Abarth 500e arrives in Australia

The 2024 Abarth 500e has begun rolling into Aussie showrooms sporting a bold new look, synthetised exhaust sounds and pricing that starts at $58,900 plus on-road costs, which is almost $21,000 more than its petrol-powered predecessor.

The arrival of the Abarth 500e pocket rocket, which will compete against vehicles like the $59,990 Cupra Born EV, also signals the beginning of the end for petrol-powered Abarth and Fiat passenger vehicles in Australia.

By 2025, the Abarth 695 ($37,990) and Fiat 500 ($27,220) will be axed as part of the Italian brand’s switch to an all-electric product strategy.

“So unfortunately the internal combustion engine will be coming to the end,” confirmed Stellantis Australia’s product manager for small and compact cars, Bridget Thomson.

“Production will end by the middle of this year for the internal combustion variants but obviously with shipping times and things like that we should have stock through to around the end of the year.

“But we are still very confident that the 500e outperforms [petrol models] regarding specs,” stated Thomson.

The front-wheel drive 2024 Abarth 500e has a front-mounted electric motor that bangs out 114kW and 235Nm, which isn’t as powerful as the sole petrol-powered $37,900 Abarth 695 Competizione (132kW/250Nm) still on sale in Australia, nor as quick to 100km/h – 7.0 versus 6.7sec for the petrol manual Abarth.

However, Thomson points out that the Abarth 500e is faster in terms of roll-on acceleration – 20-40km/h and 60-100km/h – and is also 1.2sec quicker around the brand’s Balocco test track compared to the Abarth 695.

Nevertheless, Fiat and Abarth parent company Stellantis is cognizant that many customers will want the last ever petrol-powered Bambinos and so it is planning for a ‘spike’ in sales during 2024.

“We’re still working through everything at the moment because obviously the end of production is a big thing for everyone,” said Thomson.

“A lot of people, especially the Abarth community, are very passionate about their cars so we’ve forecasted a bit of a spike [in demand]. So we’re comfortable that we’ll be able to supply the orders that come through, however, if we do have a larger spike we can react.”

Following on from the Fiat 500e ($52,500) that was released Down Under in September 2023, the high-performance Abarth 500e Turismo hot hatch is available now, priced from $58,900, while the Abarth 500e Scorpionissima is a $60,500 proposition that will be limited to just 219 units in Australia and 1949 globally – commemorating the birth year of the brand.

Around 15 per cent of the Abarth 500e Scropionissima vehicle have already been sold and all versions get a handful of features above Abarth 500e Turismo models, including Acid Green or Poison Blue paint jobs ($990 on Turismo models) with large white ‘Abarth’ stickers on the doors of blue models, or black decals on green models.

A digital certificate of authenticity is also part of the package, confirming its provenance via VIN.

All models are fitted with unique 18-inch alloy wheels, Alcantara bucket seats with laser-etched scorpion logos, twin digital displays in the cabin, and a six-speaker JBL audio system with Abarth Sound Generator featuring speakers inside and out the vehicle to recreate the petrol engine’s acoustics and plenty more besides.

Check out our Abarth 500e price and specification story here for full details.

It should be noted that while the Abarth is significantly more powerful than its Fiat 500e donor car (87kW/220Nm), it carries the same 42kWh lithium-ion battery pack as the Fiat Bambino, meaning its cruising range drops from 310 to 253km (both WLTP).

This means the electric hot hatch has one of the lowest ranges of any EV available in Australia.

“I know concerns have been raised but as I mentioned 253km – if you're driving a standard 40km per day – you’re perfectly fine; you can get almost a week’s worth of driving out of just one singular charge,” said Thomson.

“We do have some regional customers but even that 253km I think it’s going to be more than enough for them.

“In addition this is a micro hatch. I don’t think you’ll be doing any trips to Uluru or anything like that in this particular instance, so I think that the customers that are buying this car, it perfectly suits their needs.”

In 2023, sales of Fiat and Abarth models grew by more than 110 per cent compared to the year prior, from 357 to 755 units and Thomson said she expects the sales split between Abarth and Fiat 500e EVs to be around 50:50 over time.

Capped price servicing costs $300 every 12 months/15,000km for the first eight years and, like its Fiat 500e cousin, Abarth 500e models are backed by below-average three-year/150,000km warranties, although their battery is covered for eight years or 160,000km.

Stay tuned for our first Aussie drive of the 2024 Abarth 500e on March 15 or check out our international drive of the new model around its hometown of Turin, Italy in September 2023.

How much does the Abarth 500e cost?
Turismo – $58,900
Scorpionissima – $60,500

How much does the Fiat 500e cost?
La Prima – $52,500
* Prices exclude on-road costs

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