Before touching anything

The usual rule applies: if you do not know how it affects warranty, the ITV or your insurance, do not fit it. On an EV there is also a clear hierarchy: chassis and brakes first, software later. Almost everything below is aftermarket; official personalisation — colours, catalogue wheels, painted calipers — lives in the design chapter of the car profile.

Suspension: springs, for now

  • Eibach Pro-Kit (part E10-75-032-02-22). Lowers 20-25 mm front and 20 mm rear, fits the 180 and 220 hp versions from July 2024 and is designed to run with the standard dampers. Price: list around €410, with regular offers well below that.
  • H&R (part 28518-2). Lowers about 30 mm, available since late 2025 at €365. H&R also offers Trak+ spacers from 10 mm per axle (from about €78).
  • Full coilovers (KW, ST, Bilstein): not yet. As of this review no major manufacturer lists a specific kit for the A290; springs are the only catalogue route.
  • Advice: 20-30 mm keeps daily usability, but it must be homologated and an alignment after fitting is advisable.

Wheels: the numbers that matter

The A290’s fitment is 5×114.3, 73.1 mm centre bore, ET38 and M12×1.5 bolts. With that, any wheel with the right PCD fits if you sort the centre ring and clear the Brembo calipers.

  • Factory wheel: 19-inch with 225/40 R19 tyres.
  • Documented example: JR Wheels SL04 in 19×8 and 19×8.5.
  • 18 inches: the A290 Rallye runs EVO Corse MonteCorse 8×18; the Italian maker sells that family for rally use.

Do not skimp on tyres: the car is heavy and delivers all its torque instantly; the factory ones (Pilot Sport EV / Pilot Sport 5S) are developed specifically for it.

Brakes

  • Standard: four-piston Brembo with 320 mm front discs and 288 mm rear. Serious equipment for road and short track sessions; for regular track use, upgrade fluid and pads before dreaming about discs.
  • Caliper colours: blue or red are a factory option; the metal does not change.
  • The range ceiling: the Rallye runs six-piston, 350 mm brakes, competition ABS and a ZF limited-slip differential, but it is not sold as a road kit.
  • There is, today, no aftermarket big brake kit specific to the A290.

Power: what you gain (a little)

An EV is not “staged” like a turbo car: maps and limits are adjusted and the manufacturer’s margin is small. What exists:

  • Motortech (France) advertises Stage 1 for the A290: on the 218 hp GTS, +12 hp and +15 Nm (230 hp and 315 Nm), for €450 including VAT. It also lists the 177 hp GT.
  • Shiftech also includes the A290 in its remap catalogue.
  • The real cost is not the price: it is the drivetrain warranty, insurance and resale. At +12 hp, it rarely adds up.

Styling

The big visual change is still the Milltek wide body kit: Milltek Design: the wide body kit for the A290.

Verdict

A sensible order for an A290: good tyres and alignment, springs if you want it lower, wheels with the right fitment and, much later, software. Power is the last thing that brings joy in this car; the chassis is the first.