Fiat 500E vs Abarth 500E

What's the difference?

You wouldn’t know it to look at it, but this is a brand-new — as in really and truly all-new — Fiat 500.

That has got to be a big deal for fans of Fiat’s pint-sized city car, with a genuinely all-new 500 about rare as spotting Halley’s Comet soaring over Turin. The last time was way back in 2007, by the way, and that car will remain on sale alongside this new one for the foreseeable.

But that’s not the only surprise. This 500 is also entirely electric, properly modern inside, and it has actual technology in its cabin and on its safety list.

Fiat reckons this is a big reset for the 500. And that there will never be another all-new petrol model again.

So, how does this new 500e stack up against the recent flood of small EVs, predominantly from China?

Let’s go find out.

Meet the Abarth 500e, the mad-hatter sibling to the very good and all-electric Fiat 500e, and the Italian brand's first attempt at a bonafide EV hot hatch.

It's tiny, tough and – despite the lack of engine and exhaust – it burbles manically when you fire it up.

So does this mean Italy’s pint-sized, petrol-powered icon has a future in the all-electric era? Let’s go find out.