Abarth 600e review

Is the Abarth 600e a good car?

There’s no denying the Abarth 600e is a very competent performance EV that delivers almost shocking agility through corners thanks to some old-school hot-hatch know-how, while even the standard version packs plenty of punch. But ultimately, this angry-looking crossover is not a car that makes you want to drive to find the perfect road, or just for the sake of it. The interior doesn’t feel all that special either, its practicality can’t match that of the best hot hatches, and the range is poor. 

How much does the Abarth 600e cost?

Abarth has been competing in motorsport and turning up the wick on Fiat’s models for 75 years now. Today, it’s best known for making souped-up, loud-mouthed versions of the Fiat 500 city car. However, just as the petrol-powered Abarth 595 and 695 are being laid to rest, the performance outfit has launched its most powerful road car ever: the new 600e.

As you’ve probably guessed, it’s based on the Fiat 600e, which also means it sits on the same e-CMP2 platform as other small electric cars such as the Alfa Romeo Junior, Jeep Avenger, Peugeot E-2008 and Vauxhall Mokka Electric. Even some vans use the same fundamental underpinnings. 

But Abarth has done a lot more than stick a bodykit and a bit of Alcantara on the style-conscious small SUV. For starters, its version gets a new electric motor that produces 235bhp in the standard 600e, or 278bhp in the limited-edition 600e Scorpionissima. Both use a 54kWh battery, which offers up to 207 miles of range.

The brand has also added a Torsen mechanical limited-slip differential, a new brake system designed to offer better fade resistance and heat distribution, liquid cooling for the battery, and 20-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres. The suspension and anti-roll bars are stiffer too, plus the car’s track has been widened by 30mm up front and 25mm on the rear. 

The Abarth 600e will be available to order in the UK from mid-November, with a starting price of £36,975. That’s about £4,000 more than the Fiat it’s based on, and a little more than the MG4 XPower, which also has more power and all-wheel drive. However, the Abarth is available for nearly £2,500 less than the recently updated VW Golf GTI. 

Standard kit on the base model includes a 10.25-inch central touchscreen, a seven-inch digital driver’s display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, six-way adjustable Sabelt sports seats, keyless go and a few safety systems. However we’re disappointed that some rather basic equipment such as a rear-view camera, a heated windscreen, sat-nav and cruise control aren’t fitted on the base Abarth 600e. 

To get any of that, and the more powerful e-motor, you have to go for the 600e Scorpionissima that will start from £41,975. This version also features deeper, more body-hugging bucket seats, more advanced driver-assistance tech, a wireless smartphone charging pad, and a ‘sound generator’ like you get on the Abarth 500e. It’s designed to mimic the exhaust note of the brand’s petrol-powered models. 

Only 1,949 examples of the 600e Scorpionissima will be produced, as a nod to the year Abarth was founded. But we wouldn’t be surprised if a model with the same trimmings remains part of the line-up after the limited run is over, if customer demand for this particular version is high enough.

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Abarth takes every possible opportunity to remind us that the 600e is its most powerful road car to date. But considering even ordinary family electric cars have as much grunt – and some have much more – we’ll focus first on how the car handles, which is far more impressive.

We should say up front that we spent the majority of our time driving the Abarth 600e on the company’s test circuit in Balocco, Italy, with no fear of speed cameras or ramblers wandering into the road. This allowed us to push the Abarth far beyond what would be allowed on public roads, but that didn’t deter the car; we could feel it almost tucking into corners, and an impressive level of grip. 

The 600e really inspires confidence and the not-so-secret ingredient behind this is a Torsen limited-slip differential. It’s something that has been used by front-wheel-drive hot hatchbacks for a long time, and is designed to distribute torque to the wheel with the most traction, allowing you to put the power down better as you exit corners. 

There’s some body roll, but it’s well controlled, and the Abarth is unfazed by quick changes in direction though very tight hairpins. We did notice understeer on some fast corners, but while the Abarth 600e is technically a very capable car, it’s not engaging and has no character. Quite simply, it’s just not as much fun to drive as some of our favourite hot hatches. 

Abarth has developed a new braking system for the 600e with British firm Alcom, which adds 380mm discs and four-piston monobloc callipers to the front axle. It delivers huge stopping power when you slam on the brake pedal, however when you try to modulate the brakes, it lacks much initial bite and we felt ourselves pressing really firmly before the car really started to slow.  

When we were let loose on public roads, we found the ride to be surprisingly compliant for a car with such stiff suspension, and the steering becomes lighter at low speeds to make manoeuvring in town easier. However the Abarth does feel a little fidgety, plus road noise and tyre roar are noticeable. 

Now the power, which comes from a new electric motor that pumps out up to 278bhp and 345Nm of torque in the 600e Scorpionissima. That’s enough for 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds – exactly the same time as the new Volkswagen Golf GTI – and a top speed of 124mph. 

Meanwhile the standard Abarth 600e produces 235bhp, but the same torque, and 0-62mph still only takes 6.2 seconds. We got to try both versions back-to-back and they felt virtually identical when accelerating. The only difference was the faux-exhaust note emitted by the Scorpionissima’s sound generator. 

Power delivery is more linear than in other highly potent EVs, which is not a bad thing because while eye-widening launches that you can feel in your kidneys are fun now and again, they’re not particularly comfortable. If you hit the throttle when you’re already moving though, the instant torque will put you back into your seat.

The e-motor only delivers maximum power in Scorpion Track mode, which also includes an aggressive accelerator pedal calibration, a ‘sport+’ steering calibration and ‘fun’ tuning for the stability-control system.

The default Turismo drive mode restricts power output to 148bhp in the standard model and 188bhp in the Scorpionissima, plus torque to 300Nm, and is meant to give smoother acceleration. Meanwhile Scorpion Street, which is Abarth’s equivalent of Sport mode, allows for 201bhp in the regular 600e and 223bhp in the Scorpionissima, along with the full 345Nm of torque.

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The Abarth 600e is only available with a 54kWh battery, which supposedly is enough for a range of up to 207 miles on a single charge. That’s nearly 50 miles less than in the standard Fiat 600e, but to be expected with the heavy performance focus of the Abarth.

Of course, like all official range figures, you’d have to be driving the car in ideal weather conditions and presumably in the power-restricting ‘Turismo’ mode in order to go 207 miles before the battery is flat. Drive the 600e faster and harder to carve up country roads, and you’ll need to plug it in a lot sooner.

We didn’t get to spend long enough on public roads to get a reliable efficiency figure from the Abarth 600e. However, when we were driving it on the track, the car indicated we’d achieve 1.2 miles per kilowatt-hour. That equates to less than 65 miles of range from one charge.

When the battery is running low on juice, the Abarth 600e has a maximum charging speed of 100kW, so can be topped up from 20 to 80 per cent in under half an hour. Alternatively, fully replenishing the battery using a standard 7.4kW home wallbox charger will take about eight hours.

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Obviously some significant styling changes were required to transform the chic Fiat 600e into an angry-looking performance car. The designers drew inspiration from the Abarth 850 TC race car of the sixties, and the very blocky front bumper has been shaped to emulate the one on that car. Similarly, the large roof spoiler is supposed to be an homage to the racer, which essentially had its engine cover fixed open, to act as a spoiler. 

There’s also a chunky bumper on the rear, with a pronounced diffuser, new 20-inch rims with hubcaps meant to mimic centerlock wheels, and some very vivid paint options like Acid Green and Hypnotic Purple.

The interior has received some sporty touches too, such as the steering wheel wrapped in leather and Alcantara, aluminium pedals, lots of neon green stitching and upgraded, more supportive seats from Sabelt. However they’re not enough to make the cabin feel that much different to the standard Fiat, or particularly special. It doesn’t help that lots of surfaces, particularly the doors, are made from dull black plastic.

The much more aggressive bucket seats you get in the Scorpionissima model look great and can accommodate wider individuals without them feeling hemmed in. However the higher-spec model also has the slogan ‘mind the scorpion’ dotted around the cabin, which probably won’t evoke any fear in your passengers; it’ll probably just make them laugh because it sounds too polite and like a rip-off of the ‘mind the gap’ announcement from the London Underground.

Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

Abarth has added its own graphics to the seven-inch driver’s display and 10.25-inch central touchscreen, and given it some performance pages for recording lap times, how much torque is being sent to the front wheels, and gauges for battery temperature, among other information. Turning the sound generator on or off is also done through the touchscreen in the Scorpionissima version. 

The infotainment system is easy enough to navigate, helped by the physical shortcut buttons for home and the driver-assistance menu, and there’s a row of physical climate controls as well. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto feature as standard too.

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One of the appeals of a traditional hot hatch is the combination of exciting driving dynamics with everyday practicality. The 600e, on the other hand, handles great but it’s sorely lacking in practicality. However that’s not surprising because the Fiat 600e is far from the most spacious car in its class.

Rear legroom is the biggest issue – because there really isn’t any. Not if there is anyone approaching six-foot tall sitting up front anyway, and even if you push their seat forward to try and make space, neither person is very happy. The cabin isn’t very wide either and there’s a large hump in the floor, making it feel generally quite cramped

The back of the 600e is also quite barren because the only amenity on offer is a single USB-C charging port; there are no cup-holders, door bins or even a pocket on the backs of the front seats. 

The 600e does at least have two sets of ISOFIX child-seat mounting points in the back, and another up front. Meanwhile the 360-litre boot is adequate, but smaller than a Golf GTI’s and Cupra Born’s.

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The Abarth 600e doesn’t have a crash safety rating from industry experts Euro NCAP, because they haven’t tested the Fiat 600e it’s based on. Both cars are also too new to have featured in our most recent Driver Power owner satisfaction survey. However based on feedback from Fiat owners, that brand came in 31st (out of 32) in our best car manufacturer rankings. MG was the only one it managed to beat.

In terms of safety kit, the base Abarth 600e is equipped with lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, drowsy-driver detection, autonomous emergency braking and parking sensors all around the car.

The pricier 600e Scorpionissima features more advanced driver-assistance tech, including adaptive cruise control that combines with lane centering and traffic-jam assist to provide Level 2 autonomous capabilities. This version also comes with blind-spot detection, a rear-view camera and traffic-sign recognition.

Abarth 600e alternatives

There are countless rivals to the Abarth 600e. The most obvious are other hot electric family cars, like the Cupra Born VZ and Volkswagen ID.3 GTX, which offer more power, range and cabin space, plus they’re rear-wheel drive. However both are considerably more expensive starting from around £45k. The closest match to the Abarth on price is the MG4 XPower, which has 429bhp and all-wheel drive. 

There’s also the 600e’s sister car, the Alfa Romeo Junior, to consider. We found it was great to drive and has a bespoke interior, plus it’s available with either 154bhp for under £34,000, or the same 275bhp as the Abarth for just over £42k - nearly the same as the 600e.

Of course, there are still some petrol-powered hot hatchbacks on the market, such as the VW Golf GTI or Ford Focus ST, plus hot small SUVs including the Ford Puma ST and Cupra Formentor.