• Tiny boot capacity
• Cramped rear seats
• Nowhere for your phone

How much space is there?

Like the Fiat 500 on which it’s based, the Abarth 595 is very small car. Space up front is just about passable, but we found it to be noticeably more cramped than a standard 500 due to the bulkier sports seats. Headroom in the front is good, but elbow room is a bit neat. Just keep your arms tucked in when driving spiritedly – if you’re too exuberant, you’ll bash them on the door cards.

If you’re an adult, you’ll be quite uncomfortable in the back. Headroom is tight and the bench is rather narrow, so you’d better be on good terms with whoever you’re sharing it with. However, there’s a surprising amount of legroom on the standard 595 and middling Turismo models, as their seat backs have cut-outs for rear passengers’ knees.

24

Storage space? Forget it. The cupholders are a token gesture – they can’t hold anything larger than an espresso cup. The door bins are also quite slim and the storage slot in the centre console can barely contain a credit card. There’s also nowhere to put your phone once you’ve cabled it into the infotainment system. Your best bet is to ask your passenger to hold it.

Boot space and storage

There’s more bad news here, we’re afraid. With the rear seats in place, there’s 185 litres of boot space. That’s a whopping 126 litres less than you get in the Ford Fiesta ST, 80 litres less than the Suzuki Swift Sport and 25 litres less than the new MINI Cooper S. So don’t buy an Abarth if you regularly need to transport wardrobes.

You can liberate a little more space by folding the rear seats flat. That increases the amount of storage space to 550 litres, which is pretty good considering the Abarth’s dinky dimensions. However, it’s a long way behind the 1,093 litres you get in the Fiesta ST.

24

Surprisingly, the convertible Abarth 595C has the same amount of space in the boot as the hardtop because the roof folds into the space above where the parcel shelf would be on the standard car. If you’re not too precious about your cargo, it could be more practical than the hardtop, too – you can simply slide the roof back and load longer items into the back through the hole in the roof.

Is it easy to park?

We’ve owned bicycles that are more difficult to park. The Abarth 595 is absolutely tiny by modern standards so, even though it’s only fitted with rear parking sensors, it’s a doddle to park. It’s short enough to be abandoned in any space at the side of the road and not block traffic – and it’s narrow enough to dart down any inner-city alley.

The doors are very close to your shoulders, so if you’re worried about whether you’ll make it through a gap, simply wind down the window and hang your head out of the door. There’s also plenty of glass in the cabin. That means, even though there’s no blind-spot monitoring system, you can always keep an eye on rogue moped riders in town and mad undertaking drivers on the motorway.

Safety

• Not tested by Euro NCAP
• But Fiat 500 scored three stars
• Very little safety technology

Despite having been on sale since 2008, Euro NCAP still hasn’t crash tested the Abarth 595. However, the Fiat 500 on which it’s based scored three stars back in 2017. That sounds bad – and, we’ll be honest, you’ll be much better protected if you have an accident in a Fiesta ST – but the biggest problem with the car is its lack of driver assistance technology.

These days, pretty much every new car on the market comes with autonomous emergency braking, lane-keeping assist and cruise control. The Abarth 595 has none of that – and the Euro NCAP testers marked it down accordingly. In a strange way, though, we reckon the Abarth 595’s lack of safety equipment could make it safer than a Fiesta ST in the real world.

During our time with the car, we were minutely aware that, should you come across a maniacal motorist or woeful weather, there are no electronic safety nets to mitigate the accident. That made us drive with greater care. Driving a 595 is a bit like stepping into a classic car – your best safety assistance system is your own sense of self preservation.