Say hello to the Abarth 500e – the most significant hot hatchback since the Simca 1100 TI kick-started the genre way back in 1973.
A bold claim, perhaps. But the Abarth 500e is the first hot hatch powered by electrons rather than petrol or diesel and it's out to prove a point. Chiefly that electric cars can be just as fun as their petrol-powered counterparts.
To help it achieve that aim, it benefits from a more responsive motor than the one found in the car it's based on – the All-Electric Fiat 500 – with power up from 117bhp to 153bhp. That’s enough to see the Abarth version hit 62mph from rest in 7.0sec, which is marginally quicker than the petrol-powered Abarth 595 (7.3sec), but slower than the range-topping 695 (6.7sec).
If that sounds a little underwhelming, keep in mind that the instant response of an electric motor should in theory make up for an apparent shortfall in the raw figures.
Plus, straight-line pace is just one element of a hot hatch, and of perhaps greater importance is handling. In that department, the 500e benefits from a bespoke suspension tune to improve agility, wider wheels and tyres to maximise grip, and specially developed rear disc brakes to increase stopping power. (The Fiat 500 uses drum brakes on the rear axle due to the use of regenerative braking.)
Rivals? Well, considering that the Abarth 500e – which like the Fiat 500 is available as a convertible – is essentially the first ‘proper’ electric hot hatch to hit the market, it doesn’t have many direct competitors. The Cupra Born and Smart #1 Brabus are both bigger and more expensive, but still worth considering if you’re looking for a peppy hatch, as is the similarly priced but arguably less focused Mini Electric.
Over the next few pages, we’ll let you know how the Abarth 500e compares with that disparate list of rivals, along with whether it's good to drive, how much it will cost to run and which version is best for you.
Once you've decided which car to buy, we can help you find the best prices without any haggling if you search our free What Car? New Car Deals pages. They list plenty of the most attractive new electric car deals.
Let’s get something straight before we begin. The petrol-powered Abarth 500 was never the most objectively competent hot hatch. The driving position was compromised, it wasn’t as playful in the bends as the Ford Fiesta ST and its interior quality wasn’t a patch on the Mini John Cooper Works. And yet, its characterful turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol engine made it a hoot in any environment, be it pootling around town or gunning it down a country road.
That was especially true in 178bhp 695 specification. Small accelerator inputs would have it gurgling, popping and crackling away like a pint-sized rally car, imbuing it with a real sense of character. That's something you simply can't replicate in an electric car – or can you?
To try to channel some of the previous car’s exuberance, Abarth has fitted the 500e with a noise generator that mimics the engine noise of the petrol-powered model.
When you thumb the starter button, the 500e blares into life like it’s powered by liquified dinosaurs rather than electrons. The sound comes from a powerful external speaker, multi-channel amplifier and subwoofer mounted under the boot floor, making it surprisingly loud, but not, as it turns out, particularly realistic, with the note lacking the textural depth of a real exhaust.
Best, then, to think of it as a fun little add-on rather than something that really enhances the driving experience. We turned it off after a few minutes and instead focused on exploring the 500e’s limits around Fiat’s Balocco test track. That’s right, a track. Not the natural environment for an electric hot hatch, granted, but it gave us the opportunity to compare the petrol 695 back to back with its electric successor in a controlled environment.
The differences were stark. Compared to the 695, which can feel flighty and hyperactive (especially on a wet circuit), the 500e is much more settled and predictable. In mid-speed curves, a neutral and predictable handling balance lets you adjust your line with a lift off the accelerator, while sharper steering allows you to place the nose of the car with greater confidence and precision.
It's an enjoyable car to attack a series of bends with, and its competence translates well to the road, where you soon discover that body control has improved greatly over its predecessor. Instead of being kicked off line by mid-corner bumps or shuddering over abrasions, the 500e always feels settled and controlled.
We'd stop short of calling the 500e exciting, though. It's quicker exiting a hairpin corner than the 695 thanks to the instantaneous electric shove from its electric motor, but that forward momentum does tail off surprisingly quickly, and the 695 feels noticeably quicker above 60mph. And while the 500e hangs on gamely in the bends, it lacks that last bit of sharpness and interactivity that mark out the truly great hot hatches from the merely competent ones.
We should also point out that if you flex your right foot on a regular basis (and let’s face it, this car practically encourages you to), you’re unlikely to get anywhere close to its claimed range of 164 miles.
The interior of the Abarth 500e will be familiar to anyone who has sat in the All-Electric Fiat 500. Standard kit includes a 7.0in instrument screen that sits behind the steering wheel and a 10.25in infotainment touchscreen high up in the middle of the dashboard.
The infotainment screen's position makes it easy to read on the move, as does the fact that it has an intuitive operating system and is quick to respond to prods of the screen. We were also impressed with the punchy standard-fit JBL sound system.
Abarth has, however, made a number of small but impactful changes to differentiate the 500e from the regular 500, including fitting sports seats, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, contrast stitching around the interior, a darker headliner and aluminium brake pedal covers. Our range-topping Turismo car also benefited from an interior swathed in Alcantara.
Complaints? Well, we wish the driver’s seat would go a little lower as you feel perched atop the car rather than sat inside it. Then again, many of these cars will end up living out their lives in cities, where a raised driving position gives you good all-round visibility.
Speaking of which, all 500es come with rear parking sensors. If you’re a particularly nervous parker, you might want to opt for the Turismo trim, with its 360-degree sensors and rearview camera.
The electric Abarth 500e might have grown in all directions compared to its petrol-powered predecessor, but there are still no rear doors and even short adults won’t want to sit in the back for long. If you view this as an occasional four-seater, though, it's perfectly fit for purpose – both in hardtop and convertible forms.
Front stowage space is surprisingly good, with a large tray halfway up the dashboard that’s the perfect size to hold a phone. As you might expect, this is where Abarth has decided to install the wireless charging pad in range-topping Turismo models.
If you want to keep valuables out of sight, there’s a long (but narrow) cubby between the front seats, which is lidded on Turismo versions. The door pockets are quite small, though.
If you go for the regular hardtop, the hatchback tailgate lifts to reveal a boot that’s larger than in the Honda e but smaller than in the Peugeot e-208. Access to the boot is restricted in the convertible version because the boot lid is much smaller (more like a saloon car’s).
The Abarth 500e is a touch pricier than its main three-door rival – the Mini Electric – but quite a bit cheaper than four-door electric ‘warm’ hatches such as the Cupra Born and the Smart #1 Brabus. Like all electric cars the Abarth makes plenty of sense if you’re a company car driver because it attracts much lower benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax than an equivalent petrol, diesel or even hybrid car (and it’s set to stay that way until at least April 2025).
Charging the 37.8kWh (usable capacity) battery from empty to full takes around six hours using a normal 7kW home wall box. A 0-80% top-up can be grabbed in just over half an hour if you can find a CCS charger capable of delivering speeds of up to 85kW. You can also plug it into a regular three-pin domestic socket, although a 10-80% charge will take nearly 20 hours.
There are two trim levels to choose from: 500e and 500e Turismo. The standard car comes reasonably well-equipped with 17in alloy wheels, cruise control, automatic wipers and lights, climate control and a JBL sound system.
We suspect most buyers will want to step up to Turismo, as this introduces bespoke styling touches such as 18in alloy wheels, an Alcantara-lined interior, aluminium pedal covers and chrome kickplates, as well as genuinely useful features including heated front seats, heated door mirrors, a centre armrest with centre console, driver seat-height adjustment and keyless entry.
So, is the 500e reliable? Well, the model itself wasn’t included in our 2022 What Car? Reliability Survey but Fiat (the parent company of Abarth) performance poorly. In fact, it was only saved the indignity of finishing in last place by Land Rover and Jeep.
The All-Electric Fiat 500 achieved an overall four-star safety rating when it was tested by Euro NCAP in 2021, matching the Honda e but with slightly better protection for front passengers in a frontal impact, despite the identical score. However, if safety is a real priority, we’d recommend taking a look at the five-star Cupra Born and Smart #1.
All Abarths come with lane-keeping assistance, traffic-sign recognition and automatic emergency braking (AEB). Blind-spot monitoring is standard on Turismo models.
For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here
