Abarth 500e vs Renault 5

The Abarth 500e costs £5,000 more than the Renault 5. On the headline specs that premium buys little measurable advantage - the two are closely matched on range, charging and space. The Renault 5 is not just cheaper - it also offers 27 miles more WLTP range, 141 litres more boot space and 1 more seat (5 versus 4). On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Renault 5 comes out ahead overall.

The Renault 5 is £5,000 cheaper to buy. The Renault 5 is cheaper to charge, roughly £144 a year versus £176 for the Abarth 500e, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Renault 5 comes out roughly £5,160 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 137 miles for the Abarth 500e and 160 miles for the Renault 5 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Renault 5 goes roughly 23 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 31-35 minutes.

The Abarth 500e is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 125 mm narrower than the Renault 5. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 717 mm of total clearance for the Abarth 500e and about 592 mm of total clearance for the Renault 5. The Abarth 500e also turns in a 0.9 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.