Does the Abarth 600e deliver on its hot hatch EV promises?

Abarth 600e review: charming crossover with hot hatch hopes

November 8, 2024 Matt Allan

Does the Abarth 600e deliver on its hot hatch EV promises?

There is always a risk when brands lean heavily on their heritage to launch a new car.

That’s especially true during this transition from fossil fuels to electric drive, and for brands or models with some performance element. You only need to look at the Ford Capri to see how it can go wrong.

But such concerns don’t seem to worry Abarth as it launches the 600e. The tuning arm of Fiat is going to great lengths to talk about its history turning run-of-the-mill Fiats into something sporty, and how it’s going to keep doing that in the electric age.

In fact, it’s almost goading fans outraged at the idea of an electric Abarth – telling them that while they have opinions it has facts. Facts like the 600e is the most powerful Abarth ever, and that electric power allows tuning and upgrading that wouldn’t be possible with petrol power.

But facts on paper don’t necessarily change opinions in real life. This rival to the Mini Aceman, Cupra Born VZ and Volkswagen ID.3 GTX needs to live up in the real world to Abarth’s claims of bringing motorsport know-how to the road.

Design, interior and performance

Fiat hasn’t helped Abarth out with the original design for the 600e. In regular form, the compact SUV is a slightly blobby, soft affair that looks like it could do with losing a few pounds.

But Abarth’s design team has done a good job. Lowering and widening the car definitely helps, as does chucking on some blingy 20-inch wheels and adding a new front end treatment. A shark-nose element sharpens up the car’s face, jutting out over a massive boxy front bumper inspired by the old Abarth 850 TC. The rear end has had a similar treatment. A decidedly square bumper and diffuser element work to sharpen up the 600e’s soft edges. There’s also a much larger rear spoiler which, like the bumper, wheels and front wings, features a bold scorpion graphic.

The package works as a whole to give an aggressive hot hatch air to the car which is carried over to the interior via a few key elements. The Abarth gets Sabelt sports seats as standard, with top-spec Scorpionissima models getting grippier versions finished in eco-leather and Alcantara. There’s also a two-spoke steering wheel wrapped in Alcantara and finished with a scorpion centre boss to enhance the sporty look, plus metal sports pedals. Abarth has also tinkered with the dials and infotainment system to add its own graphics and some performance-focused data displays.

Unfortunately, that’s where the Abarth treatment ends and the higher-quality elements highlight the cheaper materials used elsewhere in the cabin. Look past the Alcantara and the unique dashboard trim and the lower parts of the cabin are finished in some thin, shiny and cheap feeling plastics.

The Abarth also can’t magic up any extra space, so practicality remains an issue. Adults will fit in the front seats without complaint but legroom in the rear is tight and even taller children won’t be happy there for too long.

Battery, motor and performance

From launch there are two versions of the Abarth 600e which differ in technical as well as equipment levels.

The ‘regular’ Abarth 600e comes with 236bhp for a 0-62mph time of 6.2 seconds and a top speed of 124mph.

Above that is the Scorpionissima with 276bhp and a 0-62mph time of 5.9 seconds. Abarth says it will build just 1,949 versions of that – to mark the year the brand was formed – but I’d be astonished if that more powerful motor doesn’t become a permanent fixture in a different trim level.

I would be disappointed too, because with approaching 300bhp and some decent chassis work, the 600e is a surprisingly fun little car.

Like any reasonably powerful EV, the 600e darts away from a standstill but unlike a lot of sanitised models, it’ll do it with just a little squirm of torque steer like an old-school hot hatch. On the move, there’s a nicely measured throttle response and Scorpion Track mode deactivates braking regen so you have full control of when and how hard you brake via the four-piston Alcon units. It also slackens up the stability control to allow the car to move around more and you can – to a degree – steer the car on throttle.

There’s loads of grip from the Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres that allow you to properly attack corners, and you can feel the Torsen mechanical LSD doing its job as you get on the throttle early on the exit. The steering isn’t hugely communicative but it is well-weighted, and the Abarth 600e will change direction with speed and enthusiasm, and impressive levels of body control for a class that isn’t famous for it.

As a package, it feels lively and playful like a hot hatch should, certainly in the full-power Scorpion Track mode. Below that, Street and Turismo modes limit the power and dial back the aggression.

However, it’s important to note that a lot of my dynamic impressions were formed on-track in the relatively risk-free environment of Abarth’s Balocco test circuit. We had far more limited time on the road to see how the fun aspect translates to more limited roads. And we were limited to the less powerful regular model. Still, on the road, the terrier-like willingness to dive into a corner and drag itself out again was evident and the Abarth still felt more lively than the ID.3 GTX I drove the following day.

On a practical front, the 54kWh battery should, claims Abarth, manage a measly 207 miles – a significant 45 miles less than the regular 600e. That’s in the lower-powered car on the eco tyres, too. Opt for the 276bhp model Michelins and it drops to just 199 miles. DC charging is also a relatively slow 100kW, which will give a 10-80% charge in a little over 30 minutes.

Abarth 600e Price and specification

The Abarth 600e’s price is quite interesting. The regular 600e starts at £36,975 – about the same as a top-spec Fiat 600e. The limited run Scorpionissima is £41,975. That’s not exactly cheap for a small crossover but, in performance terms you do get plenty of bang for your buck. The Cupra and VW models pack more power – 326bhp – but also cost noticeably more.

The price difference between the two 600e trims is explained not just by the extra power but by some notable equipment changes. All versions get 20-inch alloys, LED lights, a 10.25-inch infotainment screen and seven-inch head-up display, plus automatic air con, wireless phone mirroring and keyless go.

However, only the top-spec car gets the ridiculous sound generator, powered tailgate, heated seats, keyless entry, reversing camera and auto-dipping headlights. It also gets a wealth of gloss black exterior trim, painted brake callipers and an extended ADAS package that includes adaptive cruise control.

What’s really interesting about the price is that it means the 600e with its extra, power, chassis tech and space is the same price as the smaller Abarth 500e, creating quite a problem for the little two-door model.

Verdict

Often a ‘tuned’ version of a mainstream car is nothing more than a bit more power and some stupid bodykit. But the Abarth 600e is a surprise package that takes a very bog standard car and turns it into something exciting.

Where the regular Fiat is blobby and sedate, the Abarth, especially in Scorpionissima trim, is aggressive, quick and characterful. It suffers the same practicality limitations and problems with cheap interior trim as the Fiat, but pours on enough charm and fun to compensate.