Watch out MG4 and Cupra Born! The 2024 Abarth 500e is about to hit dealerships and it's priced to compete!

The Cupra Born finally has an electric hot hatch rival!

The Abarth 500e will hit Australian showrooms by the end of 2023 and it will be offered in a limited-edition 'Scorpionissima' grade initially. Once they sell out, it will be available exclusively in regular Turismo trim from early 2024 on.

There will be 219 examples of the Scorpionissima on offer to Australian buyers.

Both grades will be exclusively offered in hatchback guise - so no drop-tops - and pricing starts at $58,900, plus on-road costs, for the Turismo, increasing to $60,500 for the Scorpionissima.

The closest rival is the Cupra Born which is priced from $59,990, before on-road costs, but other spicy electric hot hatches that it might be cross-shopped with include the MG4 77kW (from $55,990) or the Mini Electric Hatch (from $64,975).

Powering the 500e is a 114kW/235Nm electric motor driving the front wheels, and a 42kWh lithium-ion battery, all using a 400-volt electric architecture.

The maximum driving range is 252km and energy consumption on the WLTP cycle is 17kWh/100km. That's well off the 511km range of the Born.

The battery is connected to an 85kW DC charging system, and the Italian brand says that makes 40km of range available after five minutes, and 80 per cent of range in 35 minutes.

Standard gear includes 18-inch 'diamond-cut' titanium grey alloy wheels, Alcantara trim and sports seats, and a choice of five colours - Antidote White, Venom Black, Adrenaline Red, and new hues, Acid Green and Poison Blue.

Also standard is the 'Abarth Sound Generator' that reproduces the sound of a petrol-powered Abarth engine.