[4] "Pleasure" and "Divine Thing" were alternative dance singles that became moderate hits in the U.S. Hotwired sold more than 300,000 copies in its first six months of release.

[15] The Los Angeles Times concluded that "the shuffling, dance-rock fusion on Hotwired works only occasionally, most imaginatively on 'Divine Thing'".

[17] The Washington Post wrote: "Combining contemporary dance beats and sound effects with gospel-style backing vocals and beat-group touches ... songs like 'Pleasure' mix and match '60s and '90s British youth culture".

[18] The St. Petersburg Times stated that "the band limits guitar technique to power chords, wah-wah pedals and scuffled riffs, fattened up by studio wizardry and layered samples".

[16] AllMusic described Hotwired as the album where the Soup Dragons reached "the happy medium between the slick breakbeats and guitar-based rock & roll," adding that the songs are "among the strongest of the band's career".