Fiat 500e Review

The Fiat 500e is a really good car that’s been hamstrung by high battery costs and softening demand for electric cars by European customers.

For a few years, the new electric 500 was sold alongside the ‘classic’ 500, with an astonishing price difference. In 2021 you could pick up a petrol 500 for between £13,000 and £16,500, whereas a 500e started at £23,000 but really you’d have to go for the longer-range version, which cost at least £26,500.

In fact, brand-new 500e models are even more expensive now – and that’s despite a variety of new rivals such as the Citroen e-C3, Renault 5, BYD Dolphin Surf, Hyundai Inster and Fiat’s own Grande Panda all offering more space and more range for less cash.

If you’re happy with a used example, the 500 is thankfully a lot more reasonably priced. And then you can enjoy the 500’s many positive attributes without feeling like you’ve been ripped off.

An electric powertrain is perfect for the 500. With no exhaust emissions, the 500 helps to clean up your local environment, and the electric motor is most efficient in stop-start traffic. It doesn’t need warming up like a petrol engine and, because it produces all its power from the word go, it’s very nippy and can escape from a side street with cat-like reflexes.

Since the 500e hasn’t been the smash hit Fiat hoped it would be, the Italian firm has had to bodge together a petrol version on underpinnings that were never designed to take an engine and gearbox. The Stellantis group’s newer 1.2-litre engine won’t fit, so the only choice is the 1.0-litre engine from the old 500. And goodness gracious it’s slow. With just 65hp, the 0-62mph sprint takes an agonising 16 seconds.

The EV is a much better choice even though it’s more expensive. You’ll love it if you love the 500 and can charge at home, but it’s not the only small, charismatic electric car on the block.

The interior of the Fiat 500e is a lot more sophisticated and grown-up feeling than the previous car’s. On the most part, that’s a good thing.

The Uconnect touchscreen sitting on top of the dash gives the new car a modern feel that the old car never had, and it’s joined by a digital driver’s display that’s mostly concise and easy to read.

Build quality has taken a massive step up, and the 500 no longer feels like the dashboard will fall apart at 50,000 miles. Fit and finish is strong, with generally very few squeaks and rattles.

A flowing ring of metal-effect trim nicely frames the body-coloured dashboard, the buttons feel solid and there are appealing upholstery choices – including the option of fabric partly made from recycled fishing nets and sea plastics.

Base-spec Action is best avoided, as it was only offered with the smaller battery and misses out on a touchscreen. You simply get a phone holder instead, alongside air con, lane-keep assist and rear parking sensors – so it’s not completely bare.

The new entry-level model is unnamed yet comes with many more features, such as cruise control, a reversing camera, keyless entry and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. The RED trim brings cosmetic changes, while top-spec La Prima adds luxuries.

Some aspects of the interior are a little quirky. It’s flawed ergonomically, with limited foot space and hidden buttons on the back of the steering wheel. And no matter how many times we drive a 500e, we always find ourselves hunting around for the gear selector buttons. Then, when getting out, we wonder why the 500e has buttons for the door releases when a mechanical handle would’ve been cheaper and easier.

There are lots of little Fiat easter eggs throughout and various ‘made in Torino’ graphics to make you forget that the interior is almost exactly the same as the Jeep Avenger’s.

You already know that the Fiat 500 isn’t a practical car. It’s one of the smallest cars on sale, and its three-door body style makes it tricky to get into the back seats.

If you’re going to be using the back seats often, we’d recommend picking something else – such as the five-door Fiat 600. Not only is it a faff to access the 500's rear seats, but whoever’s sat back there will feel very cramped, with both the roof and the front seat in very close proximity.

The 500 is a strict four-seater (trying to fit five adults in would probably contravene some human rights legislation), but each of its passenger seats has Isofix points – so you can stick a child seat in the back or on the front seat.

Boot space is on the small side of tiny; the 185-litre space is big enough for a weekend bag or a couple of shopping bags, but little else. Fold down the rear seats and you’ve got up to 550 litres to fill.

The space up front is useful for a phone and small items, while the space between the centre console and seats makes it feel spacious, even if a storage compartment with sides would be better to stop things flying around.

You can get the 500e with either a 24kWh or a 42kWh battery. The smaller battery is tiny by modern standards, and the quoted range figure is a mere 118 miles. Remember that that’s in perfect conditions – in winter or on the motorway, expect more like 80 miles. Which limits the 500 to a local runabout – but the lack of rear-seat space basically means it’s only suitable for two.

Unsurprisingly, cars with the 24kWh battery are the cheapest on the used market, but we’d definitely recommend the 42kWh battery instead.

The bigger battery increases the maximum range to 199 miles, which opens up the possibility of the occasional longer journey.

Although the smaller battery is hooked up to a less powerful motor, the 0-62mph times are the same across the range. As is often the case with small EVs, the 0-30mph acceleration feels genuinely quick but then the rate of progress starts tailing off above that.

In comparison, the new mild-hybrid 500 is glacially, embarrassingly slow. But it’s not a slow car that feels fast – it feels even slower than it is. The engine struggles and wheezes up to speed. With only 65hp and 92 Nm of torque, the acceleration could become even more of an effort if you’ve had a big lunch.

Because you have to use all the engine’s power a lot more often than you’d expect, the fuel economy is pretty dire for something claiming to be a hybrid. The new Toyota Aygo X hybrid is likely to be twice as economical around town.

The 500e is understandably excellent in the confines of a city, where it feels nippy, agile and easy to park.

Head out of town and the 500e is enjoyable to drive. There’s no body roll and plenty of instant power, plus the short wheelbase and quick steering make it very ‘chuckable’.

Generally, the ride and refinement are quite good for a small car, so long journeys aren’t too taxing.

The 500e even holds its own at motorway speeds, although your quickly diminishing range estimate will remind you that this isn’t really where the 500’s ideally suited for. It will fast-charge to 80% in about half an hour, so it’s possible to use the 500 this way in a pinch or with a bit of planning.

You can choose between three driving modes: Normal, Sport and Sherpa. Sport adds unnecessary weight to the steering and very slightly sharpens up the accelerator response, while Normal is a better everyday setup. Sherpa is for eking out as much range as possible, turning off the climate control and limiting you to 50mph.