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Abarth’s loud and boisterous little hot hatchbacks sell like hot cakes, so it’s no surprise the Italian marque has employed basically the same formula for the sporty version of the all-electric Fiat 500e - right down to a noisy ‘exhaust’ note.
Launched in 2023 it’s one of just a handful of ‘proper’ electric hot hatchbacks available right now. Like many electric cars, the brand new prices can seem a little steep, which makes the savings available on a car that’s just a year or two old look quite tempting; an Abarth 500e could be the ideal fun city runaround.
In terms of size the Abarth 500e is close to the MINI Electric, Honda E, and of course the regular Fiat 500e, while in character and fun, it’s closer to the larger Cupra Born and the MG4, each of which has more performance and range.
If you’ve been holding out on buying an electric car for something genuinely fun to come along, a car more than about just straight line speed, then the Abarth 500e could be that car. Electric hot hatchbacks are still very thin on the ground but the 500e has reasonable claim to being the first - and it’s a chip off the old Abarth block too, with a similarly infectious character to the petrol 500s of the past decade or so.
You might have heard of the Abarth 500e’s party piece, which is a sound generator that means you can ‘rev’ the car, and it’s a good metaphor for the entire thing: a bit silly but quite endearing. You can also turn it off if you’d prefer to whizz around in silence, though having to stop the car and put the handbrake on to do so is a bit of a faff.
And whizz around the 500e does. It’s far from the quickest EV out there, and it’s ultimately not as engaging as the very best hot hatchbacks, but it’s still entertaining, has a bunch of driving modes to tailor things to your tastes, and actually rides better than the firm petrol models, so it’s liveable too.
The interior is styled nicely and built well too, while we’ve found the infotainment system decent enough. And as for the all-important matter of range, an official 164 miles should be more than enough for town driving, but we’d not call it a road trip car just yet.
Still, that’s further than the outgoing MINI Electric and the Honda E you’ll find for similar money. Both are fun to drive but not as overtly sporty as the Abarth. The Peugeot e-208 isn’t as entertaining but goes further on a charge, so too does the Renault Zoe. The Cupra Born and MG4 are larger cars but get close on fun, and the MG is particularly good value both new and used.
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The 500e comes with a single drivetrain option which reduces your choice to one of the two trim lines, and of the pair we’d lean towards the Turismo if your budget allows it. Its extra equipment makes it feel a little more special, which surely is the point of a car like this. The convertible though is only worth its own price premium if you really think you’ll make use of the folding roof - it’s not a great deal different to drive but does lose out on practicality to the hatchback.
The Abarth 500e has so far been offered in just a pair of trim lines, each of which also comes with the convertible option, for four models in total. A high level of specification goes some way to justifying the Abarth’s relatively high purchase price, while the top-spec Turismo adds quite a few goodies that really do make the 500e feel more worth the asking price.
The Abarth 500e’s dimensions are:
The Abarth 500e’s boot size is:
However sporty and however noisy the Abarth 500e might be, it’s still an electric car and that currently means zero-rate VED or ‘road tax’, so you won’t currently pay a penny to tax the 500e each year.
Abarth 500e insurance groups range from 23 to 27, with convertible versions towards the top of that scale. That’s not as much as some EVs, and surprisingly it’s no more - and in some cases, less - than the groups 25-35 of the petrol-powered Abarth 595.
Read our full Abarth 500e review
