Alfa Romeo Junior Review & Prices

The Alfa Romeo Junior is a confusing beast, because while it looks sporty and comes from a sporty brand, that couldn’t be further from the truth once you’re on the road. It stands out in traffic and is decently practical, but it’s no fun to drive, doesn’t feel premium inside and it’s not very comfortable either.

It’s like a Venetian mask you’ve bought from a souvenir shop. It certainly looks the part, but once you get past the facade you’ll quickly spot the ‘made in China’ stamp - or ‘made in Poland’ in this case.

And it’s a shame, because in a world of generically-styled small SUVs the Junior does a good job of turning heads as you drive along. Its mechanically-similar counterparts from the Stellantis group are all blessed with good looks though, namely the Peugeot 2008, Vauxhall Mokka, Fiat 600 and Citroen C4.

The interior can’t hold a candle to the exterior though, because while the outside of the Junior is all sharp angles and flowing curves, the dashboard is just an expanse of bland styling and cheap-feeling vents. Physical climate controls are a great touch, but there’s too much switchgear shared with less-premium Stellantis brands such as Vauxhall.

The colourful ambient lighting is a welcome addition to the grey dashboard, but it does little to improve on what’s a very scratchy cabin; the door card tops, the centre console, the dash top and the steering wheel airbag cover are the main culprits in what is a touch-sensory nightmare. Even the trimmed surfaces are covered in a weird fabric that resembles neoprene.

At least the seats look great and are comfortable, but the front door bins aren’t very big and the rear doors don’t have any pockets at all, which is unacceptable, to be honest. Knee room in the back is tight, and the 415-litre boot is smaller than in a Renault Captur and Kia Niro.

Around town the Junior is easy to manoeuvre, but it’s not very comfortable - even on entry-level models with the small wheels - and you get shaken around by potholes and uneven roads. There’s decent shove from the 136hp hybrid engine though, and it feels quicker than the Junior Electric, which limits its power output unless you’re in sports mode.

The bounciness is exaggerated on a country lane, where the Junior feels safe and stable until you reach a bumpy corner and the rear-end feels totally unsettled mid-corner; disappointing in an Alfa Romeo. Motorways are more comfortable, as the suspension settles down at cruising speed.

As a stylish, fuel efficient small SUV to potter around in, the Alfa Romeo Junior should be considered. You can find new Alfa Romeo Junior deals on Carwow, as well as Alfa Romeo Junior lease deals. There are used Alfa Romeo Juniors for sale through our network of trusted dealers, or other used Alfa Romeos for sale too. Carwow can even help you sell your car when you decide to make the change.

The Alfa Romeo Junior starts at under £29,000, over £5,000 less than the Junior Electric and £3,000 less than the Peugeot 2008 hybrid, but around £500 more than the Vauxhall Mokka hybrid.

The Alfa Romeo may have a more premium badge than its counterparts, but the Peugeot 2008 is far more posh inside and looks equally stylish on the outside, while the Vauxhall Mokka also looks great - and has a nicer cabin too.

The entry level model is simply called Ibrida, and it comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, keyless start, adaptive cruise control and rear parking sensors as standard. Top spec Ibrida Intensa cars come on 18-inch black and gold alloy wheels, Alcantara interior trim, gold exterior details and privacy rear glass.

The Junior’s hybrid system is powerful enough and quite efficient, but the small SUV is uncomfortable and never feels sporty

In town

The Alfa Romeo Junior is uneventful and easy to drive around town. Its steering is heavier than you’ll find in a Peugeot 2008 or a Vauxhall Mokka, but not so much that tight roads become a chore. The brakes are also night and day better than in the electric version; much less spongy and vague-feeling.

It’s just a shame that the Junior is so stiff and bumpy over potholes and speedbumps, even on the entry-level model with the 17-inch wheels. Parking isn’t the easiest either, as the Junior has very thick rear pillars and a small rear window.

On the motorway

The Junior is more comfortable on the motorway than it is in town, as its fidgety suspension settles down once you reach a cruise and there isn’t a notable amount of wind or road noise. The engine is a bit gruff when getting up to speed, but it doesn’t feel strained unless you’ve got your foot flat to the floor.

You get standard-fit adaptive cruise control as standard, and it’s reassuringly smooth on the brakes. While that does take some of the strain out of a long road trip, poor over-the-shoulder visibility and thick pillars next to your head can make changing lanes a bit precarious.

On a twisty road

This is where the hybrid model has an advantage over the electric Junior, because its heavier steering and more responsive brakes mean you’ve got more confidence to carry speed through a winding series of bends.

There are decent levels of grip from the front wheels and not too much body lean, so the Junior is reassuring enough when pressing on. It never feels very sporty though, and the rear end has a habit of shimmying when you hit a bumpy or uneven patch of road while going around a corner; unnerving if you’re not expecting it.

Plenty of room up front for an SUV this small, but rear passengers are short on storage and boot space is merely adequate

You get a few options for storage in the front of the Alfa Romeo Junior, with a pair of deep central cup holders that feature adjustable dividers, and the same space doubles up as a big cubby if need be. The door bins are fairly deep too, but they won’t take large water bottles, and you get a wireless phone charging pad underneath the dashboard.

Even the entry-level models get a pair of handsome and comfortable sports seats, but if you’re prepared to shell out a whopping £4,000 for the Sport Pack, you get a pair of frankly excellent Sabelt bucket seats instead.

Space in the back seats

Rear seat space isn’t nearly as generous as in the front. Not only will tall adults find their knees pressed against the front seat backs, but there isn’t much in the way of headroom either. The hump in the floor and raised centre seat make it a tight squeeze for three adults.

Storage is particularly disappointing in the back, with no door bins and no centre console or fold down armrest to store odds and ends in, too.

Boot space

At 415 litres, the Junior’s boot is 15 litres bigger than in the electric version but around 20 litres down on the Peugeot 2008 and 40 litres down on the Ford Puma - though that’s not available as a hybrid. Still, the Vauxhall Mokka’s boot is 60 litres smaller than in the Junior.

There’s no loading lip, at least, making it easy to load and unload heavy items into the back. You can drop the boot floor down for some extra space if needs be, but otherwise there’s a handy bit of underfloor storage for smaller items. You don’t get the small front boot that the electric version has, though.

Alfa Romeos are typically one or two steps behind most of their alternatives in interior quality, but the Junior has increased that gap rather noticeably. You’re surrounded by scratchy, hard plastics in the cabin, all the way from the glovebox and centre console to the door tops and dashboard, and that’s simply not good enough with a name as prestigious as Alfa Romeo in the car’s iconic triangular grille.

Part of the dashboard and the armrests are trimmed in a cheap-feeling material that rather resembles a wet suit, and it’s only on Intensa models where it’s replaced with lovely soft Alcantara instead. The Peugeot 2008 has a far nicer interior, with soft touch plastics and plush fabrics in abundance.

The starter button, gear selector and drive mode switch are all rather awkwardly placed in between the seats, though on the subject of switchgear it’s handy that the Junior has a row of physical buttons for the climate controls and menu shortcuts for the infotainment system, so you’re not digging around in touchscreen menus for basic settings.

The 10.3-inch infotainment system has crisp graphics and is responsive to the touch, and the customisable home screen is a handy feature if you’re keen on using the standard interface. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come as standard though.

There’s only one engine option available for the Junior; a 1.2-litre, 136hp hybrid engine with a six-speed automatic gearbox. Alfa Romeo claims around 59mpg, but we only ever saw fuel economy in the high 40s on a motorway run, and around 43mpg on a mixed journey with predominantly motorway and country lane driving.

A CO2 output of around 100g/km places the Junior in the lower half of the Vehicle Excise Duty scale - though not by much - and it’ll take some liberal box-ticking on the options list to tip the price over the threshold for the luxury car supplement from years two-six.

Company car drivers are better off looking at the Junior Electric, as the hybrid version just edges into the upper end of the Benefit in Kind percentage scale, where the electric Junior sits in the lowest band.

The Alfa Romeo Junior hasn’t been tested by Euro NCAP yet, so it doesn’t have an exact score, but the petrol-engined versions of its Peugeot 2008, Vauxhall Mokka and DS 3 all scored four out of five stars in their testing between 2019 and 2022.

You get a comprehensive suite of safety systems as standard in the Junior, from lane-keep assist to a driver attention monitoring system and a collision warning system - though it’s rather slow to kick in and not particularly loud.

Alfa Romeo didn’t feature in the 2025 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey and the Junior is too new to have any horror stories come out with regards to reliability, but other brands which sell the Junior’s mechanically-similar counterparts came between 4th and 16th out of 31 manufacturers entered, which isn’t too shabby.

You get a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty with the Junior, which is somewhat better than the 60,000-mile limit imposed by other manufacturers. That being said, the Toyota Yaris Cross and Lexus LBX still trounce the Junior with their warranties which can be extended up to ten years/100,000 miles if you keep up regularly servicing at a main dealer.