MODEL ON TEST: SCORPIONISSIMA – MILEAGE – 6,999

What is it about supermarket chargers? If it’s not diesel X5s parked in the EV charging bays with the sole intention of abusing electric car owners, it’s a creeping armada of abandoned shopping trollies. Are these left here simply out of laziness, in that age-old motif of one apathetic person dumping a trolley somewhere and then scores of other equally lackadaisical folk putting theirs alongside it (trust me, having worked as a trolley boy back in the nineties, grouping them together in random places isn’t as helpful as you think it is, just take them to the proper trolley bay, honestly), or is this some actively malicious effort to block the charger and make it harder to use? Whichever way, it’s a proper faff to have to get out and shift a bunch of shopping carts out of the way before climbing back in, parking up and plugging in.

Still, first world problems and all that. There are bigger things to worry about. And the karmic yin-and-
yang of the UK’s public charging network served me up a helpful slice of serendipity this month, as

I made another useful discovery: Ionity chargers are absolutely brilliant. Or, at least, the one I used at Beaconsfield services on the M40 was. Genuinely the easiest charge-up I’ve experienced so far, it’s simply a case of scanning the QR code, plugging the cable in and double-clicking Apple Pay on your phone. It takes all of about twenty seconds. Why can’t they all be that easy?

And the happily-hued Abarth is continuing to spread the joy wherever it goes. In fact, it’s been radiating rays of goodness across my own street; I was out there washing the 600e a few days ago when one of my neighbours came out to ask a few questions about it. It turns out that he’d seen it parked outside my house for the last few months, dug the vibe, and has gone out and ordered one of his own – a Competizione in white. He reckons they’re absolutely giving them away on lease deals, he got his for £600 down and £180 a month on a two- year lease – not bad, right? He says it’ll be his second car for largely local journeys, so he isn’t worried about the range (which isn’t bad on paper, but does plummet when you take it on the motorway) and, above all, he loves the styling. He’s right to do so, it’s a terrific looking thing.

And one element that’s been giving me particular pleasure recently is the Sabelt bucket seats. They seem like an entertainingly mad choice for a family car, but they’re in no way a compromise; in fact, they’re ridiculously comfortable on a long journey, and those chunky bolsters give you exactly the right amount of support. As a bonus bit of mirth, if you look up the seats in the manual, Abarth give you specific instructions about how to sit in them, providing what must be a very rare use of a manufacturer printing the word ‘buttocks’ in a handbook. (No sniggering at the back!)

DANIEL BEVIS

WHAT’S HOT: Supremely comfortable perches for your posterior.

WHAT’S NOT: Suspiciously advancing gaggles of shopping trollies.

CLICK HERE TO READ ALL OUR LONG-TERM REPORTS ON THE ABARTH 600E

FACTS & FIGURES

ARRIVED: 11th December 2025

PRICE WHEN NEW: £39,885

PRICE AS TESTED: £39,885

ECONOMY: 3.4 miles/per kWh (official WLTP) 3.1 miles/per kWh (on test)

COSTS: £451 (2x new tyres due to puncture)

FAULTS: None