Abarth 500e review: electric hot hatchback driven

The quirks of previous Abarths gave them a feisty character to differentiate them from the Fiats they are based upon. I love the Abarth 595 so much that I’ve owned one for the past six years. 

Commuting to work with the stiff ride, ridiculous turbo lag and throaty exhaust note simultaneously wakes me up, annoys my neighbours and puts a smile on my face before the day has even started. I was intrigued to see whether the new, fully electric Abarth 500e had the same effect.

I had seen the Acid Green paint in photos on the Abarth website, but the colour looks even more garish against the muted backdrop of everyday life. You can’t help but grin as this diminutive Italian hot hatchback stares back at you like an angry jellybean.

Electric boombox 

Inflated wheelarches, a front splitter and 18-inch alloy wheels give the 500e an aggressive but well-proportioned stance – one that transforms the styling of the Fiat 500 more than the petrol versions ever did.

Push the start button and you are greeted by the rumbling of an external speaker mounted underneath the car. Driving around with it switched on feels like the motorist’s equivalent of carrying a boombox. However, instead of playing ’80s hip-hop, you can treat the public to the recorded sound of the previous petrol Abarth’s exhaust note.

Although hardly authentic in an EV, the soundtrack does amuse your passengers and add to the car’s playful personality – even if the exhaust crackles and turbo flutter of my car are missing. However, the fake noise stays constant until you get above 20mph (an infrequent occurrence in my area of London, admittedly), so you are left with a drone that soon feels therapeutic to switch off. The whine of the 152hp electric motor adds some drama to the rush of acceleration, anyway.

Out of the ordinary

The Abarth 500e feels right at home in the city. It is eager to whisk you off the line and nips through gaps in traffic easily. It loses traction on greasy roads like an excitable terrier on a tiled floor, but once grip is found, it squats down and flings you towards the next junction.

The ‘drag race’ mode found within the infotainment system is rather like the turbo gauge in the petrol version: fantastically mischievous and ultimately a bit pointless. Still, they are welcome reminders that you’re driving something out of the ordinary.

The electric Abarth does feel notably faster than my 595. Yet it cannot rely on acceleration alone to differentiate it from the Fiat 500e, given this too offers instantly available torque from an electric motor. Thankfully, there’s also a touch of the scorpion in how the Abarth handles – just without a scary sting in the tail.

Sign of the scorpion

Its 42.2kWh battery is mounted flush with the rear axle for improved front-to-rear weight distribution versus the older 595. The shock absorbers have also been retuned and the wheelbase is both longer and wider, resulting in neat, well-planted cornering. There is a reassuring weight to the steering, while the suspension is still more compliant than the bone-shaking ride I’ve endured for six years.

A 157-mile range – or closer to 100 miles if you drive ‘enthusiastically’ on a cold day – limits this car’s appeal, as does a sticker price north of £35,000 by the time you have added a few options.

If buying new, I’d certainly choose the entry-level Abarth over a similarly priced top-spec Fiat 500e. I’ll be sticking with my flawed-but-fun petrol Abarth 595 for now, though.

James Male writes for Motoring Research

PRICE: £34,195

POWER: 152hp

0-62MPH: 7.0sec

TOP SPEED: 96mph

BATTERY SIZE: 42.2kWh

ELECTRIC RANGE: 157 miles