Compact but far from cuddly, the Abarth 600e is a small but shouty EV with a sting in its tail

When Fiat revived the Abarth nameplate as a performance sub-brand back in 2007, it could not have foreseen the shadow of the giant Stellantis conglomerate, lurking just over the horizon waiting to swallow up Fiat, Abarth and numerous other manufacturers into its ranks.

Couple this development with the start-stop-start shift to full electrification and it seemed as if Abarth’s quirky niche was in danger of being lost in the move. Abarth specialised in the eccentric, whether it was the fizzy, spitting 695 Biposto (a highly tuned variant of the Fiat 500) or the 124 Spider (a boosted version of Fiat’s 124 Spider, which in turn was a rebodied Mazda MX-5), yet never quite found its way into enthusiasts’ hearts.

The tide shifted somewhat with the arrival of the Abarth 500e, the marque’s first pure EV. Undeniably fun to drive, just like the Fiat 500e on which it’s based, the Abarth 500e walked a fine line between caricature and brilliance. Aspects like the onboard ‘Abarth Sound Generator’, which pumped a synthetic exhaust burble into the cabin via the JBL audio system and also out into the wider world, and the abundance of scorpion motifs scattered around the car, were distinctive yet divisive.

As sure as night follows day, Abarth has now given the same treatment to the 500e’s bigger sibling, the 600e. When it was first unveiled, the Abarth 600e seemed to be leaning in even more to these boy racer-y traits. A week behind the wheel revealed a softer, more practical side to this compact crossover, especially when compared to the lacklustre range and tight packaging of the tiny 500e.

It’s best to go with the flow with a car like this and accept that not every design quirk, special feature and graphical flourish is going to be to your taste. Abarth in 2025 is as much about lifestyle as it is driving, filtered through a multinational’s inevitably dated and wayward definition of ‘cool’. For example, the Hypnotic Purple and Acid Green paintwork of the Scorpionissima launch model, rolled out in a limited edition of 1,949 units (a nod to the brand’s original foundation year), is shouty but hardly stylish.

Under all the bravado lies a well-proportioned car. Sitting somewhere between urban crossover and compact SUV, the 600e uses Stellantis’ e-CMP EV platform, a prime piece of cross-brand componentry that is also found beneath the Alfa Romeo Junior, Jeep Avenger, Peugeot e-208, DS 3 Crossback and more. All of these cars have something else in common; they’re from heritage brands, dipping into design and styling cues from times past in order to bolster their identity and desirability.

The way the Abarth 600e goes about this feels quite superficial, although there are quite a few key tweaks to the dynamics. These include a wider front and rear track, a dedicated track mode, larger brakes, fatter tyres and boosted power output (the equivalent of 278bhp in the Scorpionissima model). Yes, it’s heavy, but it’s also the most powerful Abarth model ever made.

All that tuning has paid off, because the 600e feels taut and composed, with a firm ride that isn’t too blunted by the battery weight. Steering is nicely calibrated and the added power makes its presence felt in ‘Scorpion Track’ mode. Unlike most EVs, there’s no ‘economy’ setting. Instead, you choose ‘Turismo’, which limits the top speed and blunts the throttle response. Unless you can find an empty B-Road, that’s likely to be the mode you stick with as it’s the only way you’ll get close to the claimed maximum range of 199 miles.

As with the 500e, this slightly disappointing figure is the Abarth’s main downside, not helped by a slow-ish maximum 100kW charge speed. If you can accept this contradictory blend of pace and sloth, and don’t mind the zingy stabs of colour, graphics and logos, then the 600e is really worth considering as a feisty runabout with leisurely long journey potential.

Abarth 600e, from £36,985, AbarthCars.co.uk, @AbarthUK, Abarth.com, @Abarth