The Abarth 500e is a city hopper on steroids

The Abarth 500e, the first-ever Abarth electric car, was introduced in Europe last year. Except for the lack of an exhaust system for the customary roars and pops, it’s better than the gas-powered Abarth 695 in every way. If you’re in the market for a fun performance car that’s small and sustainable, the new Italian pocket rocket should be on your shortlist.

Recently I got a chance to check out the first all-electric Abarth in Abu Dhabi, and here’s what I found:

Design

The Abarth 500e doesn’t look as aggressive as the gas-powered model. The upper fascia is cleaner than that of the Fiat 500 electric, with a dark titanium grey Abarth logo in place of the chrome wings and dedicated 500 logo. In the lower area, I noticed that the electric Abarth sports an exclusive functional grille in honeycomb openings, faux side air inlets, and a contrasting splitter which adds aggression while preserving the donor’s aerodynamic design.

On the sides, the Abarth 500 Electric sports Titanium Grey mirror caps, Abarth decals, a new lateral electrified Scorpion signature logo, and 18-inch diamond-cut Titanium Grey alloy wheels in an exclusive design. At the rear, the Abarth 500e has a dark titanium Grey logo and diffuser inserts. The cabrio version has a black capote with an integrated sporty spoiler as well. Yes, there are two body styles on offer – hatchback and cabrio.

Interior

The Abarth 500e features a dark interior to match the sportiness of its exterior. It has a slanted striped pattern on the dashboard upholstery, an Abarth-branded steering wheel with a blue 12 o’clock marker and cross stitching, and blue and black stitching on the seat and door panel upholstery.

An Acid-Green Scorpion is present on the steering wheel and the integrated headrests of the front headrests, which carry an Abarth inscription as well. Abarth has used Alcantara and leather in the interior elements, which go well with the premium and sporty theme of the car. The 10.25-inch Uconnect touchscreen infotainment system of the car has a new ‘Performance Pages’ feature, which includes new Abarth graphics. The Performance Pages allow customers to save their performance data.

I’m six feet tall, and considering the low roofline of the Abarth 500e, I was prepared for some difficulty getting in and out of the car. Surprisingly, entering and exiting the vehicle was a breeze! That said, the second row is definitely better suited for kids. Trying to squeeze my 6-foot frame between the seat and the pillar proved to be quite uncomfortable.

Although the Abarth 500e is designed as a city car, its large windows provided a great view of the surroundings. The steering wheel, with its manually adjustable column, felt solid, and is different from the Fiat 500e. I had plenty of clearance from the headliner, which was a relief. The driver’s seat offered good lumbar support, under-thigh support, and side bolstering to keep me in the seat during heavy cornering. I also loved the tactile response of the buttons on the dashboard and steering wheel, and it’s nice that Fiat decided against making them sub-menus in the infotainment display.

Performance

Abarth claims that its 500 Electric is the most responsive and exciting 500 ever in city driving and is more responsive than the 695. It allows faster overtaking on the highways and beats the 695 by over a second on the ‘Misto Alfa Handling Track’ at Balocco.

Abarth says the 500e has a more responsive electric motor, longer wheelbase, widened track widths for more grip and higher cornering speeds, and a better balance between the axles for great handling and driving dynamics. It uses a 37.3 kWh lithium-ion battery pack like the Fiat 500e, but it sports an electric motor that produces 113.7 kW and 235 Nm of torque. Plus, there are three exclusive driving modes: Turismo, Scorpion Street, and Scorpion Track.

The Turismo mode reduces the power and torque to 113 kW and 220 Nm, respectively, saving energy. The Scorpion Street mode offers top performance and maximizes regenerative braking. Both these modes allow one-pedal driving. The Scorpion Track mode is for unleashing the car’s maximum potential in terms of both performance and driving dynamics.

A 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) sprint in the Abarth 500e takes 7 seconds, which makes it as much as 2.5 seconds quicker than the Fiat 500e. The battery pack needs to have at least 90% charging to achieve this acceleration, though. An available sound generator in the JBL Audio system reproduces the sound of an Abarth gas engine, allowing Abarthists to hear the Abarth “roar” that’ll probably never be authentic again. Stopping power comes from 281 x 26 mm ventilated disc brakes at the front and 278 x 12 solid disc brakes at the rear.

The all-electric Abarth delivers a WLTP range of 164 miles (264 km). It has the same, 85 kW peak charging power as the regular 500e, meaning fast-charging from 0-80% SoC takes as little as 35 minutes.

Pricing

In the UK the Abarth 500e starts at £31,195 (USD 38,961). Like the Fiat 500e, the performance hatchback is manufactured at Stellantis’ Mirafiori factory in Turin, Italy. Indirect rivals to the Abarth 500e include the first all-electric Mini JCW, while sport versions of the Skoda city car, VW ID.2, and the Cupra Raval, besides the Alpine A295, could be cheaper alternatives in the future.

U.S. launch

The new Fiat 500e has just been delivered to customers in America, and the Abarth variant could follow within a couple of years. Fiat CEO Olivier Francois has said that he “would love to offer it in the U.S. at some point,” MotorTrend reported on November 18, 2022.

TopElectricSUV says

In spite of the fact that it will not be as aggressive looking or sounding as the gas-powered Abarths of today, the Abarth 500e will be more than capable of making up for these superficial weaknesses with significantly better performance. Plus, being an EV, it would be considerably cheaper to run than the gasoline model.

Abarth 500 Electric FAQs

An automobile engineer by training, I’ve analyzed the global car market since 2005, with a keen focus on EVs since 2008. My journey in online automotive publishing spans 16 years, during which I have reviewed cutting-edge automotive technologies and interviewed leading CEOs and vehicle developers from around the world.