Abarth 600e review – a feisty electric SUV with some drawbacks

Verdict – is the Abarth 600e a good car?

If you find most small electric cars boring, the Abarth 600e certainly injects some character into the segment. Its chassis upgrades also make a meaningful difference to how the 600e feels and handles, with some of the traits of old hot hatches thrown in. However, these changes have also made its driving range worse, and the 600e doesn’t offer the best practicality. We also wish some of the desirable kit included with the pricey Scorpionissima was available for the standard car.

Abarth 600e models, specs and alternatives

While Abarth might still have a relatively small presence in the UK, this high-performance brand has a long history of producing hotted-up Fiat models and an impressive motorsport pedigree. The latest model in its 75-year history is its most powerful road car yet.

Few Abarth fans would have predicted this accolade would go to a small electric SUV, but it’s a fitting sign of the times and the sort of cars that are popular amongst buyers that the 600e has been given a performance makeover.

Costing from £37,000 – around £4,000 more than the Fiat 600e – the Abarth goes head-to-head with cars like the MINI Aceman, MG4 XPower, Cupra Born and Stellantis sister models like the Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce, which the 600e shares some of its DNA with. Big wheels, flared wheel arches and lurid paint options ensure the Abarth has a bigger personality than most of its rivals.

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It’s also fitted with quite a few go-faster parts. Not only is the electric motor a lot more potent (especially in the top Scorpionissima version) for quicker acceleration, the 600e’s chassis and brakes have also come in for big upgrades to improve handling and traction. Inside, there are figure-hugging front seats and plenty of Alcantara and contrasting stitching to remind you of its performance credentials too.

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This is one area where the Abarth 600e doesn’t look quite so clever, because while it has the usual benefits of running an electric car like reduced taxation and affordable top ups (if you have a cheap home tariff), its range figures and charging speed leave something to be desired.

Both versions come with the same 51kWh battery pack, but because the Abarth 600e gets extra power, bigger wheels and high-performance tyres, its range is almost 50 miles less than the Fiat 600e can manage. Switch out of the efficiency-boosting ‘Turismo’ driving mode and the driving range will also drop more quickly.

If you do need to recharge the battery away from home, the 600e can hit peak charging speeds of 100kW, which isn’t as fast as some rivals, but still good enough for a 20 to 80% top-up in less than half an hour. A full charge using a 7.4kW wallbox should take around eight hours.
 

What will the Abarth 600e cost to insure?

The Abarth 600e starts in group 35 (out of 50) and increases to group 36 for the Scorpionissima version. This is slightly lower than the group 40 of the MG4 XPower, while the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica Veloce sits in group 34.

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It’s easy to be cynical about an electric crossover with some performance add-ons, but Abarth takes the 600e very seriously. It’s certainly keen to remind everyone that it’s the most powerful road car in its history – a statement it doesn’t take lightly.

There are some significant changes to separate the Abarth model from the Fiat 600e. For a start, it’s actually slightly wider, and it’s fitted with completely overhauled suspension, beefier brakes and chunkier alloy wheels and tyres. Like an old-school hot hatch, it’s also been given a specially developed limited-slip front differential. 

While most cars are designed so the front wheels can turn at different speeds while cornering, this piece of hardware can tighten to reduce power-sapping wheel spin and boost agility.

Two versions of the Abarth 600e are offered, with the standard car getting a front-mounted electric motor with 235bhp. The limited run of 1,949 600e Scorpionissima models gets 278bhp, cutting the car’s 0-62mph time by three tenths to 5.9 seconds and adding a sound generator for a fake exhaust note.

You won’t experience maximum power all the time, with the ‘Turismo’ driving mode limiting the electric motor to 148bhp (188bhp in the Scorpionissima), followed by 201bhp in ‘Scorpion Street’ (223bhp Scorpionissima) and full power in ‘Scorpion Track’ mode. This ramp up is meant to promote smoother and more efficient driving in the first two settings, and we found the power delivery more linear than in some EVs.

Is the Abarth 600e good to drive in town?

The standard 600e is a car that’s very happy in town, and while the Abarth 600e might be more hardcore, it still has light steering at lower speeds and suspension that can soak up bumps fairly well. 

Is the Abarth 600e good to drive on long journeys

The Abarth 600e hasn’t really been fettled to make it a perfect long-distance companion, with a ride that’s a bit fidgety and a fair bit of road and wind noise. It shouldn’t beat you up too much on longer trips, though, with a pretty smooth power delivery and comfortable seats. Even when the sound generator is switched on, it also quietens down above 50mph, unlike in the Abarth 500e.

Is the Abarth 600e good to drive on B-roads?

This is where the Abarth 600e is in its element, with impressive grip, minimal body lean and direct steering which makes it easy to flick the car from one corner to the next. It’s not oozing with as much character as we’d hoped, but there’s no denying it’s very capable.

Upgraded brakes serve up lots of stopping power, but you have to learn to press them quite a bit harder than most rivals with very sensitive brake pedals. 

Carbuyer notes

“Hit the throttle when you’re already moving, and the instant torque will put you back into your seat” Ellis Hyde, news reporter

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The Abarth 600e has significantly more aggressive looks than its Fiat sibling, thanks to new front and rear bumpers with large air intakes and a deep rear diffuser. Buyers will be able to pick punchy colour options like ‘Acid Green’ and ‘Hypnotic Purple’ that are something of an Abarth calling card, and its alloy wheels and large boot spoiler are also unique.

Inside, there are swathes of Alcantara material, including for the steering wheel, and contrasting green stitching. The front seats also help set it apart, being very supportive bucket-style items from racing supplier Sabelt. Other trinkets include metallic pedals, but there are still quite a few dark plastic surfaces, which don’t help to elevate the cabin. 

Is the Abarth 600e infotainment and navigation system easy to use?

The 10.25-inch touchscreen and seven-inch instrument panel look familiar, but Abarth has treated them to a bespoke set of graphics. It’s also added extra screens for driving enthusiasts, so they can see how much torque is being sent to the front wheels, how hot the battery is and even lap times. In the Scorpionissima you’ll also be able to turn on and off the sound generator here.

Overall, it’s pretty easy to navigate, helped by a row of physical shortcut buttons for key actions like returning to the homepage or accessing driver assistance features, as well as tweaking the climate control. Owners will also be able to use wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto out of the box. 

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The traditional hot hatch recipe combines a powerful engine and fun handling with enough space for day-to-day tasks. While the Abarth 600e offers a step up in performance, it’s not especially practical, despite its SUV looks. 

Measuring just 4,187mm in length, the 600e is surprisingly compact, and it shows if you get in the back. Rear knee room is poor for adults, made worse by the bulky sports front seats. The floor also has a hump in the middle, so this combined with a narrow middle seat means there’s not much space for a fifth passenger. 

Anyone sitting in the back is also unlikely to be impressed with the lack of cup-holders, door bins or seat pockets, and there’s only one USB-C port to fight over. There are at least two ISOFIX mounting points for placing child seats in the back.

Does the Abarth 600e have a big boot?

Measuring 365 litres in volume, the Abarth’s boot is okay but not class-leading. It compares with 400 litres in the Alfa Romeo Junior, while the MG4 has a 363 litre boot and the Ford Puma’s measures 456 litres. One decision that strikes us as slightly odd is the addition of a hands-free powered tailgate for the Scorpionissima, which is only being sold in very limited numbers. We expect this will arrive as an option for the standard car in future. 

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We didn’t receive enough responses from Abarth owners for any of its models to appear in our latest Driver Power survey, but its sister brand Fiat came near the bottom of our brands table, being ranked 31st out of 32 brands, ahead of MG alone. 

That’s despite the share of Fiat owners reporting a fault within the first year being just 11.8% – far lower than MG (28.1%), or brands far higher up the order like third-place Kia with 24.3%. This didn’t stop Fiat owners giving a low score for overall quality and reliability, along with practicality. Its top rankings were for fuel economy (eighth) and insurance costs (fifth). 

How safe is the Abarth 600e?

Abarth is rather proud of how many driver aids are fitted in the 600e, with the standard car getting adaptive cruise control, lane departure warnings, Drowsy Driver Detection, autonomous emergency braking and an E-call system that can alert the emergency services in the event of an accident. 

Upgrade to the Scorpionissima and it adds Level 2 Assisted Driving, that can keep the car in the middle of its lane and help steer, accelerate and brake in heavy traffic. It also gets Abarth’s Urban Blind Spot Monitor and traffic-sign recognition.

Neither the Fiat or Abarth 600e have been put through Euro NCAP crash tests yet, however, so we’ll update this section when it has an official safety rating.

What are the Abarth 600e service intervals?

Most Abarth models require servicing annually, so we expect this to be the same for the Abarth 600e.

What is the warranty on the Abarth 600e?

Buyers will get a three-year/60,000-mile warranty on the Abarth 600e. This is similar to the warranty length of the Ford Puma and MINI Aceman, but the Kia EV3 and MG4 XPower both get considerably longer cover.

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Should you buy an Abarth 600e?

If you are already in the market for a small electric SUV, but you have found them a bit lacking in character and boring to drive, then the Abarth 600e could be the car for you. Pick it in a bright colour, and it will certainly stand out every time you plug it in at a row of chargers.

There’s no denying it’s fairly nippy – although some dual-motor EVs are still much, much faster – but we applaud Abarth’s decision to make it more fun to drive in the corners, rather than just throwing extra power on the spec sheet. Its chassis tweaks read more like those of an old-school hot hatch, and they make it surprisingly good at hoovering up corners.

Some decisions do seem a bit odd though, like the fact that only the Scorpionissima (which is being made in limited numbers) gets a sound generator. We suspect every Abarth owner will want to hear a sound as they accelerate, even if it is synthesised. Even odder is the choice to reserve driving aids and convenience features for the Scorpionissima.

The Abarth 600e might look tall in stature, but it’s also not as practical as you might expect. The rear seats are very tight for adults, and while the boot isn’t tiny, most hatchbacks like the Cupra Born offer more luggage space.

What  is the best for families?

This is a tricky one, because while the standard 600e would be the obvious choice for those who don’t need the extra power and more aggressive sports seats of the Scorpionissima, it’s the latter that also includes some handy features like a hands-free tailgate and Level 2 driver aids that help drive the car in stop and start traffic. Fingers crossed these will be offered as options.

What is the best Abarth 600e for keen drivers?

Hardcore enthusiasts will want to seek out the Scorpionissima before it sells out, thanks to its extra power and quicker acceleration. In most circumstances, though, we found the level-pegging torque figure meant both felt pretty similar until we really pushed the car on track.

What is the Carbuyer pick of the range?

If you’ve made the decision to go for the Abarth 600e, it probably makes sense to go for the Scorpionissima – especially if you can get a good deal on it. In some ways, this is our pick not because of the extra power on offer, but because the Scorpionissima comes with quite a bit more kit, and it should also boost its exclusivity in future thanks to its limited numbers.

Abarth 600e alternatives

You might think a high-performance small electric SUV would be almost unique, but you’d be wrong. There’s been an explosion of the breed since buyers started buying these cars in their droves instead of more traditional hatchbacks.

• Alfa Romeo Junior
• MINI Aceman
• MG4 XPower
• Cupra Born
• Ford Puma

How we tested the Abarth 600e 

We tested the Abarth 600e at the Balocco Proving Ground test track in Italy where the brand develops its cars, as well as on surrounding public roads in October 2024.