Diminutive electric hot hatch adds the promise of fresh-air fun to its repertoire On sale Now Price from £37,195
Dan Jones dan.jones@haymarket.com
EVER SINCE ELECTRIC cars started their rise to popularity, some car enthusiasts have argued that they’ll never be as exciting to drive as petrol-powered cars. The Abarth 500e attempted to prove otherwise, with a responsive electric motor and even a speaker that simulates the burbling soundtrack of Abarth’s combustion-engined models. And for the most part it worked; the 500e is much more fun than the Fiat 500 on which it’s based.
And now there’s this convertible version for those who want to add open-top thrills to the driving experience. In truth, its roof is more a canvas sunroof taken to the extreme than a regular soft-top; the middle section slides back at the press of a button and folds into a pile at the back of the car.
It does a good job, though, of isolating occupants from the outside world when it’s closed, and things aren’t too turbulent for those sitting up front when it’s open. However, as with the 500e hatch, the constant drone generated by the car’s exterior speaker can quickly get annoying if you’re not in the mood; unfortunately, the sound it generates is loud and not particularly realistic. As a result, it’s best to treat it as a novelty feature to show off to your friends; some will gladly switch it off shortly into their journey.
More positively, while the 500e doesn’t sound like a hot hatch, it does get off the line like one. Powered by the same 153bhp electric motor as the hatchback, the soft-top can sprint from 0-62mph in just 7.0sec – slightly quicker than its petrol-powered Abarth 595c sibling. When you consider that the 500e Convertible’s battery makes it almost 400kg heavier than that model, that’s quite impressive.
Key to this pace is the electric motor’s instantaneous response, so the 500e easily beats petrol rivals to 30mph. However, its electric rivals pull even harder from a standstill; the Cupra Born 58kWh e-Boost takes just 6.6sec to cover the same sprint.
With the Abarth’s 42.2kWh battery giving an official range of just 157 miles (150 miles if you go for top-spec Turismo trim), the Born e-Boost can go farther between charges (261 miles, officially), while the Smart #1 Premium has an official range of 273 miles.
Still, you’ll at least pass those miles with a smile on your face. Whereas a car usually loses a lot of rigidity when you slice its top o
