Has there ever been a car as perfectly packaged as the Fiat 500? Styled to within an inch of its life, the tiny vehicle has encapsulated la dolce vita since its inception in Turin in 1957, when it was born as one of the world’s first cars for city living. The Cinquecento, as it was badged, was designed to be cheap and accessible for all, but soon got snapped up by celebrities drawn to the verve and spirit of this little pocket gem and the carefree joy it exuded. Then along came Abarth, the performance division of Fiat, which rightly saw the potential of giving the 500 a bit more power, lowering the body slightly, firming up the suspension and sticking a scorpion badge on it.
The result? The pocket gem became a pocket rocket, and drew in more fans. And now here we are, in 2024, with the world pivoting to electric cars. Fiat has started selling the 500e, a pure electric version, and so Abarth has sprinkled its fairy dust over the 500e to produce this, the stunning Abarth 500e Turismo.
It does everything: it’s a convertible, it’s electric, it’s stylish and it’s small enough to fit into every parking space left vacant by massive SUVs in town. In short, it’s pretty much the perfect car. We’ve been driving it for six months now, and loving every second.
The range is about 136 miles, which has most people wincing, but, as a second family car or your only one if you don’t go far most weeks, it’s ideal. We use it for the commute, shopping and school drop off, and bec.