New all-electric Abarth 500e priced from £34,195 in the UK

Inside, the car is near-identical to the Fiat, with standard kit including a 7.0in instrument screen, rear-view camera and 10.25in infotainment touchscreen. Top-of-the-range models get Alcantara-clad sports seats, and JBL speaker system.

Abarth 500e-exclusive kit includes a set of 17in alloy wheels, grey mirror caps and sports seats and a black vinyl steering wheel. Top-of-the-range models get Alcantara-clad sports seats and a JBL speaker system. 

Another highlight is its artificial petrol engine-aping soundtrack, named the Abarth Sound Generator. It reproduces the note of Abarth’s Record Monza exhaust, which the firm has described as a “distinctive” characteristic. 

Exclusively in the UK, the feature is fitted as standard, along with a JBL audio system, and can be switched off for silent running. 

Turismo versions also include heated front seats, a 360deg reversing camera, heated mirrors, wireless phone charging, keyless entry, blindspot warning and a glass roof on hatchback variants. 

Prices for the Abarth 500e start from £34,195 for an entry-level hatchback variant. Range-topping Turismo cars start from £38,195, rising as high as £41,195 for a Turismo cabriolet. 

With a wheelbase 24mm longer and a track 60mm wider than the Fiat, coupled with a lower centre of gravity afforded by the under-floor battery, the 500e also promises improved handling over its petrol sibling, with a boost in turn-in response and higher corner exit speeds.

Olivier François, CEO of both Fiat and Abarth, said: “The new Abarth 500e is one of the most exciting launches in the history of the brand: a great new addition to the Abarth line-up. I like to think of it as family, so our fanbase will be involved in every step of our electrification journey.”

He added: “You may ask ’why electric?’. Well, basically, performance made us do it: in fact, every change made in the Abarth is about getting the best driving performance. That’s exactly how our founder, Carlo Abarth, always went at it.”

As with other Abarth models, the 500e is marked out externally from its standard Fiat sibling by a dramatic performance-themed design overhaul, bringing a wider, squared front end (which is adorned by the brand’s name), lower side skirts and a subtle rear lip.

Abarth has essentially been a one-car brand since its hot take on the Mazda MX-5-based Fiat 124 Spider bowed out in 2019. It has yet to put an end date on production of the petrol-powered 695, with parent company Fiat keeping the equivalent 500 on sale alongside its electric sibling for the foreseeable future.