2025 Abarth 500e | UK Review
The electric hot hatch ranks are being bolstered by the week - can the Abarth still compete?
What a great time it looks to be in the market for a small, speedy electric car. The Peugeot GTI is back, with 280hp and a host of trick parts - and it would almost be rude for some of those bits not to make it to, say, a closely related Corsa VXR equivalent. The mad Mini has returned in JCW Electric form, VW isn’t far off a dinky electric GTI, and Hyundai has already teased what an Inster could one day become. Plus there’s the Alpine A290, proof that Renault Sport genius can survive the transition away from petrol power.
All of this means the Abarth 500e, one of the earlier entrants to the EV pocket rocket space, is in danger of being forgotten about as newcomers jostle for attention. Even with a price cut for 2025, which took four thousand pounds off the RRP, the Abarth hasn’t featured much of late. So with it being cheaper than ever and a swathe of rivals either just launched or imminent, there seemed no better time to get reacquainted in the UK.
One thing you'll notice from the off: the Abarth still looks absolutely great. Even as a fairly familiar silhouette, even in black, even with the world going crazy for French EVs, the 500e is a desirable little object. If you liked what came before, you’ll love this. There’s some sophistication and modernity to the design now - very clearly a 500 without totally ripping off what came before (just) - while also still boasting the style and swagger. Fluorescent yellow scorpions really shouldn’t work as a styling add-on, yet they’re great for breaking up the black. It isn’t bloated or overwrought as so many EVs desperate to resemble something smaller tend to be; the Abarth 500e looks acutely Abarth, and perfectly 500. Which ought to be even more persuasive than ever given the Mini’s slightly strange appearance right now.
The inside isn’t quite such a slam dunk. Where cars like the Cooper SE and A290 place an emphasis on material choices and design flourishes, the Abarth feels like a cheaper prospect - despite the comparable price. Again, the scorpions are welcome, there’s good stowage and the driving position is a useful improvement on the combustion-powered model; however, some of the plastics are cheap (including, stupidly, the drive mode selector you’re prodding quite a bit), and the central screen is nothing special. When Mini is covering the dash with fabric and using OLEDs for the display, and Alpine gluing leather to every surface, this top-of-the-range Turismo doesn’t feel good enough.
Anyone who’s driven a 1.4-litre Abarth hatch with some degree of gusto won’t have forgotten the experience in a hurry; they were like driving a Mentos mint in a can of Dr Pepper: fizzy, sweet, a bit silly, and for maximum enjoyment best done when nobody else is looking. There’s a similar effervescence to this car, aided by a kerbweight kept comfortably under 1,500kg and the innate responsiveness of electric power, though with some (welcome) additional maturity, too.
Despite 18-inch wheels, the ride is more accommodating than any ICE version was, so you’re more inclined to want to maintain momentum; do so, and you’ll find a better balance to the Abarth as well. It doesn’t pogo down the road so much, and it corners flatter; traction against 595s and 695s also seems improved.
Some useful things that the Abarth definitely is, then. What it isn’t, however, is enormously fast. We’ve become very familiar with even very ordinary EVs boasting a surfeit of shove, and that’s not really the case here. 152hp and 1,410kg can only work so much magic, whatever the power source. What you make of that will probably be dependent on perspective; on the one hand, there’s another third more power in a Mini for the same money. On the other, it means more opportunity to be at full throttle in an Abarth without getting into trouble, the silly sound generator thrumming away and a smile on your face.
Well, half a smile. There’s definitely fun to be had in the Abarth 500e, but it feels entertaining on quite a superficial level. The aggressive regen of the Scorpion Street drive mode is fun to get the best from, but then trying a bit harder in Scorpion Track (which reduces the regen) throws up an inconsistent pedal. Not that there’s much room for your other foot, anyway. That initial quality to the damping effort fades with commitment, and the Abarth feels a bit ragged when pushed, with the ride becoming increasingly brittle. And steering that’s actually nicely weighted and geared at ordinary speeds loses precision and clarity when trying harder. In some ways, it's actually very authentic, you could argue, for an Abarth to immediately impress and then fail to up its game. But that isn’t a huge amount of fun. While frisky, compact and pointy enough, the Abarth 500e’s chassis lacks star quality; without wishing to sound like a broken record, the Alpine A290 has reset expectations in this class. It’s hard to imagine a 180hp version that rivals this car on price would feel drastically different to a 220hp one.
There’s also the 500’s range to mention, which is outclassed by rivals. Officially, it offers up 157 miles from its 42kWh battery on the 18-inch wheels, so more like 130 in reality. Which isn’t very many, if not the end of the world for a car that will likely remain in urban confines, scurrying from stop signs. Trouble is, many similar cars just do better; as was the case with the Honda e, it’s hard to suggest a lighter, smaller battery is the way forward when cars at the same money or similar weight go further.
The Mini might be a lot heavier than the Abarth, but with better efficiency and a larger battery, its WLTP range is from 239 miles. An Alpine is 70kg heavier and also scores 230-something on the WLTP test. The Mini SE range, like the Abarth, kicks off at £30k; the Alpine just undercuts this Turismo model at £33,500. Both are better overall packages.
Which makes for a disappointing verdict, for sure, because there’s a lot to like about the Abarth 500e. It looks great, it goes well enough, and there’s something endearing about an EV that isn’t perfect - and which seems to revel in the fact. Were the 500 significantly cheaper than the alternatives, those flaws could be overlooked and the positives more emphatically celebrated. With EV hot hatches already looking expensive against the recent past, however, it’s hard to ignore the fact that superior cars are out there at the same price. If you can get a good deal and the idea of an Abarth 500e has won you over already, then go for it, because it’s often a giggle. But there are better battery-powered pocket rockets out there - and one or two more are almost certain to follow.
SPECIFICATION | 2025 ABARTH 500E
Engine: permanent magnet single electric motor, 37.3kWh usable battery
Transmission: one-speed auto, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 152
Torque (lb ft): 173
0-62mph: 7.0 seconds
Top speed: 96mph
Weight: 1,410kg
Efficiency: 3.65 miles/ kWh
Electric range: 164 miles (WLTP), 85kW charging
Price: £34,195
It will still be a flawed design, but at least it will be silly / fun / more focused, which is what an Abarth should be.
It's a company that became fat and weak on handouts and cheap debt to endlessly mask failure after failure. If they do implode it won't be because of the Chinese but because they failed to prepare and invest in the inevitable change. It'll be the asset stripping, loading up with debt and terrible management that kills them.
The 500 is Fiat's big poster boy product that the rest of the brand hangs off of. To deliver a product under that moniker that is so sub par by price, performance and usability is not a good sign. They have a lot of work to do.
When I start looking for an EV car of this ilk my money will definitely be going to Douai rather than Turin sadly.
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