Abarth launch their all electric 500e

When is a hot hatch not a hot hatch? When it’s a rock guitar, of course! Jonny Smith discovers there’s a lot more to the all-new Abarth 500e than meets the eye, and ear.

Designed from the ground up as an EV, the Abarth 500e comes with a sound generator to let others know it’s approaching at lower speeds. Unlike other EVs with this feature, the Italian hot hatch can belt out an electric guitar solo to announce its presence. Not that you’ll need much of an introduction when the launch version comes in a choice of two vivid colours – Acid Green or Poison Blue. The names refer to the iconic Scorpion badge used by Abarth, which has been updated with a bolt of electricity running through it to show this is the latest battery-powered model.

The Abarth 500e uses the same battery pack as its milder Fiat sister mounted low in the car for perfect handling balance, but the feisty Scorpion-badged car comes with its own 155hp EV motor. This delivers 0-62mph in a zippy seven seconds, and the Abarth 500e underlines its sporting ability by getting round the company’s test track a whole second faster than the petrol-powered 695 model.

Only 1949 of the Scorpionissima launch edition of the Abarth 500e will be made, reflecting the year the company first started building faster Fiats. Take a tour of this stunning EV hot hatch with Jonny and find out if it really has what it takes to sting its rivals.