Abarth 600e review

We’ve only driven the Competizione on UK roads so far, but that’s fine because it’s the one that’s a proper Abarth. It gets a beefier motor, the Torsen diff, stiffer suspension and Alcon brakes, which combine to make the 600e a hoot to drive. There’s huge amounts of grip, 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 and the steering has decent weight to it. A properly firm brake pedal is a welcome addition, too.

The ride is seriously stiff as a result of this sporting intention though, and with big 20-inch wheels it can bounce and crash over poor UK roads. You do have to work the modes to get the best out of the 600e too, 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 actually pins you back in your chair if you mash the throttle, and it 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 OTT, 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. No paddles or fake gearshifts here sadly.

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 more interesting. Or to just drown out some of the road noise that makes its way into the cabin.

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 hundred miles on mixed UK roads we got 3.1 mi/kWh out of the 600e, which really feels like a best case scenario. That would mean just under 160 miles from the 51kWh usable battery, some way short of the official 197-mile figure for the Competizione. But if you’ve got somewhere to be… get a different electric car. The 600e isn’t a tourer.