The Abarth 500e takes the retro looks of the old Abarth and gives them an electrified makeover.
Abarth 500e: styling and design
As a result, you get a bluff front end where you would have found a small radiator vent in the past, and a lower bumper with sealed vents ahead of the front wheels. The cutesy circular headlights of the old model remain, but they now use LEDs and are split in half by the car’s bonnet line, and ‘ABARTH’ is spelled out across the car's nose.
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Around the sides, you can have wheels up to 18 inches in size, and choose from a variety of sticker packs that include Abarth’s new logo, a scorpion being struck by a lightning bolt.
Around the back, the new Abarth has a cleaner design than the models it replaces, complete with a subtle roof spoiler, LED tail lights and simpler lower bumper than you’d have found on Abarths of old.
Abarth 500e: performance, handling, battery capacity, range and charging speeds
The Abarth 500e has a 153bhp electric motor that turns the front wheels and gets the Abarth from 0-62mph in seven seconds, which is a second slower than the outgoing petrol-powered Abarth 695 Biposto.
Having said that, Abarth is at pains to point out that in most driving, most of the time, the Abarth EV will feel (and is) significantly quicker than its combustion-engined equivalent. Abarth claims the 500e accelerates from 12-25mph in one second – 50 percent quicker than the Biposto – and is also one second quicker accelerating from 37-62mph. The Abarth 500e is also more than a second quicker around Fiat’s Balocco Proving Ground than the old 695.
Three driving modes – Turismo, Scorpion Street and Scorpion Track – give the Abarth 500e a trio of distinct characters. Turismo reduces power to 134bhp to increase range, while Scorpion Street gives you full power, but keeps the car’s regenerative brakes engaged to improve range. Scorpion Track, meanwhile, disengages the car’s regenerative brakes and releases maximum performance.
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Abarth is promising nimble handling thanks to the car’s low centre of gravity (the heavy batteries are hidden in the floor), plus it has a longer wheelbase and wider track than the old model, which should make the 500e feel more stable.
Resist temptation and drive at a normal pace, and the Abarth 500e should get more than 150 miles from a full charge of the car’s 42kWh battery. Charging speeds of 85kW mean you can charge the battery from 0-80 percent in 35 minutes, and a 25-mile top-up will take as little as five minutes.
Abarth 500e: sound generator
A gurgling exhaust note has become as synonymous with Abarths as the car’s scorpion badging, and you won’t need to go without on the electric 500e. It gets a Sound Generator, which is basically a huge external speaker hidden behind the rear bumper where you’d usually find an exhaust, that produces a faithful tribute to the soundtrack of the outgoing petrol Abarth: it could even be louder. The Sound Generator’s burble replaces the Acoustic Vehicle Alert System that is fitted to the Fiat 500e as standard.
Abarth 500e: price and release date
The Abarth 500e is available to order now and, although prices have yet to be confirmed, expect it to cost more than £35,000 – over £5,000 more than the standard Fiat 500e – and more than you’ll pay for a high-specification MINI Electric, which doesn’t share the Abarth’s aspirations to be an electric hot hatch. First deliveries of the Abarth are expected in the summer.
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Up to 1949 owners (the year Abarth was founded) will be able to get their hands on the Scorpionissima launch edition model. It comes loaded with kit including 18-inch alloy wheels, Abarth decals and your choice of Acid Green or Poison Blue paint. Standard equipment includes Alcantara sports seats, aluminium pedals, as well as heated front seats and window wipers, keyless entry and go, auto dipping headlights, climate control and wireless phone charging.
You also get a 10.25-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 360-degree around-view camera and a powerful JBL stereo that, according to Abarth, provides ‘roaring’ bass.
Keep your eyes peeled to the CarGurus review page for a full review of the Abarth 500e in the coming weeks.