we should have been careful what we wished for.
Of course, the good news is that you can just amble across the showroom and buy the Elettrica for exactly the same money. The battery-powered Junior is the best Junior.
Shane's take on the 2025 Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida
I'd stop short of calling the Junior pretty, but it is certainly interesting and distinctive, which we applaud. An Alfa Romeo should look like no other car. A few small details aside, there's little between the hybrid and electric models to look at, outside or in.
Sure, the rear seats of the Junior are no more than average for the small crossover class, but this car is not designed for those that need lots of rear space. Aside from practicalities, I reckon the Junior's cabin has a slight edge on its Stellantis cousin, the Jeep Avenger, in terms of ambience and perceived quality.
Details such as the illuminated Alfa air vents and the Alfa Romeo logo embossed in the headrests help to align it with the brand's glorious past, even if they are mixed with the same buttons and switchgear as found in myriad other cars.
I took the Junior Ibrida outside its comfort zone by driving it from Dublin to Cork and back in a day. This would have taken me longer in the electric model of course, as at least one charge would have been needed, but then again, it's not the natural habitat of a car such as this, regardless of whether it's electric or hybrid - or anything else for that matter.
I made good use of the active cruise control, which was generally very smooth in operation - though I did deactivate the steering-assist function as it fights with you a little in terms of where it wants to place the car on the road.
There's commendably little wind or tyre noise at a cruising speed of 120km/h, certainly against class standards. The little 1.2-litre petrol engine is smooth most of the time, though sometimes quite vocal when getting up to speed. It's a three-cylinder unit, so it at least sounds interesting to those that care about such things.
The Junior felt planted and stable at high speed and quite 'mature' on the motorway. I barely touched the driving modes other than to try them out as they don't make a huge difference to the way the car drives.
Saying that, the Dynamic setting stops the engine cutting out so much in stop-start traffic, which is no bad thing as we found it otherwise restarts frequently, certainly when the air conditioning is running, and that detracts from the car's refinement.
While the trip computer was reading about 8.0 litres/100km on the motorway, in my time with the car I did 767 kilometres at an average of 6.2 litres/100km overall, which is not bad going at all given that most of that was at higher speed.
I get what Neil is saying about the dynamics, in that the electric model is, somehow, more engaging to drive, but I also highly doubt that most buyers of small crossover such as this care, even when it has the illustrious Alfa Romeo badge on it.
People that like the Junior will choose the electric model if they're ready to go electric, while others have the option of the hybrid model. It's great they're both the same price anyway.
Dave's take on the 2025 Alfa Romeo Junior
Thus far, I've only had the opportunity to drive the Junior in its electric form, or Elettrica as Alfa calls it, both in standard guise and as the higher-performance Veloce, which was a bit of a hoot.
The Junior itself is a fairly pretty design, much more appealing than the Alfa Romeo Tonale, though as it's smaller, the rear seats are sort of a token gesture.
That aside, the rest of the interior is a good effort and even though Alfa has had to dip into the vast Stellantis parts bin, the way it has distributed and used the shared components around the cabin makes it feel more like a standalone design than some of the other group offerings in this segment.
The Veloce, in particular, has a proper premium look and feel to its interior, especially when fitted with the lovely - but pricey - Sabelt seats that are part of a Performance Interior pack option.
In the Veloce, you get a punchy 280hp front-wheel-drive setup that feels a bit ragged when driven with vigour, though I'm not actually complaining. You feel the torque steer under hard acceleration and sense the front wheels scrabbling for grip, which actually puts a smile on your face. The imperfect nature of it makes it much better as an overall experience. Real-world range? Who cares? It's enough!
Verdict - Should You Buy the 2025 Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida?
No, you should buy the electric version instead. This hybrid-engined Junior is fine as far as regular small crossovers go, but it's not particularly special to drive. Somehow, the electric version is.
FAQs About the 2025 Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida
How many miles per gallon does the Alfa Romeo Junior get?
Well, we record things in litres per 100km, but the official WLTP figure is 4.8 litres per 100km, which works out at 57mpg. Our on-test figure was 6.2 litres per 100km, or 45mpg.
Does the Alfa Romeo Junior have heated seats?
Not as standard, no. You need to upgrade to the 'Premium Pack' which, as well as heated seats, also includes an adjustable boot floor, proper leather for the steering wheel, sports alloy pedals, premium seats with power adjustment for the driver, velour floor mats and 'sunscreen' glass. This all costs an extra €3,000.
Why does Alfa Romeo have a triangle grille?
The deep, V-shaped grille dates back to the 1947 Alfa Romeo 6C 'Freccia D'Oro' - one of Alfa's first post-war cars, which features a deep, slim, V-shaped grille flanked by two horizontal grilles. It's a design motif that Alfa has often used, but it really became part of the company's styling language with the 1997 Alfa Romeo 156 saloon.
How many ISOFIX points are in an Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida?
There are just the two ISOFIX points in the Junior Ibrida, found in the outer two back seats. Just be aware that the back of the Junior is quite cramped, so fitting a large rear-facing child seat might be a struggle, not least because the door openings aren't very large.
Want to know more about the Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida?
If there's anything about the Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida we've not covered, or you'd like help in choosing between it and other cars, you can avail of our expert advice service via the Ask Us Anything page.
