√2023 Abarth 500e review: International first drive
Abarth has always been a raucous, fun and engaging, if slightly flawed, hot hatch. The new all-electric 2023 Abarth 500e promises to iron out some of those niggling issues while taking a brave step into the EV world. Trent Nikolic finds out whether a silent Abarth is as much fun as its petrol-powered brethren.
2023 Abarth 500e
Of all the electric vehicles we’re likely to receive in the next five to seven years, few will put the immediate smile on your face that the 2023 Abarth 500e does. Maybe a retro Volkswagen Kombi? We know the punters will love that one.
As far as retro designs go, though, few have been as enduring, as globally successful, or as time-appropriate as the modern Abarth, or indeed the Fiat 500 on which it is based.
Nailing the design brief from the get-go, Fiat released a modern 500 that was space-efficient, useful, city-car practical, and as cute as the original. As such, it was rewarded with almost immediate global success.
Fast-forward 15 years or so, and the motoring landscape has changed so much that both the new-generation Fiat 500e and the Abarth 500e feature electric powertrains. For the foreseeable future in Europe, the new electric Abarth will be sold alongside its regular petrol-powered siblings to broaden the offering for those not quite ready for a switch to full electric.
Why is the Abarth 500e we’re testing at global launch not called 595e or 695e? Good question. According to the top brass at Abarth, it’s named to recognise the reality that it is indeed based on the 500e, rather than a completely different vehicle mechanically.
Styling aside, a 595 or 695 Abarth featuring internal combustion bears little resemblance to the humble Fiat 500 on which it is based. Further, and I suspect more poignantly, there’s likely to be a more hardcore Abarth (or Abarths) coming down the road, and launching with the 500e nomenclature gives the brand somewhere to move.
Abarth’s history revolves around extracting as much performance from as little as possible, and that’s perhaps where this modern 500e differs slightly. Rather than Abarth engineers starting with a base car that features an efficient and diminutive drivetrain, the modern Fiat 500e is a high-tech, modern interpretation of what electric city cars should look like.
The tweaking required is minimal, but the synthesised engine note, for example, is a nod to the hordes of Abarth fans who buy one largely for the audio theatre it delivers on every drive.
The Abarth’s styling is attractive and eye-catching – exactly as it should be – and it garners attention whether it’s standing still or on the move. Interestingly, the Abarth 500e will need to be as practical and useful in town as it will fast and grin-inducing, such is the expectation of the buyer.
How much does the Abarth 500e cost in Australia?
We’re still not sure where local pricing is likely to land, but two key points are worth making here. The entry price for the Abarth 500e is below that of the range-topping regular Fiat 500e in the car’s home market. According to Abarth representatives, that was the result of a focus on making performance accessible and affordable.
Where the most expensive Fiat is about inclusions and specification, the entry-grade Abarth is about fun and performance. I reckon that’s a smart move and I think the market might agree.
Secondly, the local pricing for the Fiat 500e, when it lands in our market, places it below the straight conversion from Euros to Australian dollars. At the time of our launch drive in Torino, if you took the price in Italy in Euros and converted it directly to AUD, our actual price landed Down Under is more affordable.
Again, a smart move on the part of Stellantis, which is looking to make an impact globally with Europe’s most popular electric vehicle. While the Fiat 500e doesn’t win the sales race every month, it finished 2022, like it did 2021, as the most popular EV on sale in Europe. To date, approximately 70,000 Fiat 500e models have been sold.
At launch, Australia will get two specification grades of the same base-model Abarth, both in hardtop only. There is a cabriolet variant in Europe, but for Australia it’s hardtop only. The headline is the limited-edition Scorpionissima, which I suspect will leave showrooms in very short order, and the now-familiar Turismo variant. Just 219 Scorpionissima models will make their way to Australia. The Turismo will go into regular production.
We look forward to finding out exactly where the local pricing will sit for the Abarth 500e, but if Stellantis can keep the final number competitive, Abarth devotees, of which there are many in Australia, will be ecstatic. I still think that right now, this segment, with its focus on city practicality, is the one that makes the most sense for EVs in Australia. It will be interesting to see if prospective buyers agree.
| Key details | 2023 Abarth 500e |
| Price | Local pricing not yet available |
| Colour of test car | Acid Green/Poison Blue |
| Rivals | Mini Cooper SE | Cupra Born | Volkswagen ID.3 |
How much space does the Abarth 500e have inside?
The Abarth’s cabin remains an exhibition of packaging nous. Fiat’s design team has made the most of very little to provide a four-seat cabin that you regularly see being used to transport four people in Europe.
While the Abarth is likely to be a two-up car in Oz, you can definitely use it as a four-seater if you need to. A super-tall driver will make the space behind them a little cramped, though. We did notice that it seems like you can drop the seat lower into the cabin of the EV, meaning the driving position is way more suitable for tall drivers than in the petrol version.
Storage, especially in the boot, is daily-driver useful, and the dedicated EV platform benefits from no drivetrain incursion between the two front seats, where the floor is almost completely flat and there’s room for a bag or backpack ahead of the centre console. The 185L in the boot expands out to 550L if you fold the back seats down.
| 2023 Abarth 500e | |
| Seats | Four |
| Boot volume | 185L seats up 550L seats folded |
| Length | 3630mm |
| Width | 1680mm |
| Height | 1527mm |
| Wheelbase | 2322mm |
Does the Abarth 500e have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?
On test, we didn’t get to use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but the Abarth 500e has both controlled through the central 10.3-inch touchscreen. Having tested the system a little more extensively in the Fiat 500e, we can report that it is clear and works well. Both smartphone connections are wireless if you prefer, and DAB+ is also standard.
There are USB-A and USB-C inputs, and the audio system is a premium JBL unit with six speakers. Wireless charging is also included, and its positioning just under the leading edge of the dashboard is clever, and a safe place to store your smartphone as well as charge it. The driver gets a 7.0-inch display with Abarth-specific content.
Is the Abarth 500e a safe car?
The new Abarth 500e is currently untested by ANCAP, but the overseas equivalent, Euro NCAP, gave the structurally similar Fiat 500e a four-star rating in 2021.
Differences in specification could see this rating altered for Australia, but the Euro NCAP results are usually a strong indicator of what to expect.
| 2023 Abarth 500e | |
| ANCAP rating | Untested |
What safety technology does the Abarth 500e have?
Standard features across the Abarth 500e range when it launches in Australia will include a blind-spot monitor, front side and rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera, autonomous AEB, traffic sign recognition, intelligent speed assist, lane control and driver attention alert.
Is the Abarth 500e energy-efficient?
With a claimed consumption of 17.2kWh/100km, the Abarth 500e sits at the higher end of what we’d consider efficient EV usage; however, it is first and foremost a performance hatch, and as such, that figure is hardly unreasonable. We’ll test the real-world figure around town and on the open road when we get behind the wheel in Australia.
Energy Consumption – brought to you by bp
| Energy Efficiency | Energy Stats |
| Energy cons. (claimed) | 17.2kWh/100km |
| Energy cons. (on test) | Not recorded |
| Battery size | 42kWh |
| Driving range claim (WLTP) | 252km |
| Charge time (11kW) | 2h 30min |
| Charge time (50kW) | 35min (0–100%) |
| Charge time (85kW max rate) | 35min (claimed 0–80%) |
What is the Abarth 500e like to drive?
The sight of a fully-electric Abarth 500e rolling into the pit area at Fiat’s test track accompanied by the raucous burble of what sounds a lot like a regular 595 or 695 is somewhat disconcerting. Do I want fake sound if I’m buying an EV? I’m not sold on the concept, but the counterargument is that Abarth fans almost certainly will.
Like an AMG owner who only knows Sport Plus, Abarth owners like to make as much noise and theatre as possible. It works via an externally mounted waterproof subwoofer and projects the sound of an old-school Record Monza exhaust – audible for both those inside and outside the car. Bosses say the idea was to “enhance the experience and create a smile”.
According to the Abarth executives at launch, more than 6000 hours were spent analysing and creating the perfect sound for each phase of the driving experience. It’s an interesting one in the real world when you’re behind the wheel. It’s hilarious at ‘start-up’ and at walking speed when you’re moving off.
At speeds above 60km/h, though, it sounds loud, a bit too drony, and as if you’re taking too long to upshift, especially when you’re cruising at light accelerator pedal applications. We couldn’t switch it off either, without bringing the Abarth to a stop off the road and toggling though the menu system.
The Abarth 500e is sharp – around the Balocco test track it’s a full second quicker than any previous Abarth. The EV has better weight distribution than the petrol-powered versions, more torque, and a wider track.
Acceleration between 20km/h and 40km/h is 50 per cent faster. Step that up to the transition between 40km/h and 60km/h and it’s a full second faster there too. Despite not being focused on outright speed, 0–100km/h takes just 7.0 seconds, which is actually 0.5-second slower than a 695 despite being initially quicker off the mark.
Three driving modes are available – Turismo, Scorpion Street and Scorpion Track. Turismo is the pick for daily duties and extracts the maximum out of the powertrain in terms of efficiency. Scorpion Street steps it up a little and maximises regenerative braking. One-pedal driving is available in both Turismo or Scorpion Street mode.
Scorpion Track mode is the one we used on-track, where one-pedal driving is unavailable and the system gives you as much grunt as it can.
The ride – across the deliberately mismatched handling section of the Balocco test track – is surprisingly comfortable and insulated. This is, after all, a portly 1300kg small hatch that needs to be controlled by the suspension.
That ride quality translates to the road, too, where we are impressed by how well the Abarth 500e hides its weight and irons our cobblestones, ruts and potholes with more quality than we expected. Most EVs feel their weight, and the Abarth 500e does a pretty good job of hiding it.
With our test drive, both on and off-track, taking place in unrelenting rain, it’s difficult to get a read on just how capable the Abarth 500e will be, but one thing is clear. At no point did it feel unhinged or likely to understeer off the road, even pushing as hard as we dared on the track.
The sharp urgency of the ride of the regular 695 isn’t there, and the Abarth 500e seems much more well-behaved in the way it feeds its power to the front wheels. The track is wider and the wheelbase is longer (versus the petrol engine), and while you can definitely get the front tyres spinning, it feels well balanced and controllable.
New steering, suspension and shock absorbers differentiate the Abarth 500e from the Fiat 500e, and there’s a meaty feeling when you’re working the chunky wheel of the electric Abarth, whether you’re tooling around in traffic or trying to set a lap time. The way the EV isn’t as skittish as the petrol version is something you’ll appreciate if you spend your time on the same Australian urban road network we endure in Sydney, for example.
The front end feels sharper in the EV, more direct in the way it turns in and holds the line, and the 500e also feels like it can carry more corner speed than the petrol Abarth on-track. Most of the braking is done by the brakes themselves – unlike some EVs – and they work well at washing off as much speed as you need to as each corner approaches.
Where the EV is interesting is that the lack of mechanical cacophony and gearbox interaction means you don’t sense the speed rising to the level that it does. As fast as it undoubtedly is, it doesn’t ‘feel’ fast behind the wheel. Like most good hot hatches, though, it simply gets about its work with ease.
| Key details | 2023 Abarth 500e |
| Engine | Single electric motor |
| Power | 114kW |
| Torque | 235Nm |
| Drive type | Front-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Single speed |
| Power-to-weight ratio | 82.6kW/t |
| Weight | 1380kg |
| Spare tyre type | None |
| Turning circle | 9.7m |
Should I buy an Abarth 500e?
It’s difficult to make grand assessments here until we know the price in Australia, but if the Abarth 500e is to set the standard for electric hot hatches, there’s a lot to be said for how much fun it is. Not to mention how well sorted it is as a result of the Abarth engineering team’s hard work.
Perhaps most importantly, it’s a fun hatch to drive at any speed. I’m not sold on the fake exhaust note, but then I don’t know that a silent Abarth puts a big enough smile on my face either. I need some more wheel time to get comfortable with my thoughts on that.
On face value, despite the inclement weather, the Abarth 500e is an excellent hot electric hatch, more mature than ever, and well placed to go head-to-head with whatever competition comes its way.
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