Abarth 600e review

Let’s start on the track with the Scorpionissima, where the new LSD, Formula E-bred tyres, racing brakes and tuned chassis combine to make the 600e a hoot around Abarth's Bolocco test circuit. There’s a wide grip band to explore, and when you feel the understeer shoving its way in, the diff works hard to wrestle the nose back.

Even in a tight corner sequence, the 1.6-tonne weight shifts from side to side with comedic ease. There's body roll, but it’s surprisingly agile for its size. There’s very little dead space in the steering too, so full opposite lock means full opposite lock. Abarth claims you can pull a whole g in the corners... we believe it.

The ride is supple enough on the road with everything kept tightly in check, but none of the thonk of overly firm suspension when you meet a pothole or speed bump – Abarth has done a good job on the damping. You do have to work the modes to get the best out of the 600e though, as it dishes the power out very stingily.

Explain...

There are three modes available: Turismo, Scorpion Street and Scorpion Track. Each boosts power, sharpens the throttle response, stiffens the suspension and balances the torque delivery more keenly.

Scorpion Track dials down most of the car’s intervention aids and regenerative braking to make the 600e feel more natural. It’s the only opportunity to really enjoy those upgraded brakes, because you’ll want to use the regen around town for maximum efficiency.

Is the sound generator tragic?

It’s down to personal taste here, but at least compared to the 500e the artificial engine noise is a little more subtle. Where the smaller sibling sounds comically bad, the 600e has a much more refined sound. At idle, it's a bassy burble that could be mistaken for a quirky combustion engine. That noise then builds up on your way to 50mph before settling down.

You’ll turn it off straight away, of course, but there might be the odd occasion when you want to switch it back on so you can pretend you’re driving something better.

What's the battery range really like?

As with all EVs you get out what you put in, but the inherent tension with a performance electric car is that you’re forced to trash your range if you want to have any fun.

Over a couple of hundred miles of mixed UK roads we got 3.4mi/kWh out of the 600e, which really feels like a best case scenario. That would mean 184 miles from the 54kWh battery, short of the official 207-mile figure. But if you’ve got somewhere to be… get a different electric car. The 600e isn’t a tourer.