Name drop! Alfa Romeo Milano is the Italian marque’s first EV

• First pure-electric Alfa Romeo
• Platform shared with the Jeep Avenger
• Full reveal in April 2024

Alfa Romeo has given us the first official teaser of its upcoming small-SUV, confirming its name – the Alfa Romeo Milano. Sharing its platform with the Jeep Avenger, the Milano will be offered in both electric and mild-hybrid forms but only the EV is destined for the UK market. The car will serve as the new entry-point to the Alfa Romeo range.

What is the Alfa Romeo Milano?

You could argue that Alfa Romeo is somewhat late to the EV party; its only current electrified offerings are the hybrid variants of the Tonale SUV. That’s set to change, however, as we have seen the first teaser of the upcoming Alfa Romeo Milano, a small-SUV arriving next year that will be offered with either a fully-electric or mild-hybrid powertrain.

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The name isn’t new – the Alfa Romeo 75 from the mid-’80s was badged as the ‘Milano’ in North American markets – although this new SUV couldn’t be more different to that car. Using the same platform as the Jeep Avenger and Fiat 600e, the Milano will be similar to its sister cars in size at 4.2m long, and will share their small-SUV proportions. Whilst Alfa Romeo is yet to reveal any official images, leaked pictures that surfaced earlier this year gave us a glimpse of what to expect from the exterior styling. 

As expected, the baby Alfa gets the brand’s iconic ‘scudetto’ (meaning ‘little shield’) front grille. The headlights are sleek and piercing, but the split-LED layout is a slight departure from the rest of Alfa Romeo’s range. The car also sports the brand’s iconic five-hole phone-dial wheels and gets a new rear light signature, each with an angular three-element light source.

What do we know about the Alfa Romeo Milano?

The new teaser photo only reveals one detail, the ‘Milano’ name, but Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato has confirmed that there will be a mild-hybrid version of the small-SUV, using the same electrically-assisted 1.2-litre petrol engine as found in the Jeep Avenger. UK buyers, however, will have to make do with the pure-electric model, as Alfa Romeo currently has no plans to bring the hybrid engine to our shores.

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It’s worth pointing out that the Jeep Avenger was originally set to be electric-only over here too, but the recent launch of petrol and hybrid models in the UK has reversed that plan. Regarding the mild-hybrid Milano, Imparato stated that Alfa Romeo is “ready to switch, depending on the requests of the British market”, so perhaps the petrol-powered model isn’t off the table entirely.

The launch model of the Milano will be available in Alfa Romeo’s top ‘Veloce’ and ‘Special Edition’ trim levels, and will use a dual-motor, four-wheel drive arrangement. There’s no mention of cost so far, but Imparato claims the Milano will be priced to compete with the MINI Countryman and Volvo EX30. We expect the initial dual-motor model to cost around £40,000, with a cheaper, single-motor model likely to appear soon after. We’ll have to wait until April 2024 for the Milano’s official unveiling, with the first models appearing in showrooms from September of the same year.

What does it mean for car buyers?

It remains to be seen as to whether the Alfa Romeo Milano will be able to avoid the trap of coming across like another derivative, and instead succeed in offering something unique to Alfa Romeo customers.

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Aside from the Milano, Alfa Romeo is set to release other electric vehicles in the coming years, with a rumoured standalone electric model due for 2025, and another EV set for 2026 that could form the basis of a replacement Giulia saloon and Stelvio SUV. 

Despite the shift in buyers’ tastes towards SUVs over traditional saloon cars, Imparato is confident in the saloon bodystyle of the Giulia, saying “the shape of the Giulia is fantastic, I don’t want to lose this. The car is absolutely gorgeous, so there is a future for this type of car” in an earlier interview, so we can expect any EV replacement to continue the styling ethos of the outgoing Giulia.

Alfa Romeo may even use some of its other iconic nameplates on future electric models to help attract buyers in the EV era. It’s a strategy many other manufacturers are using to promote the transition, with Renault bringing back the 5 as an electric hatchback, and the possible return of the Ford Capri name as an electric coupe-SUV.

Want to find out what we thought about the Alfa Romeo Giulia? Read our in-depth review…