Abarth’s transition to all electric models continues with its second zero-emission product, a hotter version of the Fiat 600e crossover. This Abarth 600e is the most-powerful car ever put on the road by the company with the Scorpion badge, and while it offers either 238- or 281hp depending on which version you go for, the emphasis of this electric vehicle (EV) is not on outright straight-line speed, but rather on improved driver engagement.

That’s a very noble sentiment, although the risk is that the Abarth 600e will be hyper-focused on a rather niche segment of the customer base, who might not be so impressed with the fact the performance model has exactly the same battery as - and therefore considerably less range than - the regular Fiat 600e. To find out just how much of a success (or otherwise) Abarth has made of its rapid crossover, we went to the Stellantis group’s main proving ground, Balocco, in northern Italy, to drive the Scorpion-logoed 600e both on track and on the road.

How much is the 2024 Abarth 600e in Ireland?

There’s no official Irish price, because Abarth still doesn’t have an official presence here in Ireland. However, now that it is making electric cars with their 0g/km outputs, which makes them affordable thanks to super-low VRT, we’re hopeful that the 600e might be the car which finally brings Abarth to these shores. As a point of reference, the Abarth 600e starts at €45,000 in its home country, while over in the UK (the nearest right-hand-drive market to ours) it commands around a 12 per cent price premium over the equivalent Fiat 600e. We’d therefore be hopeful of a starting price of under €40,000 if the car ever makes it here.

What’s the styling like on the Abarth 600e?

It’s quite incredible how just a few discreet styling (and technical) changes switch the aesthetic personality of the Fiat 600e (cute and inoffensive) into that of the Abarth 600e (mean, and frankly a bit peeved looking). The technical alteration of which we speak is that the Abarth version has track widths that are increased by 30mm front and 25mm rear, which gives the car a broader and more muscular stance. So, before you’ve even drunk in the modest detail switches on the Abarth, it radiates the impression like it’s spoiling for a fight.

Further, it has the same hooded, circular headlights as the Fiat model, but when they’re teamed to the chunky lower bumper detailing and badging of the Abarth, it makes the 600e appear as if it is thoroughly brassed-off, instead of sweet. There’s large ‘Abarth’ script in all capitals above what would be termed a radiator grille (if the car had an engine, of course), the Scorpion shield logo perched delicately on the edge of the bonnet, and a diagonally slatted black plastic rectangular insert in the chin-spoiler area.

Along the sides, there are gorgeous 20-inch wheels shod in Michelin Pilot Sport tyres, black detailing and the ‘lightning-bolt-through-Scorpion’ modern electric interpretation of the marque’s classic badge, while the upmarket (limited-edition) Scorpionissima model also gets ‘Abarth+’ graphics running across the bottoms of its doors in proper retro 1980s performance-car throwback fashion.

And then at the back is a diffuser arrangement, no exhaust pipes (obviously), another chunky ‘Abarth’ legend on the boot lid and a socking great roof spoiler. This thing has four slats to let airflow through and is deliberately designed to look as horizontal as possible, to reference the old competition versions of the Abarth 595SS that used to run around everywhere with their rear-mounted engine covers propped permanently open - one of the coolest features in automotive history.

If you then go and clothe all of this good design work by Abarth in the luscious ‘Hypnotic Purple’ paint, what you end up with is a very handsome little hot-hatch-crossover-type thing indeed.

A look inside the Abarth 600e

The inside is less changed than the Abarth 600e’s exterior, which is a shame because there are then still some issues to have to work with. Primarily, these revolve around the quality of the plastics used and the underlying plainness of the cabin design, both of which remain as carefully built down to a cost as they are in the Fiat model.

There’s then also the practicality consideration that the rear-seat space is on the cramped side; headroom’s OK, but legroom most assuredly is not, especially if you’re a taller passenger asked to sit back there behind even only an average-height occupant of one of the front seats. And the boot is adequate, nothing more, at 360 litres.

What saves the Abarth’s cabin from ignominy here is that the few things which have been uprated do just about enough to lift the interior ambience to a suitable level, although by precisely how much depends heavily on spec. There are two versions of the Abarth 600e, a regular car - called Turismo in certain markets, although it could just be the plain ‘Abarth 600e’ if it makes it here - with 238hp and then a more potent version with 281hp, dubbed the ‘Scorpionissima’ and limited to production of just 1,949 units in honour of the year Abarth was first founded.

Whichever Abarth 600e you choose, you gain some metal sports pedals and a lovely, microfibre-clad sports steering wheel that’s trimmed in yellow stitching and decorated with a yellow 12 o’clock marker, while sculpted bucket seats with yellow-infused cloth upholstery are fitted to the base version.

This is where the Scorpionissima takes things to a more desirable standard, however, because it has some extra ‘Mind The Scorpion’ motifs (on both the folding lid for the central storage compartment and also on the passenger-side dashboard fillet of trim) but, most importantly of all, some truly delectable Sabelt bucket seats that are serious bits of kit. Those and the steering wheel certainly do enough for the driver to feel like they’re in something special.

The Abarth 600e’s on-board technology

Like the Fiat variant, the Abarth 600e has a 10.25-inch central touchscreen and a 7.0-inch digital driver’s display, as well as a complement of advanced driver assist safety (ADAS) systems that allow the Italian company to claim its crossover is capable of operating at Level 2 autonomy. Both the instrument cluster and the central touchscreen gain their own, Abarth-specific graphics and screens - the former cycles through different speedo designs and colours as the driver clicks the 600e through its three drive modes of Turismo, Scorpion Street and Scorpion Track, while the central display has some motorsport-type read-outs regarding torque splits, lap times, g-forces and drivetrain temps if you want them.

The Scorpionissima, again, benefits from something extra: the Engine Sound Generator (ESG). This uses an external speaker at the back of the car to try and replicate the rorty noises of the old Abarth models with 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engines and loud exhausts. Similar tech has been seen on the smaller Abarth 500e and, to be fair, it has not won many hearts, so it’s bound to split opinion again here.

That said, Abarth has clearly refined and improved this fake engine noise for the 600e so it’s marginally less annoying, and we found that running the car without the ESG (it’s an on/off switchable system using the central infotainment touchscreen) on track led to a curiously dissociative driving experience. Like it or loathe it, we’re adamant that the ESG does give the Abarth an extra dimension. Regrettably, if you do like the sound of this tech (pun intended), then you need to move fast and bag the Scorpionissima, because it’s not even offered as an option on the regular Abarth 600e.

Driving the Abarth 600e

Along with the wider tracks and the grippy Michelin tyres, Abarth has gone to town on the 600e’s underpinnings. All of the steering and suspension components have been comprehensively uprated and retuned, while a rear anti-roll bar is fitted for good measure too. The brakes are mighty 380mm Alcon discs with some beefy callipers, painted brightly on the Scorpionissima to make them stand out. And on the front axle, there’s a JTEKT torque-sensing mechanical limited-slip differential, to help the Abarth 600e really master its torque delivery.

As already discussed, there are then two output choices of either 238hp or 281hp, the latter conferring the title of ‘Most Powerful Abarth Ever’ on this Fiat-based crossover. And, as with all EVs in the wider Stellantis stable, how much power either the ‘Turismo’ or the Scorpionissima variants of the Abarth 600e deliver depends on which of the three driving modes you’re in.

For the regular car, it’s 150hp, 204hp and 238hp as you cycle through Turismo, Scorpion Street and Scorpion Track respectively, while the Scorpionissima starts at 190hp, then rises to 231hp and ultimately 281hp accordingly. Torque, in case you’re wondering, is identical on both: a 345Nm peak output, available in both the Scorpion modes, and limited to 300Nm in Turismo.

Either version of the Abarth 600e is reasonably fast, then, mainly because they both weigh only a little more than 1.6 tonnes - chunky if considered in reference to the pantheon of great hot hatchbacks of the past, remarkably slender if going by the standards of modern EV crossovers. The 238hp car will run 0-100km/h in 6.2 seconds, while the Scorpionissima can tick off the same sprint in 5.85 seconds. Both cars top out at 200km/h, if you’re interested (it’s not really a relevant number any longer, if it ever was in the first place).

Obviously, those stats don’t place the Abarth 600e among the very fastest EVs you can buy today, but the company wants to put the emphasis on the fact the chassis is much more playful, rather than by how much the car attempts to rearrange your facial features during straight-line acceleration. And the great news is that Abarth’s chassis changes have made superb improvements to the somewhat lacklustre Fiat 600e baseboard, to the point where we’re happy to go on record as saying the Scorpion-branded 600e is one of the more enjoyable-to-drive EVs available on the market right now.

It’s not super-thrilling or a revelation in terms of driver involvement, you understand, but related - as it is - to the Alfa Romeo Junior, you can feel the same dynamic goodness coursing through the Abarth’s underpinnings. It has fabulous steering, for example, and a really pleasant level of body control that allows a trace of informative lean, yet which also keeps the shell on a nice, even keel during faster cornering. A committed driver who can get on the sharp-reacting throttle early in a bend will feel the JTEKT Torsen diff working its magic to tighten the car’s line, while you can shift the entire attitude of the Abarth on your right foot alone - even, if you provoke it enough, encouraging it into short, controllable slides.

We tried it on a couple of challenging track layouts at Balocco and while we’d perhaps stop short of saying it was an unmitigated hoot; we were more than impressed enough by the Abarth 600e’s dynamic character to come away with a smile on our face. It’s a car which is happy to enact flick-flack direction changes with little drama, fun-sapping understeer takes a lot of effort to provoke, and the delivery of its power and torque - as well as the bite and feel of its enhanced braking system - makes controlling its exact speed an involving job. It’s definitely deserving of the Abarth logos.

Where it really earns its spurs, though, is that it’s a nicer car to drive gently than the very Fiat 600e it is based upon. While the suspension and steering set-ups are obviously geared for handling first, the quality of the damping and tuning involved means that the Abarth 600e has far better ride comfort than the Fiat, even on its gigantic set of 20-inch wheels. It also limits road roar and wind noise better, albeit it can’t eradicate either entirely, and therefore when you’re cruising at 90-100km/h in the Abarth, it feels like a high-class, grown-up bit of kit. It’s even nicer to travel in than the 156hp 600e when it’s motoring around town on poor roads.

What’s the electric range of the Abarth 600e?

With the same 51kWh (that’s the net energy capacity) battery pack as the Fiat 600e, or indeed any other compact EV in the wider Stellantis group right now, the Abarth loses some one-shot driving range. This means the maximum quoted range of the Abarth 600e is 333km, which is modest by today’s standards. And of course, you won’t be doing 333km to a charge - you’ll be more likely looking at having to work with 250km or thereabouts in reality.

At least the 100kW DC and 11kW AC maximum charging speeds are preserved, which means at its fastest the Abarth 600e should go from 20-80 per cent battery power in less than 30 minutes, while on a 7.4kW home wallbox you’d be looking at around seven hours or thereabouts for a full 0-100 per cent top-up.

The reasons you’d buy an Abarth 600e

This is not a car without its flaws, and furthermore identifying a key buying demographic for the Abarth 600e is not the work of a moment. It remains compromised on the practicality front (just like a Fiat 600e), the effective one-shot driving range is nothing special, there are some odd spec quirks that mean the better version is only going to be available for a limited time, and the likelihood is that even if the Abarth is confirmed for sale here - the biggest impediment to currently having one is that you can’t just toddle off and buy a hot 600e in Irish showrooms right now - then this feisty crossover will likely be more expensive to buy than longer-range electric models from within its own stable, not to mention other external competitors.

But if the aim here was to build a more enjoyable, engaging and likeable car than a Fiat 600e, Abarth has absolutely obliterated the brief by nuking it from orbit, just to be sure. It’s by no means perfect dynamically, yet the Abarth 600e is one of the more pleasing and exciting EVs you can buy at the moment, at any price. So, if you can make its limited range and rear legroom work for you, there’s plenty of incentive to give the Abarth 600e a try. Just bag yourself a Scorpionissima for those Sabelt seats alone.

Ask us anything about the Abarth 600e

If there’s anything about the Abarth 600e we’ve not covered, or you’d like advice in choosing between it and other cars, you can avail of our (completely free) expert advice service via the Ask Us Anything page.