When did cars stop being fun? You know, cars that we just enjoy for the thrill they give us behind the wheel, rather than just being the fastest, most efficient, best-handling… most whatever car they can be?
Spoiler alert: the Abarth 500e is not a perfect car, it has several significant flaws, but that doesn’t stop it being great fun. In fact, it’s some of those flaws that make it so loveable.
What am I talking about? Well, electric vehicles have a tendency to lack character, feeling generic given the inherent similarities between electric motors compared to internal combustion engines. But that’s not something you can say about the 500e, because it feels exactly like an Abarth should, even if it is electric now.
Yes, gone is the rorty turbocharged petrol engine of the old model and in its place is a 113kW/235Nm electric motor. Instead of following the modern trend of making this a rear-wheel drive model (and thus completely transforming the dynamics of what an Abarth is), the 500e version remains front-wheel drive.
Those motor figures aren’t ground-breaking, especially with the little car weighing more than 1300kg, but this is meant to be a hot hatch and not an outright performance car. It takes 7.0 seconds to run 0-100km/h, which is hardly likely to win any traffic light grand prix, but the Abarth feels fast enough for what it is.
Where it excels is in its compact dimensions and zippiness around town. It feels agile and responsive and that’s unlike most other electric cars, which tends to feel big, heavy and slightly dulled. The suspension is firm but feels really controlled and helps add to that sporty, fun dynamic driving experience.
It helps that there are three driving modes to choose from to tailor the car’s behaviour to your mood – Turismo, Scorpion Street and Scorpion Track. The former is meant for the urban commuting role, offering one-pedal driving thanks to its heavy regenerative braking. Frankly, that’s not for everyone, so if you prefer a more ‘normal’ driving experience shifting into the Track setting actually reduces the regen the most.
If you really want to have a more traditional hot hatch experience, Abarth has included a sound generator that plays a soundtrack like a rorty petrol engine.
As for the aforementioned flaws, this is where they start to emerge. Firstly, while the Abarth would be great on a twisty country road, getting there could be a challenge. The claimed driving range is only 253km, but based on our test drive hitting that would take some friendly conditions. We’re not saying it’s impossible to go for an open road drive, but you’d want to carefully plan it to make sure you had an enjoyable road trip.
Instead, the 500e is most at home in the urban environment, where it can maximise its range via the regen braking and stretch out as far as possible.
The other obvious and major flaw for this limited range hot hatch is the price. The Abarth 500e starts at $58,990 for the Turismo model and gets to $60,500 for the sportier Scorpionissima. That’s a lot of money for such a small, niche car.
Thankfully, you do get a lot of gear for that money, wrapped up into a stylish and sporty package. The 500e looks like an Abarth with its big wheels and Scorpion badging, so it won’t be mistaken for the ‘standard’ Fiat version.
Ultimately, for all that’s good and not-so-good about the Abarth 500e, it fills a very niche part of the market. It will best suit someone living in the city who doesn’t have a long commute but wants to enjoy themselves every time they drive. Or, alternatively, it will appeal to anyone who wants to make the switch to an EV but wants to keep having fun, no matter the cost. And there’s nothing wrong with having fun whenever you drive.
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