Car Deal of the Day: Abarth 500e Convertible provides open-top thrills for £223 a month

We've never featured the Abarth 500e as our Deal of the Day, because it tends to be priced more to reflect its fun factor than its dinky dimensions – so pricey, rather than cheap.

But that's changed, because the little Italian electric car now costs way less than £250 a month – and better still, this is for the fresh-air convertible version in top-spec trim.

Through the Auto Express Buy A Car service, VIP Gateway is offering the Abarth 500e Convertible for a bargain £222.47 a month on a two-year deal with an annual mileage cap of 5,000.

All that's needed to get the deal off the ground is a 12-month initial payment of £3,054.61. Switching to a nine-month payment saves around £500, with the monthly price rising to £244.54. Meanwhile, changing the mileage limit to 8,000 a year costs less than £20 extra a month.

The Abarth is the sporty sister to the Fiat 500e , with a more hardcore, aggressive character. It serves up 152bhp – 35bhp more than the most powerful Fiat 500e – plus a chunky 235Nm of torque , allowing a 0-62mph sprint time of seven seconds.

It pulls off the remarkable trick of being agile on the road without having a brittle ride. And there's a nice soundtrack to go with the fun – a sound generator mounted under the rear bumper simulates the old petrol-powered Abarth 500 .

A 42.2kWh battery pack gives a claimed range of 151 miles, and a maximum DC charging speed of 85kW means a 10-to-80 per cent charge takes around 25 minutes.

Top-drawer Turismo spec brings Alcantara-trimmed sports seats, 18-inch alloys, a Beats hi-fi system, and a 10.25-inch touchscreen with sat-nav and smartphone integration.

The Convertible gives some extra thrills, too. The fabric roof rolls back in around 15 seconds and this can be done at speeds of up to 60mph. It's not the full drop-top experience, but it adds a little more fun to an already very characterful little car.

The Car Deal of the Day selections we make are taken from our own Auto Express Buy A Car deals service, which includes the best current offers from car dealers and leasing companies around the UK.

Terms and conditions apply, while prices and offers are subject to change and limited availability. If this deal expires, you can find more top Abarth 500e Convertible leasing offers from leading providers on our Abarth 500e Convertible page .

Check out the Abarth 500e Convertible deal or take a look at our previous Car Deal of the Day selection here…

George Armitage is a content editor working on Auto Express and is responsible for creating engaging content for the website. With experience in car sales and classic car restoration, he brings a hands-on passion for motoring to his role.