The Abarth 500e brings racier looks, increased performance and a grown-up price tag over the regular Fiat 500 it's based on. Surely, this is something to get excited about?...
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What you’re looking at is the most significant hot hatch since the Simca 1100TI kick-started the genre back in 1973. It’s called the Abarth 500e and is arguably the first proper electric hot hatch to hit the market.
We say arguably, because a certain Spanish brand would very much like you to think its sporty-looking Cupra Born is a hot hatch, but in reality, it’s little more than a warmed-up Volkswagen ID 3. And that’s fine if you’re in the market for a stylish hatchback with peppy performance. But the 500e has a bigger point to prove. Namely, to convince driving enthusiasts that electric cars can be just as fun as their petrol-powered counterparts.
To help it achieve that aim, the litte Abarth benefits from a more responsive motor than the one found in the car it is based on, the Fiat 500, with power up from 117bhp to 153bhp. That’s enough to see the the 500e hit 62mph from rest in 7.0sec, which is marginally quicker than its petrol-powered predecessor, the Abarth 595 (7.3sec), but slower than the range-topping 695 (6.7sec).
To help it deal with the extra power, Abarth has also treated the 500e to larger disc brakes on the front, new disc brakes on the rear (the Fiat uses drum brakes on the rear axle due to the use of regenerative braking), a new suspension tune to improve agility and wider wheels and tyres to optimise grip.
It’s also significantly lighter than similarly peppy electric hatchbacks (weighing roughly 300kg less than a base 58kWh Born) due to the fact that it uses the same compact battery as the regular 500. Of course, this will no doubt benefit the 500e when it comes to outright agility, but the downside is that the official battery range is just 164 miles. And that’s for the entry-level car on 17-inch wheels: the 18s cost you seven miles, as does opting for the convertible roof.
What’s the Abarth 500e like to drive?
Let’s get something straight before we begin. The previous 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 a Ford Fiesta ST and its interior quality wasn’t a patch on a 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. Something that you simply cannot replicate in an electric vehicle. Or can you?
To try and channel some of the previous car’s rambunctious attitude Abarth has fitted the 500e with a noise-generator that mimics the engine noise of the petrol-powered model. Thumb the starter button and the 500e blares into life like it’s powered by liquified dinosaurs rather than electrons. The sound is produced 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 easter egg rather than something that really enhances the driving experience. We turned it off after just a few minutes behind the wheel and instead focused on exploring the 500e’s limits around Fiat’s iconic 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, as you might imagine, were stark. Compared to the 695 which can feel flighty and hyperactive (especially on a soaking-wet circuit), the 500e is a much more settled and predictable hatch. 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 this competence translates well to the road, where you soon discover that body control has also greatly improved over its predecessor. Instead of being kicked off-line by mid-corner bumps or shuddering over abrasions like you do in the old 695, the 500e always feels settled and controlled.
We would stop short, however, of calling the 500e exciting. It might be 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 – the 695 feels noticeably quicker above 60mph. And while it hangs on gamely in the bends it lacks that last bit of sharpness and engagement that mark out the truly great hot hatches from the merely competent ones.
Ah, but surely there will be a faster 500e in the pipeline, you ask? Well, not if Abarth’s engineers are to be believed. At a media roundtable, we were informed that more power could technically be extracted from the electric motor, but this would come at the cost of range and efficiency. Instead, it’s more likely that future driver-focused variants of the 500e will seek increased performance elsewhere through the use of lighter materials, stiffer suspension and sticker tyres.
What’s the Abarth 500e like inside?
The interior of the 500e will be familiar to anyone who has sat in the regular 500. Standard kit includes a 7.0in digital instrument panel that sits behind the steering wheel and a 10.3in touchscreen infotainment system located high up in the middle of the dashboard. This 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 the fitment of sports seats, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, contrast stitching around the interior, a darker headliner and aluminium pedal covers. Our range-topping Turismo car also benefited from an interior swathed in suede-like Alcantara material.
Complaints? Well, we wish the driver’s seat would go a little lower because you feel perched atop the car rather than sat inside it, but then again, many of these cars will end up living out their lives in the city and a raised driving position does give you good all-round visibility. Speaking of which, all Abarths come with rear parking sensors, but if you’re a particularly nervous parker, you might want to opt for the Turismo with 360-degree sensors.
Keyword: 2023 Abarth 500e review