2024 Abarth 600e review – 276bhp electric sports SUV driven

On sale November 2024 | Price from £36,975

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, John David Washington: plenty of athletes have made the jump to acting, but it doesn’t always work out. You might be fast, efficient and great at a sport, but entertainment is a whole other arena. Ask the new Abarth 600e’s thoughts on this and we believe it would agree.

You see, outright speed and performance isn’t really the Abarth 600e’s party piece. Yes, it’ll be offered with a choice of two power outputs – 237bhp and 276bhp – and is quite a bit more powerful than the electric SUV it’s based on (the 154bhp Fiat 600e). However, if you put Abarth's 600e up against a 426bhp Tesla Model Y Performance it'll be left wondering whether the Model Y went. 

Instead of ultimate straight-line performance, the Abarth 600e has its sights set on providing, well, entertainment. It wants to be fun, not just fast, so the Italian brand has focused on how the 600e handles above all else.

Over the Fiat 600e, the Abarth version benefits from a grip-enhancing limited-slip differential (LSD), bespoke tyres and other fancy toys, although it has front-wheel drive, rather than four-wheel drive (which the Model Y has). That tech should ensure the 600e can put its power down in the corners and have a super-sharp front end.

What is the Abarth 600e like to drive?

As we touched upon, the Abarth 600e will be offered in two forms. The standard car, simply called 600e, has 237bhp and a 0-62mph time of 6.2 seconds. In other words, it’s quicker than a Ford Puma ST Powershift (7.4 seconds) and, because in common with most electric cars the power delivery is instant, it feels sprightly around town.

The other is a limited-edition (with only 1,949 examples to be sold) Scorpionissima version, which ups power to 276bhp and reduces the 0-62mph time to 5.9 seconds: as you can see, the difference in acceleration is marginal on paper – and it does indeed feel marginal in the real world.

The Scorpionissima also gets Abarth's external sound generator, which is a speaker that plays fake engine noise to the outside world. We first saw this on the smaller Abarth 500e and it's much the same here, but thankfully it's not as loud and it does hush down if you exceed 50mph, so it doesn't drone away annoyingly on the motorway. Grazie, Abarth.

Strangely, the standard Abarth 600e not only misses out on the sound generator, but it produces effectively no noise whatsoever – not even through the interior's speakers (like a lot of sporty electric cars do). All you're left with is the rather underwhelming whine of the electric motor.

Under its skin, the new Abarth 600e is closely related to the Alfa Romeo Junior – specifically the range-topping Veloce version – and that’s no bad thing. Like in the Junior Veloce, the 600e’s steering is very good. It’s precise and inspires more confidence than a lot of other electric cars do – and that includes the Fiat 600e.

It has a weakness, mind you. While the LSD does indeed help pull you out of tight corners with impressive enthusiasm, it’s still having to fight hard to maintain traction and it’s slightly more apparent in the more powerful Scorpionissima. 

This is especially true on a fast, twisty, undulating road, where the steering weight can rapidly switch between light and heavy, sometimes tugging left or right as the car tries to put its power down. By contrast, the Puma ST’s front end feels more planted and predictable, with a more natural, playful balance that makes everyday driving more fun. The heavier 600e has plenty of grip but needs a fair bit of provocation for it to entertain in the same fashion (something that’s best left for the private track we also tested on). 

Still, the 600e offers a greater sense of fun than nearly all electric SUVs of its size, including the Fiat 600e, as well as the Jeep Avenger Electric, Kia Niro EV and Peugeot e-2008. Is it better than an Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce? That’s one for a full comparison test.

The ride strikes an impressive balance between handling and comfort, being firm (as you might expect from a sports SUV) but largely compliant and well cushioned. In fact, it feels like a smoother ride than that of the Ford Puma ST and Tesla Model Y – and it has a shot of giving the Cupra Born a run for its money.

There’s less road noise than in a Fiat 600e – you can thank the bespoke tyres for that – and wind noise only begins to rear its head on the motorway. At 70mph, there's noticeable buffeting around the pillars.

Electric range isn't the Abarth 600e's forte, to put it mildly. Both the standard 600e and the Scorpionissima have a 51kWh (usable) battery and can officially travel around 207 miles before running out of juice. That's a far cry from the best electric SUV range.

For reference, the Fiat 600e has an official range of 254, while the likes of the new Kia EV3 takes things to 267 miles – and that's in its cheaper entry-level form. That said, the Junior Veloce's official range isn't exactly stellar either, at 215 miles.

What’s the Abarth 600e like inside?

The Abarth 600e is largely the same as the Fiat 600e inside, but the Abarth does benefit from a set of sporty front seats and a racing-inspired steering wheel.

The Scorpionissima goes a step further, adding some more Abarth branding on the dashboard, a set of aluminium pedals and a different style of sports seats. The seats hold you in place more tightly than the standard car's (which could do with some more side bolstering) while remaining comfortable.

The 600e's 10.3in infotainment touchscreen is positioned high up on the dashboard, meaning you don’t have to take your eyes far from the road to look at it. It’s fairly easy to use, thanks to its good responsiveness and some handy shortcut buttons. However, the menus could be more logically laid out and some of the icons are on the smaller side, so they can be a bit tricky to read at a glance.

As for interior quality, let's say you won't be very successful if you plan on tricking your friends into thinking you've brought a luxury car. The interior is awash with grey, hard, scratchy plastics and, apart from on the steering wheel and seats, the only plush parts are the armrests. A couple of extra bits of soft material or splashes of colour would go a long way here – take notes from the new Renault 4, Abarth... 

Space is plentiful up front and there's plenty of adjustment in the front seats – you can get low down for a sporty but natural-feeling driving position, for example. Rear-seat passengers are less well catered for, with good head room but tight leg room for anyone nudging 6ft tall.

The boot size is a similar story. As with the Fiat 600e you get 360 litres of space at your disposal: that's more than a Smart #1 offers but much less than a Tesla Model Y gives you.

Our verdict on the Abarth 600e

The Abarth 600e delivers more old-school, hot-hatch-like driving thrills than most electric SUVs (with the possible exception of the Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce). We do have a few gripes with the handling here and there but there's still fun to be had (and not at a huge expense when it comes to comfort and refinement). 

It's four-star fun in our books, but a few areas hold the Abarth 600e back from getting that score overall, namely it's disappointing battery range, interior quality and practicality. 

Our favourite version is the standard 600e. The Scorpionissima seats are fantastic and the sound generator suits the car much better than, well, faint electric motor whine, but the price premium (around £5,000) is unjustifiably steep. 

What Car? says 3 stars out of 5

Abarth 600e price and specs

Price £36,975 Engine 51kWh battery and electric motor Power 237bhp Torque 254lb ft Gearbox 1-spd automatic, FWD Battery size 0-62mph 6.2sec Top speed 124mph Range 207 miles CO2/tax 0g/km, 2%

Rivals:
Alfa Romeo Junior
Smart #1

Read more: the best electric SUVs

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