Abarth 500e vs Skoda CITIGOe iV

The Abarth 500e costs £7,540 more than the Skoda CITIGOe iV. For that premium it adds 45 kW faster peak rapid charging, 53 kW more power and a 5.3s quicker 0-62mph time. The Skoda CITIGOe iV is not just cheaper - it also offers 65 litres more boot space. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Skoda CITIGOe iV comes out ahead overall.

The Skoda CITIGOe iV is £7,540 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £152 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Skoda CITIGOe iV comes out roughly £7,660 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 134 miles for the Skoda CITIGOe iV - effectively matched, and both well below their WLTP figures because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 35 minutes in the Abarth 500e and 60 in the Skoda CITIGOe iV, so the Abarth 500e loses less time at each stop.

The Skoda CITIGOe iV is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 38 mm narrower than the Abarth 500e. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 755 mm of total clearance for the Skoda CITIGOe iV and about 717 mm of total clearance for the Abarth 500e. The Abarth 500e also turns in a 0.4 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.