Abarth 600e long-term test: report 1

It looks the part, but can the electric Abarth 600e deliver the driving thrills of a traditional hot hatch? We're living with one to find out...

Published02 December 2025

The car Abarth 600e Scorpionissima Run by Mark Pearson, used cars editor

Why it’s here To see if a small electric sports SUV can cut the mustard against combustion-engined rivals

Needs to It’ll need to be fun, but it’ll also need to dispatch commuting, work and family life without any range anxiety issues and cope with a wide variety of everyday duties

Miles covered 2101 Price £39,885 Best price £35,995 Price as tested £39,885 Official range 199 miles Test range 160 miles Options None

15 November 2025 – Stepping into a warm Abarth

Growing older, I have found, is a deplorable process. Faculties diminish, one’s abilities reduce and, eventually, enthusiasm wanes. There is, in short, little to be said for it.

However, last year I found salvation from ageing in a tonic that helped rejuvenate my soul. More specifically, I had a drive in a tiny Abarth 500e electric car. Though not practical enough for someone like me, I had to admit it was a lot of fun. So much so, in fact, that to tackle the ageing process head-on, I have decided to take on its larger sibling, the Abarth 600e. If anything can get the sap rising, I’m thinking this is it.

Abarth has traditionally been a racing and tuning outfit that produces high-performance versions of everyday Fiats, but while that’s still the case, it’s now a standalone brand.

Here, it’s taken a Fiat 600e and turned it into a sports SUV. It’s added more power, more aggressive styling, a wider track (the distance between the left and right-hand side wheels) and some very snazzy 20in alloys. On top of that, the suspension is firmer, the car sits lower, the brakes have been upgraded, and the steering has been made more direct.

Abarth offers two versions: the standard car, with 237bhp, and the limited-edition Scorpionissima, which I’ve gone for, that produces 276bhp. With so much power, it might come as a surprise to learn that the battery has a relatively small 51kWh usable capacity, and there’s a single electric motor. The power from this is sent through a grip-enhancing, limited-slip differential (LSD) that distributes it to the front wheels.

Performance, at least on paper, should keep an old man happy; the 0-62mph dash is seen off in 5.9sec and my 600e can go on to a top speed of 124mph.

Of course, with my sensible hat on, there’s more to an electric car’s performance than just speed; there are also the small matters of charging and range, and here things are more mixed. My 600e’s ability to accept up to 100kW from public rapid chargers means a 20-80% top-up can be achieved in 27 minutes, which sounds decent enough. However, the official range of 199 miles is pretty low by today’s standards.

Given that I can charge at home, this shouldn’t be a problem most of the time. But I do occasionally do longer journeys, so I’m hoping that it doesn’t prove a stumbling block on these, given that my experience with public charging points is mixed at best.

My plans for youthful rejuvenation do not include walking home when the car runs out of charge. Nor do they involve waiting at charging stations in the dark with a bright purple hot hatch with a huge wing on the back, such as might attract unwanted attention from the sort of person who hangs around empty public spaces at night.

Fortunately, there are three different driving modes in the Scorpionissima: Scorpion Track, Scorpion Road and Turisimo, and the last of these is effectively the ‘eco’ setting, which reduces the power to enhance the range.

Inside, it’s fair to say that the Abarth 600e lives up to the exterior swagger. There are figure-hugging sports seats to hold you in place tightly. Plus, the racing-inspired steering wheel is nicely finished, and the pedals are made from aluminium. The driving position itself is spot-on, too, and there’s plenty of adjustment in the driver’s seat for placing yourself down reasonably low for a sporty feel.

If you’re familiar with other cars in the mighty Stellantis Group’s arsenal (models such as the Alfa Romeo Junior, Jeep Avenger and Vauxhall Mokka) you’ll recognise a lot of the interior architecture. The 600e's 10.3in infotainment touchscreen is positioned high up on the dashboard, and underneath there are physical dials for the climate control.

Meanwhile, lower down in the centre console are the push-button controls for Park, Reverse, Neutral and Drive. This positioning is all very familiar to me because it’s the same as you find in the Avenger, and I actually ran a long-term Jeep Avenger Electric for six months last year. I rather liked it, as I recall, although it did prove to be unreliable. Fingers crossed, I have a less stressful time with the Abarth. After all, at my age, I want to be entertained, but I don’t want too much drama.

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