Put off by the premium asked for the launch edition Scorpionissima? Abarth has another go…
By PH Staff / Thursday, 4 May 2023 / Loading comments
The all-new Abarth 500e was not greeted with universal approval when it was unveiled at the tail-end of last year (and it’s hard to disagree with anyone who highlighted the fact that a peppy petrol engine was rather integral to the concept) but we didn’t know everything about the EV – not least the asking price beyond the ‘Scorpionissima’ launch edition that was only offered to the Abarth faithful. Now we do.
The headline news is a starting price of £34,195 for the entry-level Abarth 500e. For that, you obviously get the ‘even more aggressive’ updated styling, alongside 17-inch wheels, sports seats, a 10.25-inch infotainment screen, and – exclusive to the UK market – the Abarth Sound Generator and JBL Premium Audio system as standard. Alternatively, for £38,195, you can have the ritzier Turismo version, which adds 18-inch diamond-cut Titanium Grey alloys, fixed glass roof, Alcantara trim, sportier sports seats, plus a smattering of handy extras like a rear-view camera, keyless entry and a wireless charging pad.
Either way, you get much the same electric hatchback underneath. The 500e outputs 155hp and 173lb ft of torque, so it isn’t going to set your hair on fire in a straight line, even if its maker is keen to note that the electric version is swifter to 37mph than the combustive version could ever hope to be (without pointing out that the difference swiftly evens up thereafter). Of course, the longer, wider-than-before EV distributes its weight in a much more equitable fashion than the petrol equivalent, and Abarth reckons a better handling supermini results (again, without disclosing precisely how much the 500e actually weighs).
In that respect at least, the predictably diminutive 42kWh battery is likely to be to the car’s advantage – but it does make for a more modest 164 miles of WLTP range, with fast charging pegged at 85kW. By way of comparison, the incoming Mini Cooper E is said to be capable of 185 miles with a roughly comparable 7-second-to-62mph level of performance. In the plus column, the 500e is available as a (sort of) cabriolet from the word go: the open-air version starts at £38,195 and finishes at £41,195 for the Turismo grade. Both are open to order now ahead of deliveries this summer.
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