The Abarth 500e looks like the ultimate performance city hopper

The Abarth 500e, the first-ever Abarth electric car, has finally arrived. Except for the lack of an exhaust system for the customary roars and pops, it’s better than the gas-powered Abarth 695 in every way. If you’re in the market for a fun performance car that’s small and sustainable, the new Italian pocket rocket should be on your shortlist.

Design

The Abarth 500e doesn’t look as aggressive as the gas-powered model. The upper fascia is cleaner than that of the Fiat 500 electric, with a dark titanium grey Abarth logo in place of the chrome wings and dedicated 500 logo. In the lower area, the electric Abarth sports an exclusive functional grille in honeycomb openings, faux side air inlets, and a contrasting splitter which adds aggression while preserving the donor’s aerodynamic design.

On the sides, the Abarth 500 Electric sports Titanium Grey mirror caps, Abarth decals, a new lateral electrified Scorpion signature logo, and 18-inch diamond-cut Titanium Grey alloy wheels in an exclusive design. At the rear, the Abarth 500e has a dark titanium Grey logo and diffuser inserts. The cabrio version has a black capote with an integrated sporty spoiler as well. Yes, there are two body styles on offer – hatchback and cabrio.

Interior

The Abarth 500e features a dark interior to match the sportiness of its exterior. It has a slanted striped pattern on the dashboard upholstery, an Abarth-branded steering wheel with a blue 12 o’clock marker and cross stitching, and blue and black stitching on the seat and door panel upholstery.

An Acid-Green Scorpion is present on the steering wheel and the integrated headrests of the front headrests, which carry an Abarth inscription as well. Abarth has used Alcantara and leather in the interior elements, which go well with the premium and sporty theme of the car. The 10.25-inch Uconnect touchscreen infotainment system of the car has a new ‘Performance Pages’ feature, which includes new Abarth graphics. The Performance Pages allow customers to save their performance data.

Abarth 500 Electric Powertrain & Performance

Abarth claims the 500 Electric is the most responsive and exciting 500 ever in city driving and is more responsive than the 695. It allows faster overtaking on the highways and beats the 695 by over a second on the ‘Misto Alfa Handling Track’ at Balocco.

Abarth says the 500e has a more responsive electric motor, longer wheelbase, widened track widths for more grip and higher cornering speeds, and a better balance between the axles for great handling and driving dynamics. It uses a 37.3 kWh lithium-ion battery pack like the Fiat 500e, but it sports an electric motor that produces 113.7 kW and 235 Nm of torque. Plus, there are three exclusive driving modes: Turismo, Scorpion Street, and Scorpion Track.

The Turismo mode reduces the power and torque to 113 kW and 220 Nm, respectively, saving energy. The Scorpion Street mode offers top performance and maximizes regenerative braking. Both these modes allow one-pedal driving. The Scorpion Track mode is for unleashing the car’s maximum potential in terms of both performance and driving dynamics.

A 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) sprint in the Abarth 500e takes seven seconds, which makes it as much as 2.5 seconds quicker than the Fiat 500e. The battery pack needs to have at least 90% charging to achieve this acceleration, though. An available sound generator reproduces the sound of an Abarth gas engine, allowing Abarthists to hear the Abarth “roar” that’ll probably never be authentic again. Stopping power comes from 281 x 26 mm ventilated disc brakes at the front and 278 x 12 solid disc brakes at the rear.

The all-electric Abarth could deliver a WLTP range of around 275 km (171 miles). It has the same, 85 kW peak charging power as the regular 500e, meaning fast-charging from 0-80% SoC could take as little as 35 minutes.

Price & release date

In Italy, the Abarth 500e’s prices will start at EUR 43,000 (USD 45,746) at launch (in a ‘Scorpionissima’ launch edition). Order books will open in February 2023. Like the Fiat 500e, the Abarth 500e should be manufactured at Stellantis’ Mirafiori factory in Italy.

U.S. launch

The new Fiat 500e will arrive in the U.S. in Q1 2024 (January-March 2024). The Abarth variant could follow in 2025. Fiat CEO Olivier Francois has said that he “would love to offer it in the U.S. at some point,” MotorTrend reported on November 18, 2022.

Abarth 500e alternatives

The closest rival to the Abarth 500e will be the first all-electric Mini JCW which should be in the marketplace by 2025, while sport versions of the Skoda city car, VW ID.2, and the Cupra Urban Rebel (Raval), besides the Alpine R5, could be cheaper alternatives.

TopElectricSUV says

In spite of the fact that it will not be as aggressive looking or sounding as the gas-powered Abarths of today, the Abarth 500e will be more than capable of making up for these superficial weaknesses with significantly better performance. Plus, being an EV, it would be considerably cheaper to run than the gasoline model.

Abarth 500 Electric FAQs

Featured Image Source: Abarth