Abarth 600e first drive | Justifiable enjoyment

Abarth has worked its magic and built something that feels quite unique yet costs surprisingly little. The 600e is an affordable and fun-to-drive electric hot hatch that will certainly turn heads, but it lacks the long-range capability of rival models.

Overview

The ‘electric era’ is a tricky one for brands like Abarth. The Italian tuning specialist made its name from lightweight, noisy and performance-focused race cars. Not exactly brand values that resonate particularly well in a market that is heavily dominated by cost conscious fleet buyers.

Then there’s the engineering challenge of making a car that appeals to petrolheads but is powered by batteries. With limitless R&D budgets that can be achieved, but Abarth is just a small arm of Stellantis so it has to make do with existing platforms and tech.

You’d be forgiven for thinking, then, that the Abarth 600e is just a fancy-looking version of it’s Fiat stablemate. But that’s absolutely not the case.

Where the Fiat 600e is mediocre, the Abarth 600e shines. It’s engaging, exciting and feels like something a lot more special than badged-up electric compact SUV.

There are two versions: ‘regular’ 600e and more powerful Scorpionissima. Impressively, pricing starts at £36,975 and even the top model costs less than £40,000.

Comfort and practicality

Step inside the Abarth 600e and you immediately know it is something special. The dark theme interior is contrasted by bright yellow stitching and the chunky steering wheel is wrapped in a combination of leather and alcantara.

Opt for the Scorpionissima and you’ll get sculpted bucket seats that offer significant support and comfort. These come courtesy of racing seat specialist Sabelt.

The sporty touches continue with aluminium pedals and an array of Abarth logos, but at its heart the practicality of the base vehicle remains.

There’s plenty of storage in the centre console area, along with a wireless phone charger, albeit covered up by a flimsy folding cover.

Equipment levels are a little sparse on the base car, but the Scorpionissima comes loaded with kit such as heated front seats, keyless entry and an electric tailgate.

Passenger space is ample for the segment. Cars like the Volkswagen ID3 make better use of their cabins with more open space. In the rear, the Abarth is a little more cramped and the racing seats to encroach on rear legroom.

Boot space is identical to that of the Fiat 600e, at 360 litres. It’s not the best-in-class but it’s adequate for a family hatchback and the rear seats can be folded for extra room.

Safety and technology

There’s no official crash test data for the Abarth 600e but it does feature a raft of modifications to improve performance that also help with safety. Bigger brakes, grippier tyres and firmer suspension means drivers are less likely to find themselves in troubling circumstances. That is, of course, assuming the additional power and acceleration isn’t playing a part.

There’s a plenty of safety tech on board, such as pre-collision braking, lane keep assist and drowsiness detection. The Scorpionissima version comes with Level 2 Assisted Driving giving additional assistance with Lane Positioning & Traffic Jam assist, 360-degree parking sensors that combine with rearview camera, and blind spot monitoring.

The central touchscreen uses familiar Stellantis software with an Abarth-specific skin. It’s a relatively straightforward system with an almost endless capability for customisation.

Physical switchgear is also present, although in a limited capacity. You can access certain features using a row of dash-mounted toggles but other functions, like heated seats, are buried in the touchscreen.

Driveability and range

Abarth claims the 600e to be its most powerful car to date and while the 280PS output of the Scorpionissima isn’t to be sniffed at it’s still relatively mild in comparison to some electric cars.

The cheaper model has 240PS, using the same battery and motor, but the same amount of torque so there’s not a huge difference in real-world performance.

Where the 600e shines is not in overall grunt but in power deployment. The chassis tuning, sharper brakes, keener steering and firmer suspension delivers a far more engaging drive than you’ll find in much more powerful cars.

It does mean the Abarth 600e feels more ‘full on’ that a lot of electric hatchbacks. Drivers will need to keep a firmer grip on the wheel when navigating undulating backroads to keep the livelier front end in check. At motorway speeds the car settles a little, but still feels sporty.

It’s most at home on B roads, where the keener handling makes it great fun to drive even within the confines of the speed limits.

Key to the great driveability is a mechanical front differential, which balances power between the two front wheels. It enables the 600e to emerge from junctions and accelerate out of corners without unnecessary wheelspin, which is often an issue in more powerful front-wheel-drive EVs. Abarth has also calibrated the brakes so that in 'track' mode only the hyraulic system is used, rather than regen, giving much better braking response.

The fun could be over sooner than you realise, however, as the 600e’s modest 51kWh battery pack doesn’t provide an exceptional range. The official figure of 207 miles is not particularly impressive, but real world driving nets an underwhelming 2.6mi/kWh average efficiency. After 100 miles of driving our test car was suggesting only 50 more miles were possible.

Part of the problem is that the Abarth’s purpose is entirely defined by its fun-to-drive nature. So if you’re not driving it like a hooligan then you might as well just get a regular Fiat 600e and enjoy a longer range.

When you stop to charge, DC charging rate is capped at 100kW. A 10% - 80% charge takes around 27 minutes which is behind the class best.

Company car tax and running costs

The Abarth 600e certainly has a USP. It’s both affordable and fun to drive, with hot-hatch levels of acceleration. Rival cars include the excellent Cupra Born VZ, which has a much longer range but also a higher price. There’s also the dual motor Volvo EX30, which will leave the 600e in its dust in a straight line but falls over as soon as you reach a corner.

The entry-level car is priced at about the same point as a VW ID3 (59kWh Match Pro) and matches it for running costs at 38p per mile.

We’d suggest going for the higher-spec and more powerful Scorpionissima because it reflects the Abarth brand values more closely. Running costs are barely any higher, at 40ppm – about the same as a big battery Hyundai Kona.

For the keen driver, the one who longs after a Golf GTI or a Focus ST but desires the tax breaks of an electric powertrain, the Abarth 600e might just scratch the itch. It’s not ludicrous to the point that it should be feared by fleet managers but it’s a fair bit more exiting than some of the duller models that currently occupy choice lists.